Employee Benefits poll: Over a third (35%) of respondents’ employers don not have HR policies in place that incorporate the needs of transgender employees.
A straw poll of www.employeebenefits.co.uk readers, which received 31 responses, also found that the workplaces of 23% of respondents do have HR policies in place to cater for the needs of transgender employees, while 19% planned to put such measures in place soon.
Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents do not know if their organisation’s HR policies incorporate the needs of transgender staff.
Speaking at Employee Benefits Live 2018, Pete Mercer, head of public sector membership programmes at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) charity Stonewall, recommended that employers educate themselves, using a variety of platforms, to help them gain a broad understanding of trans-inclusive issues.
He suggested topics for research could include transgender identities and how diverse and different these can be, language and terminology, relevant legislation and legal responsibilities, and examples of transphobia.
Mercer also recommended that employers look to update their HR policies and amend the organisation’s harassment, discrimination, bullying and parental policies to ensure equality across all employees, and to confirm these address trans-specific issues.
Do you agree that Morrisons is partly liable for the data breach of its employees’ payroll information? Tell us what you think in our latest poll...
