We know the topic of gender can be awkward and uncomfortable, we are afraid of doing or saying something wrong and instead of talking about it, we avoid it. Well, this approach can be very damaging, and we won’t make any progress by not addressing it. Gender identity in the workplace can be hard, but we make it harder by not making any strides in the right direction. 

As an employer, it is your duty to create an inclusive environment – something that may seem small to you, such as starting off an email with “Hey guys,” can be hurtful to an employee who does not identify under that title. As I type this, I know that I am in no way perfect and I have made these mistakes in the past and continue to catch myself doing so. However, when I do find myself using language that is not inclusive, I 1) reflect 2) apologize, and 3) correct.

Upon recent reflections and reviews here at CulturedHR, we realized that a great first step in helping create more inclusive work environments for our clients it to correct language we have been using in our employee documents. We realized that some of the language in our employee handbooks were not fully inclusive, even though we always try so hard to be as inclusive as possible. Ensuring that everyone is included and welcomed into their work environment is one, if not the most, important thing to us as Human Resources Professionals. So, we continue to evolve and change to ensure everyone, from any community, gender identity, race, sexuality, etc. are included and accepted. 

You may be thinking “I don’t have any employees that identify as non-binary, transgender, or are part of the LGBTQ+ community, why should I make these changes?” That doesn’t matter. These changes should be made regardless. You have no way of knowing how an employee identifies unless they explicitly inform you, and if you are creating an environment where they don’t feel comfortable addressing this, you may never know. However, you can make employees more comfortable just by changing your language. We suggest making sure language is inclusive from the beginning.

We know this may not be easy, but a great way to start is by reviewing your employee documents. Your employee handbook may, inadvertently, be gender biased. Let’s talk about how we can fix this!

Identifying Gender-Bias Language in your Employee Handbook

Take a review of your employee handbook. Do you see any of the below language?

• He, his, her, she, herself, himself, he/she, or him/her

•  Husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather

Having any of the above language in your employee handbook could be sending a message to your employees that you do not support a gender diverse workplace. 

How to Incorporate Gender-Inclusive Language in your Employee Handbook

Using the previously mentioned terms, you are inadvertently creating company guidelines that do not include everyemployee. While one of the major goals of an employee handbook is to define what an “employee” is, you are technically not defining an employee properly if you are not being inclusive. 

We recommend considering the below gender-neutral terminology in your employee handbook in order to create a more diverse definition of what an employee is. 

• They, them, themselves, the employee, their, theirs, you 

• Spouse, partner, sibling(s), grandparent(s), parent(s), child, parent’s sibling, child of a sibling

The Bottom Line

It is important to start using inclusive language from the beginning. This way, it may be easier for an employee to disclose their gender identity at work or look for support during their transition. It is easy to say that you have an inclusive workplace, but it is hard to ensure that every practice, procedure, document, and word is in place to allow a truly inclusive workplace. 

It will be a challenging start, we have become so accustomed to using certain words or phrases in our day-to-day lives and in professional settings, however it is time to change. Start today by reviewing your employee documents and see where you may be lacking in inclusive language. 

Need Help?

That’s why we’re here. While we continue to learn more about inclusivity ourselves, we can handle the details in your employee documents and ensure that they put your company in a more inclusive direction.