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Building Trans-Inclusive Workplaces
29 Plays3 months ago
In today’s episode of Gender in Focus, El and Kai dig into the cultural and structural barriers that prevent trans and non-binary folks from thriving in the workplace. From subtle everyday practices to long-standing institutional structures, these invisible forces can hold people back in ways we don’t often see. The key takeaway? Transforming a workplace takes time - and it’s all about making gentle, thoughtful shifts that lay the foundation for a more inclusive environment. You don’t have to overhaul everything overnight; small, intentional changes can create meaningful impact. Tune in for insights on how to begin breaking down those barriers, one step at a time, to help foster a truly inclusive workplace culture.
Get in touch: podcast@transfocus.ca
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction
00:00:03
Speaker
Hello folks, this is Gender in Focus, a podcast exploring how to create a more inclusive world for trans and non-binary people. I'm your host, Kai Scott, and I use the pronouns he and him.
Meet Kai Scott
00:00:15
Speaker
I'm the president of Trans Focus Consulting. Each week, I dive into real stories and expert advice, offering practical tips and actionable takeaways to help you lead with kindness, confidence, and heart. Tune in to discover how you can make a positive difference. It's just a conversation away.
Meet Elle
00:00:39
Speaker
I'm also joined by my colleague El and I'll have them introduce themselves. Hello, I'm El I go by the pronouns she, and they, and I am the coordinator at Trans Focus.
00:00:52
Speaker
In this episode, we are taking a closer look at two key components that are really important to understanding the issues that trans and non-binary folks face. So we just really want to unpack them further and give you some good idea of what the different components are and what they consist of and give you some really good examples. I'm really excited to dive in.
00:01:15
Speaker
When you work with organizations, Kai, you tend to break these down into both ah cultural and
Cultural vs. Structural Challenges
00:01:22
Speaker
then also the structural challenges that trans folks um face in the workplace and also even further afield than that. um So what what is the difference between cultural and structural in the way that that you look at those? Yeah, that's yeahs such a great question because oftentimes The issues are kind of all put together and it can almost feel a bit messy and maybe even disorienting. And so we find it's really useful to provide this type of framing where the cultural are about how we interact with one another, perhaps the culture of the organization or perhaps family dynamics, friendship dynamics. you know there's There's a culture that we have with one another, whether one-on-one or as part of a group.
00:02:09
Speaker
And then the structural are all about the ways that organizations are set up. So that can mean something to the effect of you know how spaces are organized. If we think about washrooms, that's one example of a structural item. ah There's also things of how we you know fill out forms or input our information into systems that can present challenges for folks.
00:02:38
Speaker
There's also many other things like programs and procedures and any number of things where there can be challenges for folks that are trans and non-binary, even if that wasn't the intention of the organization. It's just that systems, spaces, and procedures just haven't really accounted ah for the existence of trans and non-binary folks. so It's just really useful to look at them separately, the cultural versus the structural.
00:03:09
Speaker
but also to realize that they need to fit together in order to have a full inclusive and supportive environment and organization or a group. So these are some of the dynamics, ah but certainly cultural and structural are key to that.
Education's Role in Inclusivity
00:03:29
Speaker
What would be involved in um unpacking the cultural side of things at work? Or like what when you say culture, if an organisation wants to dive straight in, what what are the things that you would look at in terms of culture?
00:03:43
Speaker
Yeah, so with cultural, that's where you're talking about the dynamics between ah people and as as part of teams or maybe even departments if it's within the workplace. And so that's where education plays a huge role in unpacking some of these things, raising awareness among folks, as well as tackling some of the the the language, the terms and the concepts, what to do, what not to do,
00:04:12
Speaker
and really give people a good insight into what they it just might not be on their radar and give them a safe place to learn and to deepen their understanding on these topics and you know certainly there's many different ways of learning you know there can be the kind of lecture style where you get information provided to folks who are learning, but there's also value in practicing those pieces and perhaps having discussions about them and answering questions and whatnot to help people
00:04:46
Speaker
really kind of tackle these issues and to be able to show up better for trans and non-binary folks. So that's on the cultural side. It's typically addressed through through education that helps people get up to speed.
00:05:00
Speaker
Right. Cause this is, it's very new for a lot of people. So I would imagine going straight in with making all these structural changes would be really hard ah for a lot of people to know what to do if they don't have that education. Yeah. You're, you're so right
Addressing Structural Challenges
00:05:16
Speaker
about it. Once you have an awareness, then it's easier to understand why something on the structural side needs to change.
00:05:26
Speaker
Perhaps it's just, again, not on people's radar. And so once the issues are highlighted, ah then typically in a lot of our the education sessions that we provide at Transfocus, folks are just really motivated. They're like, okay, what do we do about the forums? What about this? What about our website, you know, and the images we have on them?
00:05:47
Speaker
And they're, they're really ready to take the next steps, so that people can feel like they're included and welcomed within the organization. And so, usually it depends on, you know, which department. there You know, human resources is often involved, ah but certainly it inform you know to talk to look at the systems can be involved. If there's, if it's a larger building, it can be facilities that are involved as well to talk to look at the washrooms.
00:06:20
Speaker
but essentially bringing people together who are responsible for various aspects or various topics on the structural side can help to unpack and to explore the options available. There's many best practices out there. Typically, people ah can start with a Google search to see what they are, but then often get lost pretty quickly because there are so many different ways of tackling these issues.
