Transgender Employees in the Workplace: A Guide for Employers

About the Book

Respect and understanding between colleagues is essential in any healthy, productive, equal-opportunities workplace. But as an employer, are you aware of the specific needs of transgender employees and applicants?

This concise volume is the essential introduction for any employer on how to work effectively and respectfully with transgender employees, without asking the employee inappropriate or personal questions. In simple terms, it explains what it means to be transgender, the common challenges transgender people experience, and how you can best support transgender employees in their roles, and in their relationships with colleagues and clients.

The book clarifies employers' legal responsibilities towards employees, offers practical solutions to bullying, and provides information on health and safety as well as medical issues such as surgeries and hormone therapy. The glossary of terms elucidates the finer points, such as the correct language to use with the employee, and the crucial differences between transgender identities, including gender variant and non-binary. By improving professional relationships company-wide and promoting your employees' wellbeing, this book will ultimately assist you in building a happier and higher-performing work force.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. 1. Understanding transgender people: the basics. 2. Interacting with transgender people. 3. Key employer responsibilities. 4. Recruitment and dismissal. 5. Data management - Jane Fae. 6. Transgender people in the workplace. 7. Health and safety at work. 8. Transgender people in public-facing roles. 9. Medical issues and time off work. 10. Transgender people working internationally. 11. The benefits of employing transgender people. Glossary.

About the Author :
Jennie Kermode MA (hons) MRes is the former Chair of Trans Media Watch, a charity promoting positive media representations of the transgender community. She has written for The Independent, The New Statesman, Pink News and New Internationalist, and is a commissioning editor at Eye For Film. She has provided training on trans issues for private and public sector organisations and has worked with government on initiatives aimed at tackling transphobic hate crime.

Review :
A brilliantly succinct yet thorough book of which every business, big or small, private or public, should have a copy. So many questions answered and so much practical help contained. An absolute gem of demystification. Comprehensive, authoritative, accessible. This book is all that and more. There are issues and solutions in here that I never thought about in over twenty years of teaching and writing about this topic. It's a book that every human resources manager is going to want to have handy. Essential reading for all UK employers. It gives a clear, straightforward, and thorough explanation of trans experience including everything that organisations need in order to create a trans-inclusive workplace. A necessity for any senior line management or business owner in the SME sector, and a refreshing addition to the literature for corporate personnel and HR departments. Kermode and Fae demonstrate a sensitivity not just to their researched experiences of trans people, but also to the needs of employers or line managers who require a deeper understanding than routine rule books or check lists. Individual experience is brought to bear on important legislation regarding trans rights in public and private sectors as well as academic settings. Fae's chapter on data management is as richly nuanced as those on religion and politics or local and international work issues. The book identifies how individual trans experiences collide with work and IT systems, how trans rights legislation can conflict with staff culture, and helpfully provides guidelines for all involved to create a positive engagement that delivers wider benefits to the organisation as a whole.

[The book] has many facts and answers to questions around supporting and understanding potential issues that may face trans employees. It also gives links to support groups and networks for further information and help in specific sectors and organisations. All of this information may be of use to people within your organisation, from HR advisors to line managers but also for anyone who wants to understand more about their colleagues, customers and our richly diverse society.
My advice is to leave the book visible on your desk, not hidden away the in HR department. In the two weeks that I have done this, I have been involved in conversations with colleagues who wanted to share their experience of trans relatives and friends... it is through these conversations that diversity increases and we bring the best people into our organisations, ensuring continued commercial success.