Although the majority of Americans support same-sex marriage and gay rights, many LGBT employees do not feel comfortable coming out to their co-workers.

According to a random poll conducted by the Human Rights Campaign, 53 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered employees are still in the closet at work. The poll consisted of a random sampling of 806 LGBT and 879 non-LGBT respondents, according to CNN Money.

Many businesses promote gay inclusion and have LGBT-friendly policies, as well as non-discrimination policies. However, there is no federal non-discrimination law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. There are state laws that cover discrimination issues, which create varying environments for LGBT workers.

As a result, many LGBT employees do not feel comfortable being open at work about their sexual orientation, even if their companies have gay-friendly policies.

"It's not enough to simply implement inclusive policies -- those policies need to be augmented by training and accountability, and [leaders] need to be on the lookout for unconscious bias," said Deena Fidas, director of HRC's Workplace Equality Program.

According to the new poll, 1 in 4 LGBT respondents said they hear offensive comments in the workplace, including the derogatory statement, "That's so gay."

Of those polled, 1 in 5 respondents also said they were forced to search for a new job because of not feeling accepted at work.

While 81 percent of non-LGBT employees said their LGBT peers "should not have to hide who they are at work," less than half of the respondents said they would be comfortable hearing them talk about their love lives.

As a result, around 35 percent of LGBT employees say they lie about their personal lives and decline to share information about their dating lives in particular, which is a common topic in offices.

"Employees are getting married without telling their co-workers for fear of losing social connections, or they're not transitioning even though they know they need to for fear of losing their jobs," Fidas said.

"The inclusive policies coming from the boardroom have not fully made it into the everyday culture of the American workplace," she added.