00:06:50
Speaker
and really it's about looking at what is realistically possible within the organization, what are the you know unique parameters that are at play, and then be able to apply or explore some of those those best practices options and selecting the one that makes sense for the organization. and so That's some of what is part of exploring and addressing some of the structural side of things. and Certainly, I would say too, it's not just leaders or people in particular departments, but it can also be frontline staff who are noticing things. um so If they have a trans customer come to them and say,
00:07:32
Speaker
I have a legal name that is different from the name that I go by on a daily basis. What do I do? Then that frontline person is also important, even if the system isn't set up yet to receive that second first name. And so there are ways that they can record it in the comment section and then let other colleagues or coworkers know. So these are some of the things that we can um discuss and and settle on and help people whether it's kind of interim measures or the long-term sustainable solutions.
00:08:07
Speaker
And when you're working with organizations to to look over this stuff, I'm sure there there'll be some orgs that are um super hesitant to to go through some of this.
Managing Change
00:08:19
Speaker
And then there'll be others that are, I um i imagine, ah um super enthusiastic and want to go straight in and rush through and get everything set up. um how do you How would you handle that? Because I imagine that that comes with its complexities as well.
00:08:35
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah, the pace of change is such an important topic where I appreciate people's or organization's enthusiasm. And then I also understand the hesitation that other organizations have. And certainly there's something to be said. um I usually dissuade organizations from rushing in. There might have been an incident where people feel a lot of anxiety and don't want that incident to repeat itself.
00:09:02
Speaker
So it's totally understandable that people have a high pressure to to get things done. um but I find that a more kind of gradual step-by-step approach to make sure the solution that is selected is the right one and to play through and maybe even test out certain situations ah so that in these kind of low pressure, ah nobody gets hurt type of ways that can really help to land it in a more solid way and also to then
00:09:34
Speaker
support folks in understanding why things are changing, whether they be fellow employees or even other customers to be able to explain these things so that things don't go further off the rails. Because that can happen if things are too fast. It can kind of create a backlash that then um it brings things right back to the status quo and even can lock in the status quo in a way that that that doesn't solve things for the long term.
00:10:05
Speaker
but if things are done in a gradual step-by-step way and also in a thoughtful sequence and we certainly through the 10 or so years that we've worked on these issues have come up with a sequence that works out really well for folks and and we can link that in the show notes we call it the trans focus roadmap and that really gives people an idea of how to to coordinate and weave together both the cultural side as well as the structural side so that it it creates this very kind of really gentle and gradual and thoughtful way of introducing change.
Overcoming Hesitation and Fear
00:10:47
Speaker
so really what you're talking about is taking things slowly and making sure it's sort of one foot in front of the other, um bringing ah everyone along with you rather than making a huge leap and everyone just sort of wondering what on earth is going on. is that That's sort of what you're saying.
00:11:06
Speaker
Absolutely, ah really well summarized ah because, ah I mean, I appreciate why especially trans and non-binary folks ah really need change quickly. Perhaps even yesterday would have been nice, but um if if, and there are ways to put interim measures in place that allow for taking care of trans and non-binary folks, but the long-term piece that that does benefit from that more gradual approach.
00:11:36
Speaker
And that would also speak to those organisations that are rather more hesitant ah to to make these changes, is that actually you're you're not going to be thrown into the deep end and that there are, um it's much more of a gentle approach than than maybe people would have realised.
00:11:52
Speaker
Yeah, that's a really important thing. Hesitation is, I think, an important thing to explore, whether people are hesitating because of budget or timelines or they're concerned about impacting ah those who are not trans and non-binary.
00:12:10
Speaker
And one thing that we do take careful, that we were really careful with is that anything that we introduced, we wanted to not adversely impact other folks, right? So we're not trying to take care of one group and then hurt another. And we do so by making sure that yeah we've thought through, and that's why you need more time to to really explore that, make sure. I will also say that sometimes people are afraid of change and can then automatically and of perceive it as something negative and that's why the the kind of follow-up education to explain why something is changing is so critical for folks to be able to come along on the journey and hopefully to help them see it's not something that is against them. It's really something for them or at the very least least is neutral to them.
00:13:05
Speaker
i'm going to be adding in the show notes a link to the trans focus website and we've got a list of all the different offerings that um that we've put together and that's both the sort of addressing the cultural and the structural we've got education and then also Kai you work with organizations to to deal with the structural as well as the the cultural. um So I'll add that to the show notes. Is there anything else that you want to say or that you want to add to the show notes or maybe tell everyone where they can find you on social media?
Resources and Social Media Connection
00:13:37
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. that Just that this is a journey and that, you know, obviously Transfocus is there to help if needed, but there's also plenty of resources on our webpage that can get you started on that without having to engage us directly. And then of course, we we have a lot of really great posts where we shed light on these things. So definitely connect with us on LinkedIn.
00:14:06
Speaker
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, threads, anywhere where you're active. Everywhere, pretty much, exactly. so So join us there to to kind of continue the conversation.
00:14:18
Speaker
on on these items. And we're always very keen to hear from listeners if you have questions, if you maybe have a follow-up item that we can kind of further unpack around cultural versus structural, especially if anything was unclear. But yeah, it was really good to to dive into this and explain a little bit about those two aspects. Cool. Thank you so much. See you next time.
00:14:46
Speaker
thank you good one