How to support transgender employees in your beauty business

According to a survey conducted by Totaljobs in 2021, 65% of trans people hide their gender status or history in the workplace. 32% of the 400+ trans respondents had experienced discrimination or abuse at work, in the five years prior to the survey.

Forms of discrimination or abuse include insults, deliberate use of wrong pronouns, deadnaming (being referred to by a name used prior to transitioning), exclusion and physical abuse. This is against the law, under The Equality Act 2010.

In Totaljobs’ Trans employee experiences survey: Understanding the trans community in the workplace, respondents shared five key areas employers need to improve to make workplaces more inclusive. These are:

• Employee awareness of trans issues.
• Unbiased interview processes.
• Employer commitment to hire diverse candidates.
• Training for staff when colleagues are transitioning.
• Interview training for recruiters.

Upon receiving the findings, Sparkle – The National Transgender Charity shared advice on workplace best practice: some of which is detailed below…

Attraction & recruitment

56% of the survey respondents believe that it’s harder for them to find a job, because they are transgender. Therefore, the charity advises that businesses publish a positive statement on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) internally and on their website. Similarly, recruitment materials should be made trans-friendly with images of trans people and de-gendered language.

Training, education & engagement

Sparkle – The National Transgender Charity details that it is not down to transgender employees to educate others; business owners should take it upon themselves to organise gender inclusivity training, such as Be Trans Aware. Other ways to educate the workforce include inviting a trans organisation to deliver a talk – giving staff the chance to ask questions, and offering employees the opportunity to get involved with important days in the trans calendar.

Supporting people through their transition

The charity notes that paid leave for transitioning usually only includes appointments with gender identity clinics and doctors: not other procedures which may be important to a trans person’s wellbeing. They suggest that employers could consider setting out paid leave for transitioning in their policies, treating it like holiday or sick leave. This policy should be accessible and publicised.