Amazon UK's 27,000 full-time employees are now able to access a range of transgender resources, offering best practice guidance aiming to boost diversity, inclusion and support within the organisation.
The Transgender Guidelines and Toolkit was created with the help of the online retailer's workforce across the country, as well as its employee affinity group, Glamazon. It includes guidance for transgender staff, as well as their managers, fellow employees and HR representatives.
In addition, the toolkit provides a terminology breakdown to help individuals understand phrases that may come up in conversation, a frequently asked questions section, and best practice guidance on issues such as privacy, official records, name and pronoun use, and dress code compliance.
The resources also include communications templates, which can be used by employees wishing to communicate transgender identity.
The guidelines were launched at the OUTstanding Summer Reception on 21 June 2018, which celebrates the launch of nominations for OUTstanding LGBT+ Role Models 2018. They have been promoted through the organisation's internal communications channels, and are available via its intranet.
Simon Johnson, director of media at Amazon, said: “Amazon also provide[s] benefits that cover transgender services, including support for employees going through gender reassignment and associated mental health services for employees and their [dependants], when enrolled.
“That’s because we have hundreds of millions of customers who benefit from diversity of thought and strongly believe a variety of backgrounds, ideas, and points of view is the best way to invent on behalf of our customers.
“Diversity and inclusion is good for our business and our customers, and transgender employees are an important part of our team. We hope with the new guidelines and support, every employee feels even more safe, valued and able to succeed based on the skills and contribution they bring to the business.”
Luca Sale, chair of Glamazon UK, added: “Being whole and authentic at work allows everyone to focus on bringing great value to our customers as well as retaining the great talent we hire. Becoming your real self should be a bureaucracy-free journey and Amazon is facilitating it by providing easy-to-follow guidelines as well as health benefits that include gender reassignment surgery. Our transgender employees, their peers and their managers have now the ability to consult the Toolkit before, during and after the transitioning process removing any uncertainty about what to do or say.”
Suki Sandhu, founder and chief executive officer at OUTstanding, said: “Living in an equal society means freedom from discrimination for all. It’s fantastic to see an influential, global company like Amazon promoting gender awareness initiatives. By demonstrating such visible support, they are helping to drive change in business and showcasing the importance of diverse and inclusive workplaces. We are always proud to see our member firms leading the way in the promotion of LGBT+ inclusion.”
