Transgender Day of Visibility
Today, on Trans Day of Visibility, the Careers Centre celebrates the lives, achievements, and resilience of the trans community at the University of St Andrews.
As part of our service, we are committed to supporting trans students and graduates in finding inclusive work environments. We do this by providing guidance on sharing identity-specific information with employers, employer engagement and education, and advising on ways to identify inclusive employers.
This post will focus on assessing employers for trans-inclusive practice and will highlight some employers who demonstrate good practice in creating and sustaining a trans-inclusive workplace. If you need guidance or support on other topics, please book an appointment with a careers adviser.
Identifying trans-inclusive employers
To assess an employer’s commitment to trans inclusion, you can begin by checking their website and social media accounts. When doing this, notice if there are trans-inclusive, positive action statements or hiring policies, and check job postings for gender-inclusive language. Research whether the organisation has trans employee resource groups. If they do, how are these groups supported and what opportunities are available for members?
Additionally, check other sources, such as your personal network. Do you know someone who works there that you can ask, or do they know someone who can? Connect with University LGBTIQ+ Staff Role Models or the LGBT Alumni Association to see if someone can offer insight or connect you with someone who can. Similarly, if you’re a member of the Beaumont Society or a local trans support group, ask others if they can provide help. You can also check company reviews on Glassdoor to learn more. Further, search online for news about the company: has the company been recognised for good practice in trans inclusion? Have any employee complaints or discrimination issues come up in the company’s history?
You can also assess an employer during the recruitment process. Do this by reviewing the vacancy materials and notice if they use gender-inclusive language or provide a positive action statement about recruiting and retaining trans employees. Ask questions during the interview that provide insight into their inclusive practices, such as:
- Do you have senior leadership actively driving trans inclusion in the workplace and allocating needed resources?
- How does your organisation prioritise equity, inclusion, and belonging for trans staff?
- Has your organisation made any formal commitments in support of trans equity?
- Does your organisation have any affinity groups, committees, or networks to support trans staff? If so, how do these groups contribute to the culture and policies of the organisation?
- How many gender-inclusive toilets are there, and where are they located?
- If they have gendered toilets, you can ask: can employees use the toilet congruent with their gender identities?
- Are there guidelines for employee pronouns in email signatures and other communications?
Trans-inclusive employers
‘‘We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, without fear of it impacting or limiting their opportunities and experiences. Our award winning Breathe network provides a community that celebrate and promote LGBTQ+ initiatives. And we’re proud to support the wider LGBTQ+ community across the UK, by lending our support to a variety of universities and charities.’’ – KPMG UK LGBTQ+ Employee Network (Breathe) chairs
The company is committed to providing a safe and supportive working environment for all colleagues and how they express their gender identity. They have trained advisors in Human Resources who are experts in the fields of transgender inclusion and transitioning at work. In 2016, they were the first UK-owned company to extend the Private Medical Benefit to include gender dysphoria.
Pearson Spectrum is an employee resource group, with chapters around the world, which advocates for Pearson’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex employees, and influences missions, values, and business goals.
In 2021, the firm’s LGBT+ Network held its global conference online with a varied programme aimed at exploring and understanding the different strands within the LGBT+ community, different experiences across their global offices, and the intersectionality across diversity programmes.
If you would like to explore other employers who are more broadly recognised for their LGBTQ+ inclusive workplaces, review Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers 2022.