5 Tips for Including Trans People in the Workplace

Summary:

1 Adoption of trans-inclusive policies:

  • Showing employees that the organization cares about them is one way of making this happen;
  • Allow people to use the bathroom with the gender they identify with or create "genderless" bathrooms;
  • Remove the requirement for dress codes based on binary gender (Male and Female);
  • Adopt the use of the social name of trans people, both in treatment and in documents and other forms of identification;
  • Provide support when a collaborator announces their transition, offering psychological support and, if possible, extending the medical insurance needed for this process. And remember that not every transition process necessarily involves surgery, "choosing" a binary gender or changing your name.

2 Leadership support in promoting the rights of trans people in the organization:

  • Creating an environment of equal treatment and opportunities;
  • Transgender employees should always have the opportunity to discuss their transsexuality at security;
  • Ensure that information about transition or other personal issues is not shared with others, only share what you know for a fact and have been authorized to talk about.

3 Educating employees about the rights of trans people:

  • Disclosure of your rights in the organization's marketing campaigns (internal and external);
  • Make people comfortable talking about these issues and always listen to them. Active listening is a crucial element in making everyone feel that their workspace is a safe and increasingly prejudice-free environment.
  • You don't have to wait for a trans person to arrive in your workspace to educate yourself on the subject; a trans-inclusive environment should be welcoming to other people too.
  • Study the subject and encourage collaborators to do the same, always maintaining a polite and didactic tone when approaching the subject.

4 Invest in training and development programs for trans people:

  • Seek external support on Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace;
  • Offer flexible benefits that can be adapted;
  • Make available psychological support for trans people;
  • Create internal actions with Diversity & Inclusion themes in the workplace.

5 Inclusion of trans people in decision-making:

  • When developing your organization's policies on LGBTI+ employees, include transgender employees in decision-making;
  • Avoid making one of the most basic mistakes, which is to exclude the people who will be affected by these policies from the creation process;
  • To ensure safety and comfort, include topics such as transphobia and sexual harassment in the workplace in your employees' training.
  • It is important to emphasize that in order to have good engagement and performance at work, it is essential to make people feel valued, respected and that they belong in their environment.

Newsletter

Content that transforms.

Direct to your e-mail.

Content that transforms.

Direct to your e-mail.