UKè檚 Best 天美影院鈩� share their best practices for building a more trans-inclusive workplace.
When it comes to LGBTQ+ employees (as with any other marginalised group in the workplace), true inclusion is about more than just hiring a diverse workforce.
Itè檚 about the organisation treating ALL people equitably, and fostering a culture that allows every individual to feel safe to bring their whole selves to work.
To be a truly trans positive organisation, support for trans employees needs to be deliberate, holistic and active over the long-term. But before we dive into best practices, we need to first understand what it means for an employee to identify as è榯ransgenderè�.
Identifying as Transgender at Work
è楾ransè� or è榯ransgenderè� are umbrella terms that can be used for anyone who identifies with a gender which does not match their assigned sex at birth.
Being trans is based on 辞苍别è檚 internal sense of self ; how one feels and expresses 辞苍别è檚 identity. This can be male, female, a mixture of both (such as bigender), no gender at all (agender), or exist completely outside of these (such as pangender or polygender).
Transgender vs Cisgender
When someone feels their assigned sex at birth does match the gender they identify with, one is considered è榗isgenderè�. Trans employees therefore will never identify as è榗isè� or cisgender.
What Trans-inclusivity Looks Like in Practice
Here are some of the ways in which the 2021 UKè檚 Best 天美影院鈩� are cultivating a trans-inclusive workplace culture:
1. Pronouns
Personal pronouns (she/he/they) are our subjective identifiers which allow all of us è� whether trans or cisgender è� to choose how we would like others to address us in and outside of work.
Arguably one of the easiest ways to show your support of LGBTQ+ employees is to encourage the use of personal pronouns in email signatures and/or profiles on company channels like Microsoft Teams, Zoom and even LinkedIn.
This allows trans employees to use language which fits their identity, making them feel acknowledged and valid. It can also help lessen fears some cisgender employees may have of using the incorrect pronoun for a trans colleague.
è淥ften it comes down to really simple things, like a gay colleague being too afraid to use the correct pronouns when talking about their partner because theyè檙e so terrified of being è榝ound outè�,è� explains Ronika Cunningham, Engagement Manager at Home Group.
è淎nd this sort of thing can go on for years if someone isnè檛 working in a place where they can fully be themselves. One of our colleagues is now in his sixties and recently shared with me that Home Group is the first company in his whole career that made him feel comfortable to be openly è榦utè�. This is what itè檚 about è� you can change some辞苍别è檚 life!è�
2. Helping transition
Itè檚 important to keep in mind that not all gender transitions are the same. While some trans employees will choose to transition socially (such as coming out as trans to friends, family and colleagues), others may opt to transition medically (which may involve ongoing hormone treatments, for example).
Transitioning can therefore be an incredibly daunting experience, regardless of how a trans employee chooses to do so, or how long the process may take.
To ensure the success of any workplace transition, itè檚 crucial that everyone plays their part.
The policy includes an action plan specifically designed to support any colleagues going through their gender transition.
è淲e pride ourselves on being a workplace that places colleague wellbeing at its core,è� explains Lorna Kerr, Chief People Officer at Principality.
è淭he support provided for current and future transgender colleagues focuses on key areas that we regularly review and continually strive to improve upon, such as raising cognizance of the societal issues faced by the transgender communityètè檚 all part of our holistic approach to ensuring our workplace culture is one that celebrates difference and advocates inclusion.è�
è淎t L&Q, our policy and process around transitioning in the workplace was first introduced in 2017. One of the ways we support our trans employees going through a transition is recognising that they may need to take time off for medical appointments and allowing them to do so without the need to use up their annual leave days.
è淥ur leadership was massively receptive to these sorts of ideas, which were presented to HR by some of our LGBT staff. Weè檙e then able to provide the space and support needed for staff to realise ideas fairly quickly, compared to other organisations where there are many more barriers to overcome.è�
3. Rethinking healthcare benefits
How comprehensive is your transgender health insurance cover?
Organisations are consumers of healthcare offerings, and as such can advocate on behalf of trans employees signed up to their group health insurance plans.
For example, you may need to work with your insurance administrator to ensure any exclusions in your current plan have been updated to provide sufficient cover for all employees.
The benefits provide all team members with equal access to quality fertility-related care, regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
4. Supportive technology
Ensuring LGBTQ+ employees are able to choose the appropriate gender identity on a New Starter Form is one example of how you can create a more inclusive workplace right from the induction stage.
On the other end of the employee journey, those who eventually leave the organisation can be offered the opportunity to complete a confidential online Leavers Questionnaire to help inform future decisions to keep improving your trans inclusion at work.
And it's not only at the start and end of a trans employee's tenure where tech matters.
è淯pdating our Oracle system, for example, is something weè檝e made a conscious effort to invest in because we know that as peopleè檚 personal circumstances change, itè檚 important that they can make changes to their own profile on our system as soon as they feel ready to do so,è� explains Jaya Sample, HR Manager at Home Group.
