22 March 2022
We held our first Member Exchange Session on March 15 on the topic of Creating a Transgender Policy, and we would like all our members to have access to what we learned from this session, here are the most important metrics, takeaways, and the link to the recording of the session.
- 42 people attended
- >80% of attendees joined to learn
- >60% of respondents either have no Trans policy or are just getting started
- 96% of respondents learned something that will help them and found the session a good use of their time.
Key takeaways:
- Get sponsorship from the top – it’s “good to have HR or DEI officer intrinsically motivated” so that they be visible in their support and help you get the time and resources needed. Research shows that 1.2% – 1.5% of the population is transgender – even if no one has come out in your org, data says that they are likely there but in the closet.
- Learn what is needed and educate your stakeholders – “don’t assume you know”, connect with the Trans community in your org or with a Trans CSO/organization to learn (Workplace Pride L&D, Corporate Queer, Transvisie as NL examples). Let ERG educate the business about what is needed and why. Create a guiding document that helps everyone understand what is needed to support Trans people in the workplace.
- Make it practical and take concrete steps – taking on a whole policy may be daunting, focus on smaller steps like “what it needed to change gender and name in IT systems” or “get the required medical procedures for transitioning added to health insurance benefits – either private or government depending on location”.
- Location/region-specific assessments – looking at what medical and health benefits are covered will differ by location. What you as an organization need to do will depend on how much is already covered by the government or social structures in a location. There is no known resource of which countries/locations cover which aspects, you will need to do that work with your local Benefits team.
A link to the meeting recording is here: Recording: Member Exchange Session – Transgender Policy