Recruiting and retaining transgender staff: a guide for employers

1. Introduction

Every organisations success is built on its people. Get the people bit right and you are likely to have motivated, productive staff and a more successful business. Get it wrong and you may be faced with low morale, poor levels of motivation and higher levels of absence. And you will often be lacking that creative spark - particularly when it comes to interacting with your customers.

Transgender employees are frequently disadvantaged at work, although this is not always deliberate. However, many still choose not to express their feelings in the workplace because they fear a transphobic reaction from their employers and co-workers. This causes great stress so they are unlikely to perform to the best of their ability. A workplace, in which diversity, including different gender identities, is celebrated, ensures that valuable staff are recruited and retained - an approach that benefits everyone, not just the groups targeted.

Being a responsible employer is about going beyond the standard legal requirements to provide a safe and healthy workplace for employees. It is about creating a positive working environment that balances the needs of your business with the needs of individual employees and which makes employees feel valued.

Getting things right in this area means that it’s easier to recruit and retain employees, there’s less absenteeism and employees are more motivated and, as a result, more productive.

A positive workplace is characterised by open communication, trust and fair treatment. Work is interesting and stimulating; everyone feels valued as part of the business and is given the best opportunity to succeed.

Increasing engagement in your business is important for your future success. Every employee is different and knowing that they are respected as individuals at work can have a significant impact.