I work from home for a very large company. One of the resources we have is a webpage that we can view things like the hours we work, direct deposit and paycheck details. There is one tab named "My Info" which gives our full name with address in case they need to send us anything. One of the options they have under this tab is "Preferred First name" with a checkbox to use preferred name only. I have been contemplating this change for several weeks now. I want to fill out that box and place a check to use my name only, but that would mean starting the process of coming out to my company, which scares me greatly. I am not so much worried about discrimination so much as our CEO has come out as being gay a few years ago, so I believe my company is pretty liberal.
One of the things that concerns me as well, is we occasionally have 1x1 video chats with our supervisors, and I am not the most feminine looking person in the world.
I am really at an impasse and looking for any input that I can get.
Thanks
It's tough leaving our comfort zones. Each step is potentially dangerous. Yet the steps are so liberating. :)
So if you aren't worried about discrimination, what else is bothering you? The video chats? I'll bet there isn't a beauty standard imposed.
Sometimes it's best to slide into things. How about changing your name, and then after everyone is used to seeing it adding the checkbox to use only that? People don't like change, but they're stupid enough to not notice if you do it slowly! ;D
Definitely want updates no matter what you decide to do.
Hugs, Devlyn
I am in a similar position - working home office for a larger company. I only see the headquarters 3 - 4 times a year for a few days.
I have introduced gradual changes too - changing my avatars on chat apps and webex to a girl avatar and snuck my female name into my email signature as "middle initial". Did get a few questions about it but it did go mostly unnoticed. One person knows so far.
Where it does get more interesting is that I have one specific customer assigned to me and I am there at least once a month. There I also have one person who pretty much noticed last October and she filled me in about a good portion of gossip going on about my latest changes in appearance (longer hair, ear rings and while still discrete full female outfits). I also have a four week assignment with them next February and given my HRT progress I will not be able to hide it any more. Next time I am up there I will have to break the news to my direct contact and come up with a plan to let the rest of the group know. Very liberal place, so I have little worries. Only catch is that if I break the news to them I will have to also fill in a larger group at my company.
I like Devlin's idea of gradual changes to ease people into your changes.
At the same time you should check your HR policies on discrimination. Most large companies have explicit LGBT policies or even groups. At a minimum they have non-discrimination clauses.
At some point you will face the question to tell HR and your supervisor. Something I am trying to push out as long as possible. HR I don't care about, my supervisor is somewhat rude and some of the folks in my team will have a hard time to digest this. Usually an HR department should be attempting to help in the entire coming out process and there have been several great examples discussed here.
Once you make any changes in such a system you should be prepared to get a few questions and potentially a call from HR.
Now I'll check if our system has that option ;D
Quote from: sarah1972 on March 29, 2017, 09:04:53 PM
Now I'll check if our system has that option ;D
Found it. Way cool, did not know that possibility exists in our system. There is an entry for Legal and an entry for Preferred name. Including preferred gender marker.
Quote from: sarah1972 on March 29, 2017, 09:09:35 PM
Found it. Way cool, did not know that possibility exists in our system. There is an entry for Legal and an entry for Preferred name. Including preferred gender marker.
That is awesome that they have a gender marker. I wish we had that. If you don't mind my asking, are you going to fill that in?
Well, I jumped in.. why not see what happens. Since I do chat support, I wonder if I can get my preferred name to come up at the beginning of the chat.
This will be interesting. I will keep you all updated as to what happens.
I was very close but chickened out in the end. Knowing me I will think about it for a few days and then change it.
One of the reasons I did not go ahead is that my plan is to get to 6 month HRT before the next wave of coming out. Already broke that rule a few times. Knowing our system it will go immediately to HR.
Quote from: Josilyn on March 29, 2017, 09:27:47 PM
That is awesome that they have a gender marker. I wish we had that. If you don't mind my asking, are you going to fill that in?
Quote from: sarah1972 on March 29, 2017, 09:09:35 PM
Including preferred gender marker.
At my company, gender is considered confidential and only visible to privileged users lol.
Well I did it. My name is already changed almost everywhere, including the company address book. That means everyone on my team who looks at the address book will see the change. We are trying to get my name changed in one more area. My supervisor said that she will start calling me by my name from now on. So far so good. ;D
Awesome! Congratulations!
Quote from: Josilyn on March 30, 2017, 06:10:46 PM
Well I did it. My name is already changed almost everywhere, including the company address book. That means everyone on my team who looks at the address book will see the change. We are trying to get my name changed in one more area. My supervisor said that she will start calling me by my name from now on. So far so good. ;D
I'm not going to lie, I'm more than a little jealous. Congrats.
Hopefully around new year's I'll be doing the same.