The times are changing and more recognition and acceptance of diversity is required in the workplace. Business leaders and HR professionals should be proactive about preparing employees, especially managers. Employers must consider their company culture and policies and ready them not only for individuals who identify as gay or lesbian but also transgender, androgynous, other, and so on.
Many companies have done a fantastic job in establishing a comfortable workplace for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) employees. Chevron, Ernst & Young, and Boeing all have elaborate transition guidelines for transgender individuals looking to make a very personal and oftentimes very difficult change while maintaining their job.
While many courts have decided that GLBT individuals are to be protected from discrimination, there nonetheless is the fact that not everyone is comfortable with individuals in these particular demographics. It was not until 2007 that a U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the ruling that the firing of a male-to-female individual in transition was to be considered discrimination. However, in 2006 Washington state adopted law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. In 2007 Oregon did the same, taking effect in 2008.
According to a survey by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, 97% of transgender individuals polled reported being harassed or mistreated in the workplace, 26% lost their job due to their identity, 22% were denied access to the correct bathrooms, and 20% were purposefully removed from direct contact with clients. These numbers are staggering.
Rebecca Hastings, online editor and manager for SHRM, wrote a piece expanding on how companies can anticipate these changes in their workplace. There are a number of things to address should an someone “come out” as transgendered individual: “name and document changes, dress code issues, security clearances, bathroom and dressing room use, coverage under company health benefits, medical leave eligibility determinations, employee conduct and training, client and customer communications,” and “complaint procedures.”
With everything in mind, business leaders and HR professionals must work to organize their company policies to accommodate all members of the GLBT community.
For more information on human resource consulting or employer programs, contact Xenium HR at 503-612-1555 or visit www.xeniumhr.com. This article is intended as information only and is not a substitute for legal advice. Xenium HR is a professional employer organization specializing in strategic HR partnership with small and mid-sized businesses in Portland, Oregon.
Image courtesy of user Victor1558 via Flickr Creative Commons.
