One person feeling comfortable and safe, is beneficial for everyone around. It serves to help a person be happier at their job, which in turn will benefit productivity and workplace morale.
It’s no secret that the task of gathering together a workforce made up of people from all walks of life, and getting them to work effectively and happily together is no easy feat.
Host Supportive Services All Year Round
June has been labelled as “pride month” in many parts of the world - it is a time when many people seek to celebrate their differences and promote inclusive behaviour, with many places home to vibrant festivals and the opening of supportive resources. It has become so common for companies to use LGBTQ+ branding so heavily during the month of June that it has been branded by some as ”queer-washing“.
The widespread use of LQBGT+ marketing, ultimately ending as abruptly as pride month, can feel like a cheap ploy to profiteer from queer rights issues.
This can contribute to social stigma, with it’s intense nature causing push-back from anyone opposed - push-back which is often then not met with an appropriately measured response, given that many such companies haven’t considered providing supportive policies to go alongside the branding.
Companies making a prominent and supportive display for the LGBTQ+ community is one way show that rude or exclusionary behaviour is not going to be tolerated, but it should come alongside genuine, meaningful policies and choices.
Some Healthier Suggestions
- Provide queer-supportive resources year-round, not just in June:
Being queer isn’t seasonal. Offering support beyond Pride Month is more meaningful and helpful. - Avoid using LGBTQ+ themes as a marketing gimmick:
Actions speak louder than words. If you’re genuinely supportive, your efforts will show more than flashy campaigns. - Display supportive resources prominently, all year:
A permanent spot in staff bulletins or internal portals can provide ongoing, accessible support for everyone. - Separate supportive resources from financial gain:
Helping with integrity isn’t about profit. A focus on genuine care builds trust and solidarity.
Allowing Transgender People Fair Representation
Comprising between 0.5% and 1% of the population, transgender people don’t have a huge amount of power in a democratic sense unless they are properly advocated for. This can mean that many things which are troubling to them, simply go unnoticed in a busy environment.
Many transgender people fear for their safety. This can make it harder to speak out, particularly if there may be louder individuals exhibiting harmful behaviour.
Allowing for proper representation can be huge - allowing their difficulties to be heard can be the first step in enacting meaningful change.
This could mean:
- Giving opportunities for trans people to enact change in company-wide policy
- Providing access on company-wide forums to minorities
- Ensuring that trans people are informed about policy which directly affects them
- Providing anonymous, safe spaces for them to talk freely to a staff member they trust
- Making sure that there is at least one representative within the company, educated on trans issues
Avoid Enforcing Company Photos
Many transgender people face a huge amount of difficulty from their physical form and being forced to actively look at it every day has significant mental health implications. more
Some photos are necessary - for ID badges and permits, information needed for security or DBS checks are all part of the package for some environments.
In places where they could be done without, however; such as on in-house company portals, chat services and on staff bulletins, there is often little need to enforce the use of photographs. Removing that requirement from the staff removes a lot of the associated difficulty for transgender people.
Dress Code
The way a person presents themselves can be a significant source of either distress or excitement for transgender people depending on how it is handled.
Guidelines regarding work appropriate wear should provide an equal level of both choice and enforcement for all, irrespective of a person’s gender.
It’s important to design a company’s dress code in order to allow a person the right to choose clothes that prevent distress. more
Positive Suggestions:
- Allow flexibility in clothing options, offering a mix of masculine, feminine, and neutral styles. Terms like “masculine,” “feminine,” and “gender neutral” may be better than “men’s,” “women’s,” or “unisex.”
- If women can wear makeup, others should have the same opportunity to do so.
- Be mindful that gender non-conforming individuals may use makeup for confidence and comfort in social settings. Denying this may cause distress by drawing attention to features they may be self-conscious about.
- Let individuals adjust their uniforms to fit their bodies and how they choose to present themselves.
- Avoid excessive scrutiny of a person’s presentation, especially when they are still figuring out their style. This can feel more like personal criticism than fair enforcement.
Using Inclusive Language
Gendered language exists around the world, in some languages more heavily than others. It’s important to refer to a person using the language that they prefer, and to recognise that what a person finds comfortable may change from one time to another.
Everyone has pronouns and getting them correct matters.
The Golden Rule
If you wouldn’t say something to a cis person of a certain gender, don’t say it to a trans person of the same gender. Trans women are women, trans men are men - that’s the bottom line.
Some words carry a little more nuance - things like “dude” and “mate” can technically be used in non gendered language, but their overlap can feel uncomfortable to some. If you’re ever unsure, it’s okay to ask.
Avoid Labelling People As Transgender
The labels “cis” and “trans” can differentiate between certain types of people, but there is little reason to use them unless that differentiation is needed. That means to say: Avoid using them in daily conversation.
A “transgender man”, should simply be referred to as a man. Actively labelling a person as transgender can serve to “other” them, stripping away their right to decide who they would like to share such information with.
Just because someone is appearing publicly as gender non-conforming, does not mean they feel safe talking about it.
Workplace Suggestions
- Pronouns:
Providing badges, making inclusive email templates and allowing people to update their own digital user profiles to show their pronouns can be positive - just avoid making it mandatory, as this could force some people to out themselves when they’re not ready. - Protection:
Protect people against misgendering. As an employer, properly reprimanding workers who refuse to respect a person’s pronouns is crucial.
Some workplace contacts can be challenging. Offering support for a staff member facing transphobic behaviour is a must. This could mean:
- Taking staff member seriously when they say that a person is making them uncomfortable.
- Allowing them a way to request that another staff member steps in to handle a given service.
- Issuing warnings or refusal of service to anyone showing continued transphobic behaviour.
Gendered Inputs On Forms & Documentation
The first question to ask when creating a form is this: “Do we really need this information?”. If you don’t need to know, just don’t ask.
An example of an inclusive form design:
- Man
- Woman
- Non-binary
- Prefer not to answer
- Prefer to self-describe:
This has a primary focus on the way a person chooses to present themselves as opposed to their sex assigned at birth. This gives a greater representation of who the person is as a whole.
With that said, There may also be times when a person needs to provide their sex assigned at birth - for example, for the provision of medical care. This can be a sensitive topic for many people.
Here, an approach which is aware of the differences between sex and gender is crucial - it both removes confusion around which answer is needed and when, while limiting the discomfort caused by what can be a sensitive topic.
An example of a form design which is aware of the difference between sex and gender:
- Man
- Woman
- Non-binary
- Prefer not to answer
- Prefer to self-describe:
- Male
- Female
- Intersex (please elaborate):*Information regarding your sex assigned at birth is required in order to: ...rationale
Privacy is paramount. Providing a little bit of information about why you’re asking for sensitive data may also help to put people at ease.
In Closing
There’s a lot of nuance to transgender lives which can make it hard to explain to a person who has not experienced it. With a little thought and keeping a calm and open attitude, the vast majority of those difficulties can be solved.
If you see behaviour that is harmful or insulting to anyone, being a supportive figure can dramatically improve their quality of life.
It doesn’t have to be much - simply being a friendly face attentive listener is a powerful step.