Employment and Employers

[Kiwi_bloke]

I am a recruiter of almost 30 years, (and a bank manager before that) and in all that time, I have never had a transgendered person apply for a job, and have never seen one employed by the wide array of companies I deal with. These range from large multinationals to local businesses with two employees. The lack of visibility of employment of transgendered people in general is a blight on our (New Zealand's) otherwise excellent human rights history.

As an active supporter of LBGT rights (as well as human rights in general) I have been trying to find a way to be of some practical help to people who are trans/intersex. Part of the driver for me doing this now is that my oldest daughter (age 15) has been school friends with two kids for ten years, one of whom is FtM and the other MtF.

Attitudes in the wider community have me fearful of their employment prospects, and while I don't know one the pair very well, the other has been a frequent visitor at our house since early childhood, along with his mother - whom I coincidentally knew from years prior. As a result of being around someone going through transition from female to male, my 12-year-old son doesn't see it as anything special, or even very interesting. He just sees it as the way that person's life is, which is how it should be. He even looks up to the 16 yo as a male role model! When I was12, I never even knew there were transgendered people.

At this stage, my thoughts are to introduce some of my more humanitarian employers to an affirmative action-style program whereby the companies make a commitment to employ someone from the TG/IS community. Some of these companies already have sensible human rights policies and I'm sure it will only be a case of getting them to think about TG/IS employment for them to join in. I realise that drawing up a policy will be a little tricky as it's important that the policy itself doesn't become a reason for discrimination by "outing" people and putting labels on them. As long as the details of the policy and not the people involved are the only public releases, I think the outcome is manageable.

The way I would see it working is that companies would agree to actively seek to employ a TG/IS person and offer support. Such support to be at the request of the employee, and it would all be done non-publicly, as I don't think drawing attention to either the employee or the policy would be helpful. The companies already have inclusive human rights policies, but sometimes people need a push.

I have been speaking to local TG/IS support groups, and while some of the leaders are in good jobs, lots of the others are not and most of them have been the victim of discrimination. I get the feeling that many find it easier to stay out of the general workforce than face the world head on, but I don't think there is any other way to meet it. Things can only change if many people work together for a common goal of stopping discrimination. It seems to have worked out well for the LG part of LGBT, but they have the dual advantages of "appearing normal" and large numbers.

I want to try get as wide a cross-section of people's opinions as I can so that I can present as much information as possible to these companies. Obviously, names or any identifiable details will not be included.

What I'm after is opinions on the following questions:

Are you happy in your current employment? Or do you feel that you are in a lesser job than you are capable of?

Would you be happy to work in a front-line position where you interface with customers? Or would you prefer to be in a team of good people but without customer contact? (how about phones if face-to-face isn't your thing?)

What kind of work would you do if you could get it?

If you have higher than school qualifications, do you feel you get value from them in the workplace?

What suggestions do you have for overcoming discrimination in the workplace?

What practical steps could employers quietly undertake to make changes to infrastructure that would make it easier of TG/IS employees? Like unisex toilets, for instance.

My intention at this stage is to seek out people I know well and who already have those inclusive policies and I think are likely to buy into the idea, then use my recruitment company (at no cost, obviously) to actively recruit TG/IS candidates, by working with the community in a way that I don't think corporate HR managers have the desire or ability to do.

Note: to establish both my intentions and ability, I am very happy to post my personal details, details of my company, which has been operating for 20 years, and my blog*, which shows a long history of subjects I'm passionate about and what I bash my head against as a pastime.

Thanks.

*as and when allowed to do so - as you will see from my blog, I'm very open about what I do and why I do it.

[JLT1]

I like your post. My answer will be incomplete but I answer now for two reasons: first, I want to remind myself to get back to this and second, it moves your post back up the list of "unread" posts and hopefully, will help to get others to answer. 

I work for a large multi-national that has 87,000 employees.  On average, every person on this planet will be within three feet one of our products each day. I make sure the products are safe to make, to use and to dispose of or recycle. I like my job and the people I work with.  However, when I was setting goals this year, the descriptions were for a position two levels above my current position.  My immediate supervisor, laboratory director, human recourses manager and the VP all agreed my goals were right on spot, that is what I should be doing.  I pointed out that I had actually already met all my goals to my manager today.  I also showed her that they were appropriate for a person three levels up from me as defined by corporate job descriptions.  She was upset at me.  So I'm doing the right job, just not getting the recognition nor the pay for what I do.  It is really debatable that someone in my pay grade should be doing what I do.   

