Research from Randstad has highlighted the lack of understanding around gender inclusion in the workplace. The company carried out a survey of 1,900 UK job seekers this month which showed that 60 per cent were unsure if their employer has a transgender inclusion policy in place. A quarter of respondents were sure their employer does not, and surprisingly, only 14 per cent knew of a policy that had been implemented.
Randstad’s recent Building Change: The future of construction campaign shared the inspirational story of Samantha West, commercial director at Vinci Facilities. Samantha recently came out as a transgender female within a typically male-dominated working environment. Last year it was reported that the number of biological females seeking transitioning gender treatment in the UK had skyrocketed, resulting in an increase of 4,400 per cent, indicating a clear sign of the need to ensure gender neutral workplace inclusion.
Graham Trevor, Randstad UK HR director, said: “Our data shows that most aren’t sure about if their employer has a policy around gender inclusion, and additional research from Stonewall shows that half of transgender and non-binary people (51 per cent and 50 per cent respectively) have hidden or disguised the fact that they are LGBT at work because they were afraid of discrimination.
“Having a diverse workforce prompts productivity and performance,” Trevor adds. “By ensuring that, as employers, we are fully inclusive we have the ability to improve performance, culture, behaviour and to further fuel innovation. At Randstad, we’re in the process of creating a Diversity & Inclusion project group – made up of representatives from across Randstad, not just HR. We’re identifying areas where we can drive inclusion and be agile to the needs of an ever-changing workforce. At the top of our agenda is reviewing our policies, not just because of the commercial benefit but because, ethically, it’s the right thing to do.”
Research shows that gender-diverse companies perform 14 per cent better when compared to non-diverse companies, and ethnically diverse companies perform 35 per cent better; yet one in three employers surveyed last year by Crossland Solicitors admitted to being less likely to hire a transgender person.
