Are You Sure Your Policies Are Trans-Inclusive?

How do you ensure your policies are inclusive of the TGX+ community?

This is the Second Pillar of TGX+ Workplace Inclusion.

One of the biggest tips for ensuring TGX+ inclusion within workplace policies comes from Dee Baboolall (they/them), an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company who conducted research on being transgender at work.

They discuss the need to ensure our policies are both trans-friendly and trans-specific.

So what does this mean?

A trans-friendly policy is one that is generally inclusive of TGX+ individuals. For example, a gender-neutral dress code.

“Our dress code and grooming standards are gender-neutral, and therefore do not differentiate or impose restrictions or requirements based on gender.”

A trans-specific policy is one that explicitly states the inclusion of TGX+ individuals.

“Our dress code and grooming standards are gender-neutral, and therefore do not differentiate or impose restrictions or requirements based on gender. Further, in accordance with our values for embracing gender diversity, we encourage individuals to wear clothing that reflects their authentic gender expression, including those who are transgender, nonbinary, or gender expansive.”

Having policies that are both trans-friendly and trans-specific communicates the intentional inclusion of TGX+ folks, which among other benefits, reduces the stigma of coming out as TGX+ at work.

For more on how you can ensure your policies are both trans-friendly and trans-specific, check out McKinsey’s webinar “Creating an Inclusive Environment for Transgender Employees”.

If you’re a DEI, HR, or ERG leader looking to elevate TGX+ inclusive policies within in your organization, join our monthly TGX+ Inclusion Roundtable, where we explore how to cultivate TGX+ inclusion in the workplace together.