Providing a welcoming workplace is the first step in accommodating transgender employees. Organizations should commit to zero tolerance for bigotry, prejudice, and harassment. Leadership must set a tone and stick to it by enforcing this policy.
In addition, management should encourage open conversations between transgender staff and their managers. Moreover, they should be provided with training and support on the topic, so that they can engage in open communication with their transgender colleagues and identify discrimination straight away.
Ensure that you use gender-neutral terminology and options on company forms and software. While some people identify on a binary scale, such as male or female, they use he or she pronouns. However, many transgender employees use nonbinary, genderqueer, or gender-fluid pronouns. It’s important to ensure that your staff members refer to each employee by their correct name and pronoun. Using preferred pronouns will help your employees feel valued and respected. While most companies do not have formal policies, it’s crucial to provide adequate support for transgender employees. This can include offering benefits that are appropriate to their gender. While internal HR policies may vary, each company must have a policy in place before a transgender employee begins transitioning.
Regardless of the size of your organization, gender diversity training is vitally important for all the staff members, including the company chief executive. Inclusive workplace culture will not only increase employee retention, but will also attract talent.
Training employees in the principles of gender equality is essential for the success of an inclusive workplace. It can help prevent unconscious bias and encourage employees to work more effectively. In addition to addressing unconscious biases, gender inclusion training for HR managers also addresses the legal aspects of implementing anti-discriminations policies.
Contact the National Gender Training experts for more information on transgender workplace inclusion and diversity courses. More than a dozen organizations in the UK have already benefited from our consultants’ guidance on creating an inclusive work environment for transgender employees under the current anti-discrimination legislation.