I work with customers and regulators across the globe.  I am involved where there is a problem.

I'm a scientist, PhDs in Analytical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry and Molecular Toxicology.  Yea, I get value from those PhDs.

Discrimination:  Work hard, be right, don't tolerate discrimination but rebuke politely. Be better than them.

"We are all equal, if you don't like that, you should not be here."  Simple and it works.   


I think that's it.

Hugs,

Jen

[Amy The Bookworm]

I'll go ahead and answer if it will help.

Are you happy in your current employment? Or do you feel that you are in a lesser job than you are capable of?

Currently, I am unemployed so ... anything would be great at this point ... even something I'm overqualified for.

Would you be happy to work in a front-line position where you interface with customers? Or would you prefer to be in a team of good people but without customer contact? (how about phones if face-to-face isn't your thing?)

I prefer working with a team over dealing with customers, but I'm capable of doing that as well, and talking over the phone.


What kind of work would you do if you could get it?

I'm going to college to get an art degree, so anything artistically inclined would be ideal, but any job involving critical and creative thinking would be great!


If you have higher than school qualifications, do you feel you get value from them in the workplace?

Not at the moment, as I'm unemployed. I also have a nurses aid and medication aid license.


What suggestions do you have for overcoming discrimination in the workplace?

One word: Education.

I think a lot of people simply don't know anything about transgender people, and many that think they do really don't because of misinformation and bad Hollywood depictions of us over the years. Many people have never knowingly met a transgender person, so visibility is difficult because there's few of us, and we also actively try to blend in. So when they do, they're often confused if we aren't passing, jump to conclusions that are often incorrect, cross otherwise recognised boundaries when it comes to talking to someone about their personal life due to curiosity, or they're scared, or angry.

People being educated about us would be a huge help in the right direction.

What practical steps could employers quietly undertake to make changes to infrastructure that would make it easier of TG/IS employees? Like unisex toilets, for instance.

Unisex restrooms would be nice. But the truth is I think some trans people would feel insulted being told to use a third bathroom. Really, we just need people to at least try to understand that we're there for the same reason they are. I don't personally think any physical infrastructure changes need to be made.

A better improvement to infrastructure would be medical insurance, though it's a financial form of infrastructure (at least in the United States this would be a huge help. I know in some countries, health care is something the government works with its citizens with.

[Foxglove]

Are you happy in your current employment? Or do you feel that you are in a lesser job than you are capable of?

I'm currently working from home, but not making much of anything at it and need to find something outside the home.  The work I'm doing suits me fine, but I can't make a living at it.  Also, it's lonely on my own at home and I'd like to be out in the world even if the job isn't ideal.  (What job is?)

Would you be happy to work in a front-line position where you interface with customers? Or would you prefer to be in a team of good people but without customer contact? (how about phones if face-to-face isn't your thing?)

I'd be happy any old way--contact with customers, face-to-face or on the phone, or with a team in the back room.

What kind of work would you do if you could get it?

I'm mainly an office sort of person these days, stuck in front of a computer.  A bit too old now for anything else.

What suggestions do you have for overcoming discrimination in the workplace?

Employers simply have to be committed to it and let their staff know that they won't accept any kind of trouble.  Everybody has to be one happy family, even if they're not happy with that.

What practical steps could employers quietly undertake to make changes to infrastructure that would make it easier of TG/IS employees? Like unisex toilets, for instance.

Unisex toilets are OK, but I myself don't see them as essential.  We transpeople go to the loo to pee, not to harass people.  I can't think of anything else.  I mean, we are like everybody else: desks, computers, stairs, etc., we use them like everybody else and those things don't discriminate against us.

Now I've got a question for you:  When are the All-Blacks going to let the Irish win one?  That last game in Dublin was a real shocker, and to be honest, we thought it was a bit rude.

Best wishes,
Foxglove

[Kiwi_bloke]

Thanks for the responses - I will come back later and reply individually, but in the meantime, this made me chuckle:

Now I've got a question for you:  When are the All-Blacks going to let the Irish win one?  That last game in Dublin was a real shocker, and to be honest, we thought it was a bit rude.

Best wishes,
Foxglove

Crikey, we've given them a couple of chances and they've blown them.

At least you're even with Scotland - their best is also a draw.