Where an employee of your organisation advises you of their intention to transition, the following guidelines will assist in providing a safe and supportive environment for the individual concerned and all other staff members. (Note: the employee may or may not have canvassed their decision with some staff members before approaching management.)
Once advised management should discuss the situation in full with the employee to become aware of their issues and concerns. It is then advisable to seek expert advice and information. The Gender Centre can assist with questions relating to gender issues and the Anti-Discrimination Board of
N.S.W. can provide legal advice. (Training Workshops can be arranged through both organisations).
Discussions with the employee should not be seen as an opportunity to attempt to dissuade them from their decision. Whilst management may find the disclosure surprising and unexpected it is important to be aware that the employee will probably have spent a number of years arriving at their decision.
Once management is fully conversant with the situation they should organise with the employee appropriate time frames leading up to the transition. These should be adequate to allow the implementation of a staff awareness program to prepare all staff members for the transition.
It is often useful to set the date of transition for the employee at the point of return from a period of leave. This helps to reduce any levels of confrontation that staff may experience on first meeting the "new" person.
Management should notify all staff members, (and relevant union organisations through delegates or the joint consultative committee) in writing of the employee's intended transition. This document should be prepared sensitively, reflecting the Workplace Policy and clearly indicating management's support. The best way to achieve this is to approach the issue matter-of-factly with a clear emphasis on management policy to treat all employees with respect and dignity.
The document should also include advice on how to appropriately treat and address the individual concerned. These should include:
-
The new name under which the employee will be known;
-
Use of appropriate gender references. (She, her etc if transitioning to female; him, he etc. if transitioning to male. Emphasis should be placed on the unacceptability of offensive references such as "it".);
-
Access to appropriate facilities (Toilets / Change rooms of chosen gender);
-
To be generally treated in the same way as all other members of staff belonging to his / her chosen gender (In no way should they be subject to harassment, snide remarks or jokes.);
-
Open lines of communication between management and staff, including the transitioning individual, should be maintained. Staff should be encouraged to discuss with management any issues of concern that may arise. If there are concerns it is easier to resolve them if they are addressed promptly; and
-
Where management succeeds in addressing all aspects of transition matter-of/factly and with a minimum of fuss, impact on the organisation's operations should prove negligible.
