Tips For Developing A Transitioning-At-Work Policy
By Jamie Wareham
Transitioning at work policies help your organisation and staff navigate the needs of transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse staff.
They help you to create a better support framework and set of principles for all staff to follow if someone is going to transition in the workplace.
They're useful to create at any stage, but often are best done long before anyone comes out. They may even be a signal to your staff that your workplace is a modern, safe place for them to be their most authentic self. Many employers find when people feel safe to be themselves at work, they are able to give more to their job.
Tate Smith develops transitioning at work policies alongside consulting inclusive language, gender equality, allyship and rethinking masculinities.
They spoke to me about their top tips for putting together or improving your existing transitioning at work policy.
1. Create A Blueprint
Transitioning at work policies should act as a guide for what transitioning will look like at your organization. Smith says they're an educational tool for line managers and staff, who might panic when someone in their team comes out.
"They should help provide the information they need even if they've never met a trans person before. The policy can also provide the additional benefit of enabling senior leaders to become better allies."
2. Explain Every Possible Area
Smith advises that presuming your reader knows nothing is the best approach. They say write in a way that explains how people will be impacted by a change in gender identity. List things like the change of name, title and gender on the system, website and Outlook profile, security pass photo as well as other administrative areas.
3. Be Led By The Individual
The cornerstone of a successful transitioning policy is for it to be guided by the preferences and needs of the individual transitioning.
"For me, the best policies develop a care and communication plan tailored to the individual's wishes," Smith says.
You should consider that some individuals may prefer to keep their transition private, while others might be comfortable with a more public approach. Make sure the plan considers the different approaches people might want to take. It should respect their choice regarding informing all stakeholders, from colleagues to clients.
4. Include A Glossary of Terms
Who doesn't love a glossary? Explain what key terms mean in the context of the document, from sex to gender identity and being non-binary.
"This is crucial in fostering an inclusive culture and equipping colleagues with the tools they need to navigate nuanced conversations rather than avoid Trans+ people," Tate adds.
Having a shared understanding of what the language means will build confidence and understanding from everyone using the documents, as well as inspiring senior leaders to learn more.
It will also show people what language not to use by leading with what words are best to use. It is also valuable to flag where words may be transphobic and how people can have conversations with people productively to address times when language is used inappropriately.
5. Equip for Social and Medical Transitions
There is no one way of transitioning, so you can't write a policy for one person and presume everyone will follow the same path. It's important to equip the policy for social and medical transitions.
"Some people may choose to change their name and pronouns and gender expression but not medically transition. Some may choose to go through entire or part-medical transition and some may not undertake anything at all."
Smith says that by being prepared for everything, you can help staff avoid asking inappropriate questions like "Have you had the surgery yet?"
6. Cover Gender-Affirming Care
Many organizations offer private medical insurance, but they won't necessarily cover any or all surgeries. This is especially true for transgender healthcare.
While writing the policy, it will be important to refer to your organisation's healthcare benefits and see what is and isn’t covered. Smith says this is also an opportunity to consider these benefits, especially if they don't include transgender healthcare:
"This will set you apart from competitors and help attract trans talent, particularly with high NHS waiting times. You could be the person that improves someone's life."
Smith knows this first hand with their medical transition being supported, included by private healthcare, provided by their previous employer, Clifford Chance.
"Don't let insurers gatekeep what surgeries trans people should have either," Smith explained. "One insurer told me they can only offer lower instead of top for trans men because that's deemed more necessary. No trans person had been consulted on that 'policy.'"
7. Launch In Style
This is a complex and nuanced policy, so it's vital to get the team up to speed with it. Host training, run lunch and learn or have an event paired with the launch of the policy to make the most impact and help people understand the aim and purpose.
"Ongoing education and training for all employees are vital so encourage open dialogue and provide resources for continuous learning on your Intranet. If you're developing it, why not seek a senior sponsor, preferably a C-suite, to help promote it?"
Smith says creating this policy is also a great chance to conduct a policy audit of your other policies that may include gendered language, i.e. menopause, maternity and parental leave. As ever, policies interact with each other, and sense-checking your new transitioning at work policy against others may improve many more.
