How to transform your workplace to be transgender inclusive

Every aspect of our lives is governed by our gender identity, be it consumer behaviour, our conversations, choice of profession or even the bath products we use. Even before children are named, they are assigned a sex based on the appearance of their external genitalia. These decisions are dolled out in a typically binary fashion and unfortunately for the longest time our society has only accepted two genders, i,e. Male and Female with no expectations for ambiguity. This is the norm – but hasn’t this over simplicity led us astray? This norm of oversimplification of gender identity based only on our external genitalia has adversely impacted lives of transgenders for centuries. 

Only recently after the landmark judgement of NALSA (National Legal Services Authority vs Union of India the Supreme Court granted legal identity to the “third gender”. The Urban Dictionary defines transgender as, “A term referring to when one’s gender and sex are not always or ever equivalent.” A transgender person is someone who is born a certain sex, has the corresponding physical anatomy of that sex, but identifies with the opposite sex or perhaps neither sex. 

As company cultures evolve, diversity and inclusion have proven to be key differentiators for successful businesses. In a recent Forbes survey of 321 executives, Global Diversity and Inclusion: Fostering Innovation Through a Diverse Workforce, one of the key findings was that an inclusive, diverse workplace culture drives ideation and innovation.  

It looks like India Inc is finally waking up to the benefits of diversity and trans-inclusion. In the last couple of years, big giants like, Godrej, Tata Steel, Infosys and the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group—all have implemented trans-inclusive policies.The VLCC institute also announced a free “Assistant Beauty Therapist” training course for transgender individuals. Not just this, the entertainment industry has also gone on positively portraying trans people in ads (such as the 2017 Vicks ad about trans motherhood), television (the character of Soumya in Shakti – Astitva ke ehsaas ki) and Online series (the Kukoo character in Sacred Games).

Here are few simple practices that you can adopt to transform your organisation to be become more inclusive of transgender – 

1. Create a Policy 

Prohibit discrimination against transgender employees by including “gender identity or expression” or “gender identity” among the list of protected categories in your firm-wide non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies. You might think that no one cares about these policies but they go a long way in defining the culture and value system of an organisation. Besides this, it also sends a strong message to the outside community of what your organisation values. You can also a create a transgender-inlcusive employement policy for your organisation. 

2. Train you team 

Train your employees about gender identity and gender expression that should be practiced in the office environment. Conduct gender sensitization sessions around acceptable and unacceptable behaviour at the workforce. 

3. Facilities 

It may sound simple, but choosing a bathroom can often be quite stressful for a transgender person. Feelings of judgment can take precedence in these situations and can be very uncomfortable. Identifying a gender-neutral bathroom or an all-gender bathroom as an option can eliminate these barriers for people. 

4. Dress Code 

Just like gender-neutral washrooms implement gender-neutral dress code policy. Dress code policy should be revised to eliminate gender stereotypes.  

5. Grant Benefits 

Only hiring transgenders for meeting diversity goals is not going to help the organisation. You need to ensure that they feel a part of the organisation. For this, you may extend medical benfits to the same-sex couples and offer insurance cover for sexual reassignment surgery (SRS) for trans employees. 

6. Use preferred pronouns 

It is important to train your employees to ask the person what pronoun he, she or they may prefer. You should not assume what pronoun would they prefer on the basis of how they look. You may ask the individual what pronoun they prefer, or refrain from using a pronoun and instead choose to use the person’s name that they use. 

7. Address workplace misconduct 

To make transgenders feel at home, it is imperative that the organisation and the HR take immediate action against misconduct or discriminatory behaviour targeted towards transgenders. 

Creating an inclusive environment where people feel fearless and free to be who they are can make a significant impact on culture and success of an organization. Ungender Team can support you with understanding the policies required for your Company to create an inclusive work environment for transgenders.