Gender Nonbinary Inclusive Workplaces

Oct 22, 2019, 12:12 PM

(from NPR) Because younger people have a greater prevalence of gender ambiguity, "employers are going to be faced with an increasing percentage of employees over time who have nonbinary identities," says Jody Herman, a public policy scholar at UCLA. Some employers are already shifting policies. United Airlines gives customers the option to identify as nonbinary when booking tickets. Retirement company TIAA instructed employees to introduce themselves to clients with their preferred pronouns. The law firm Baker McKenzie earlier this year set its staffing targets to 40% men, 40% women and 20% flexible — including nonbinary people.

These changes are rare, however. Employment forms often include only male or female options. References from old jobs might have known someone before the person assumed a different name or identity. And often, employer health insurance requires a person to choose. Nonbinary employees often face probing questions from colleagues and ongoing issues such as gender designated bathrooms.