Being a Trans Friendly Workplace

This month, we had two resources come across our desks that aimed to provide guidelines for organizations who are committed to creating a trans-friendly workplace.

The first resource, “How to be a Trans-Friendly Employer“, is a brief, but helpful guide to trans-friendly human resources. An excerpt recommendation:

Note that applications from minority groups are welcome, and list some examples, including transgender people. Don’t rely on using the acronym LGBT as many trans people have had disappointing experiences with people who say that but only really mean ‘gay’.

The second resource, “Support for trans employees: A guide for employees and managers“, is meant for government workplaces, but has lots of applicable advice for community groups, and includes some generous stories from trans employees about their experience transitioning as government employees. This guide is much more detailed, but they have this advice on “getting started”:

The employee should feel supported and be confident in knowing that discrimination or harassment of trans employees will not be tolerated…In most cases, this will be the first time that the manager has encountered this situation, and they too will need to be supported by the organization and reassured that they are following the correct procedures to ensure their employee’s transition is successful in the workplace.

The last article “Gender identity & pronoun use: A guide for pediatric health care professionals” is made for health care providers, and deals specifically with the question of pronouns, but is equally applicable to social workers, outreach workers, and so on. They have this advice for people who are new to asking and talking about pronouns:

Many providers may not be used to introducing themselves using their pronouns or asking someone about their pronouns, so it can feel awkward at first. Practicing with colleagues and family members will help you (and ultimately your patients) feel more comfortable.