What does trans visibility in the workplace mean?

Today is Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), a day to celebrate and appreciate trans and gender diverse (TGD) people. While this celebration spans across all aspects of the community, we want to focus on what trans visibility in the workplace really means.

Future Group prides itself on championing inclusivity in the workplace, and we’re not afraid to disrupt the status quo to do it. We believe the best work happens when everyone can be their whole, authentic selves, both at work and beyond. But that can’t happen if not everyone feels safe.

For most, work is stressful enough as is. For trans and gender diverse people, there is additional emotional weight at play; navigating their gender identity and expression within the workplace, feeling pressure to manage it to suit others’ expectations.

This stigma can have devastating mental and emotional consequences, and increased gender dysphoria.

With 33% of trans Australians reporting employment-related discrimination, and 43% reporting that they have attempted suicide , it’s clear that TGD people feeling safe in their identity is a necessity, not a luxury.

Facilitating workplace TGD visibility starts with knowledge about and empathy towards the issues affecting TGD people. At Future Group, we:

• Ensure that all new staff complete ACON’s LGBTQ Introduction eLearning training
• Facilitate and encourage proactive learning on LGBTQI+ issues across the business
• Enforce standards of behaviour that uphold a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for trans and gender diverse people at work
• Ensure that all directors, managers and supervisors model and enforce these guidelines and standards

An important part of many TGD people’s journeys includes a gender affirmation process. Access to this process can be life-saving.

“Access to gender-affirming surgery is associated with better mental health and quality of life. […] Desiring but not having had gender-affirming surgery is associated with a 71% higher chance of reporting a lifetime suicide attempt.” — Dr Ada Cheung and Sav Zwickl, University of Melbourne

With procedures running upwards of $20,000 , the financial costs and lack of workplace accommodation can pose significant barriers to access.

We want to shatter these barriers.

Which is why, using TransHub and ACON’s policy template , Future Group developed our very own Gender Affirmation Policy! All permanent, full-time Future Group employees undergoing gender affirmation can access:

• Up to 30 days of paid leave
• Up to 12 months of unpaid leave
• Flexible working arrangements, tailored to suit each individual’s circumstances
• Employee Assistance Program, including confidential counselling with psychologists and specialists. This is also accessible to the employee’s immediate family.

Today (as well as every day) we encourage you to familiarise yourself with the issues affecting TGD people, and take action to uplift them in a way meaningful to you.

Make the most of our open-source Gender Affirmation Policy ! It has a tonne of educational resources, and is begging to be used as a jumping off point for your own workplace policy.

We challenge you to share the policy with your coworkers or manager - bonus points if you also share it with HR!

Please obtain appropriate advice and consider the specifics when determining suitability for your organisation.

If you or anyone you know needs support, visit www.transhub.org.au/services for a range of TDG-friendly support services

Why stop at just one? Explore all our open-source policies here .

Glossary of terms

Transgender and Gender Diverse

This describes people whose gender differs from what was assigned or presumed for them at birth. The umbrella term covers a range of gender expressions, such as transgender, genderqueer, non-binary, Sistergirl, Brotherboy.

Gender Dysphoria

This describes the distress or discomfort TGD people can experience related to their gender expression and perception. Gender affirmation steps can help alleviate this.

Gender Affirmation

This term refers to the steps TGD people may take to affirm their gender identity, including social steps (e.g. changing names, pronouns, appearance), medical steps (e.g. hormones, surgery) and legal steps (e.g. changing their legal gender marker and name in official documents).

Additional resources

• TransHub
• Colleagues, TransHub
• Our Glossary of Terms, TransHub
• How to be a trans ally, Minus 18
• The Gender Centre
• ‘Fixing the System’:Hiring Bias and Employment Barriers for Trans and Gender Diverse People, Star Observer
• Removing barriers to employment for LGBTIQA+ people, Meridian, A Gender Agenda, Hands Across Canberra, Collective Action
• Private Lives 3, The Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQ People in Australia, La Trobe University
• The Health and Well-Being of Transgender Australians: A National Community Survey, Ingrid Bretherton,Emily Thrower ,Sav Zwickl, Alex Wong, Daria Chetcuti, Mathis Grossmann, Jeffrey D. Zajac, and Ada S. Cheung, PhD
• Career Development of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Career Development Association Australia
• Snapshot of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Statistics for LGBTIQ+ People, LGBTIQA+ Australia
• Monash Health Gender Clinic
• Gender Affirming Surgery In Australia: An Evidence Brief, ACON
• What Gender Affirmation Leave Means For Trans People In The Workplace, Refinery29
• Creating a Trans Inclusive Workplace, Harvard Business Review
• ABC and SBS gender affirmation leave: what it is and why it matters, ScreenHub
• ANZ, Coles announce gender affirmation leave policies for transitioning staff, SmartCompany
• Salesforce introduces $55,000 package for transgender employees, Australian Financial Review