è淎nd in surveys as well - itè檚 essential for us that everyone (regardless of gender, race, ageè�) can feel that their identity is represented so they disclose this information to us instead of clicking a box with è楶refer not to sayè�. Using this data, we can continue to monitor ourselves in terms of how we're serving and support all of our diverse groups within the Home Group family.è�
Jan agrees:
è淪tart with the data. Getting an organisation-wide snapshot of how people feel about inclusion here at L&Q would be very difficult without a tool like the Trust Index漏 survey,è� she says.
è淏y breaking down results according to protected characteristic, we can see which groups of colleagues score disproportionately lower (or higher) than other identities, so we know where to focus our attention every year.
è淲ith our LGBT group, for example, we recently found that these employees scored slightly lower in the area of line management. So it became time to ask ourselves: è榃hat do we need to do in our line management to make it more LGBT-inclusive?è�. Whether that means working with our internal Spectrum network or an external organisation, we may not know immediately. But starting with the data lets us know which questions are the right ones to ask in the first place.è�
5. Employee networks
LGBTQ+ staff-led networks provide an effective, engaging and inclusive method for developing a more trans- or rainbow-positive organisation.
Both Home Groupè檚 'Pride at Home' and L&Qè檚 'Spectrum' employee networks have been recognised by as one of the top 30 networks in the UK.
è淚 started Pride at Home about 8 years ago and we have over 100 members in the group now!è� says Ronika. è淲e welcome anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ but also do a lot of work to help other non-LGBTQ colleagues become allies of our community, which is so 颈尘辫辞谤迟补苍迟.è�
Cultural awareness is key to allyship. Here are just some of the ways in which the Pride at Home network have raised awareness and created safe spaces for colleagues to speak on trans issues, ask questions - and have some fun along the way:
For L&Qè檚 Spectrum network, supporting local LGBTQ+ charities has been a key feature of their awareness campaigns. This includes activities like a quiz on World Aids Day in support of ; and a Eurovision sweepstakes with proceeds donated to the charity.
è淲e believe networks should be by staff, for staff, and for the benefit of all staff,è� says Jan. è淎s the organisation, itè檚 our job to prepare the ground, making it clear that there is space for these groups and that itè檚 about how they want to impact change for the good of all colleagues, no matter where they are based or what their demographics.è�
To further their mission of creating inclusion for all, Spectrum also collaborates with other employee networks in the company. One example is their recent partnership with Inspire - L&Qè檚 gender equality network è� to host an International Womenè檚 Day event during which a trans woman shared with attendees how being trans impacts her employee experience as well as her personal life.
To enable sector-wide reach, Spectrum also became part of the external è槰 consortium working in the social housing sector to lobby several social housing organisations (including L&Q, Optivo and others) to come together in commissioning research on LGBTQ+ residents in social housing.
è淭his work has influenced how we deliver services to be more inclusive to our residents as well. It shows that staff networks can be so much more than what we could have imagined. These networks really work when people are empowered to lead themselves and given corporate support, rather than the company saying è榯hese are the ways in which we think we should impact change.è櫒
Since its formation in 2018, Principalityè檚 è楲GBT+ & Friends Networkè� has worked hard to enable positive change internally by influencing on the delivery of awareness campaigns such as LGBT+ History Month, Pride Month and Inclusion Week.
è淐olleagues also help organise key inclusion-focused activities such as Principalityè檚 participation in Walesè� Pride celebrations è� Pride Cymru è� which works alongside community outreach which is undertaken via sponsorship activities such as LGBTQyrmu Pride and LGBTQ+ youth theatre projects,è� says John Hoddinott, Internal Communications & Engagement Manager at Principality.
è淭he network comes to fruition via two groups of invested colleagues: a smaller è榗ore groupè� who meet monthly to drive forward the strategic goals of the network, and the wider network group who meet every two months in order to share information, experiences and provide peer support to one another. Itè檚 a fully inclusive network welcoming all identities, including allies è� or è榝riendsè� as we prefer to call them.è�
6. Reverse mentoring
Besides educating senior leaders on LGBTQ+ issues, Home Groupè檚 reverse mentoring programme enables mentors to develop their own skills by learning from the leaders they mentor.
è淲e give our mentors the option to choose which leader theyè檇 like to work with so itè檚 not a random partnership,è� explains Jennifer Glover, People Development Advisor at Home Group. è淭his way, we ensure both parties benefit from the experience because there is growth on both sides resulting from their regular conversations and learning together.
è淪ometimes itè檚 a simple chat about a specific topic thatè檚 been in the news lately which a mentor can share insights on from their unique perspective. This is how we help our leaders become allies of the community, and itè檚 become a really powerful yet simple tool that gives everyone the freedom and psychological safety to ask questions.
"We also stress to all our colleagues that it's okay to make mistakes or call out assumptions that exclude the trans community, or any group of people here at Home Group. We're all learning all the time, and there's no shame in that - as long as we stay committed to learning together, and with the intention of making this a safe, happy environment for everyone.è�
The bottom line
Employees who feel free to bring their full selves to work have increased energy, better performance and stronger relationships with colleagues.
When your organisation is a safe space for all employees (whether cisgender, or part of the LGBTQ+ community or any other marginalised group) youè檒l be able to tap into the full potential of your workforce. And who doesn't want that?
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