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Why Trans Employees Keep Getting Asked to Work for Free
21 Plays4 days ago
Many trans employees end up doing inclusion work on top of their actual job - helping fix workplace problems they never signed up to solve.
In this episode of Gender in Focus, we explore why trans and non-binary people can find themselves carrying significant amounts of unpaid diversity and inclusion labour in the workplace. From noticing barriers in everyday systems to helping shape policy decisions and educate colleagues, this work often happens quietly and without formal recognition.
We talk about how this pressure is sometimes misunderstood as enthusiasm or willingness to help, when it can come from urgency, concern that others will face the same challenges, or simply a lack of alternative support. Over time, these dynamics can contribute to burnout, tokenization, and difficult expectations to represent the needs of an entire community.
We also explore what more thoughtful approaches can look like in practice. How can organizations respond when issues are raised without placing the responsibility for solving them on the people most affected? What role can consent, compensation, advisory structures, and strategic decision-making play in creating more sustainable inclusion work?
If you are trying to understand how to better support trans and non-binary employees or improve inclusion at work, this conversation offers practical insight into the hidden labour that often drives change behind the scenes.
🌐 Learn more about our work: https://www.transfocus.ca
Topics include:
- What invisible and emotional labour can look like for trans and non-binary employees
- Why trans and non-binary people are often expected to educate colleagues about gender diversity
- Tokenization and the pressure to represent an entire community
- How everyday workplace systems can quietly create barriers
- Why inclusion work can become exhausting for trans employees
- The limits of lived experience and the role of organizational expertise
- How teams can respond more thoughtfully and sustainably
- Consent, compensation, and advisory roles in inclusion work
- Strategic decision-making around workplace inclusion
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Transcript
Invisible Labor on Trans People
00:00:04
Speaker
Most systems are designed to feel relatively invisible. They sit quietly in the background, helping things run smoothly without us having to think too much about them. But for a lot of trans people, everyday systems are not always that smooth. When something doesn't quite work, the labor of navigating or fixing those issues kind of ends up falling on the very people who are most affected by them. And usually those people are just trying to get through their day or do their job. without wanting to take on this kind
Introducing Kai: Addressing Organizational Responses
00:00:34
Speaker
of extra work. And so that's what we're talking about today, all of that invisible labor and how organizations can respond in ways that are more thoughtful and sustainable for everybody. So I'm super excited to be joined by Kai. How are you doing?
00:00:49
Speaker
I'm doing fantastic. How about yourself? feel a loud breath. It's a very invigorating rollercoaster ride. I can relate. I can relate.
00:01:02
Speaker
you did it. Yes, I'm great. Thank you. Yeah, I'm really glad
Challenges with Everyday Systems
00:01:06
Speaker
I did that. um Okay, when we talk about system limitations affecting trans people, what, first of all, are we actually talking about when we refer to this? Because trans people end up being the ones who notice when something doesn't work, but what things are they noticing, I guess?
00:01:23
Speaker
Yeah, just in case somebody is new on the scene here, gender diversity in the workplace or as customers, there are a few different things. And we won't go into a lot of detail because we have actually previous episodes that we can link to if people want to go further. But at a 30,000 foot level, there's kind of... five common areas where trans people encounter systems challenges, right?
00:01:51
Speaker
It could be things like their their first name field only has one. So usually it's prompting for legal first name, which is can be not somebody's present first name. IDs are difficult to update. And so oftentimes trans people haven't been able to update their IDs so that they're now have a legal name that's different from their chosen as an example.
Interplay of Personal and Professional Challenges
00:02:18
Speaker
There's also titles, Mr., Ms., Mrs., and usually not having a gender neutral option available for folks. There's things like gender data categories that, again, are just focused on the binary of men and women and can often be missing um other options. There's some consideration around that.
00:02:40
Speaker
There's things like people can notice insufficient washroom options. Now that may be not per se a systems issue, but this also speaks to things that beyond systems that people are noticing and pointing out. right Communications. People can notice that either in visual or written form, they're only referencing masculine and feminine appearing people in visuals or only men and women in communications.
00:03:09
Speaker
And we could go on. But those just give you some concrete examples where people, Somebody comes into an organization and then has a difficult time of asking for things they need or accessing it on their own. And as a result, we'll need to prompt or let people know if they want to. Some people can't be bothered because this is not just happening at one
Negative Experiences and Need for Improvement
00:03:33
Speaker
organization. This is right on repeat um in a way that can be fairly overwhelming for a lot of folks.
00:03:44
Speaker
for sure so with that and you sort of reference this that this is happening repeatedly when it comes to that um navigating it in multiple different places we're sort of talking about not just this there's sort of like two elements here there's people at work who are trans and who are trying to navigate the system that they have to work with and then there's also this other side which is like clients and customers who are trying to access a service or take part in something that they also are now bumping up against these barriers. So it's not a good experience for them as sort of a consumer, but it's also a pretty bad experience for people within an organization.
Burden of Change on Trans Individuals
00:04:20
Speaker
And then those two things can sort of mix together where somebody who works for an organization can see the barriers that a client might experience and but and sort of going on and it's it's sort of like quite interwoven and so I was wondering what that what those situations can look like both as a client and as an employee and that kind of invisible labor um like what we mean by that when it comes to navigating those limitations
00:04:45
Speaker
yeah such a good good set of points in terms of making sure we're clear about who is experiencing this and then how. And the who, you're right.
00:04:56
Speaker
There's a set of employees. There's a set of customers that can be trans or non-binary. And their interplay too, right? Like there's something about a trans employee being seen, seeing seeing um a trans customer having a really awful time because they can relate. Did you see, hear that noise?
00:05:17
Speaker
I heard it. What was that? I think it's some ice coming down. Oh my God. is at least. It's actually a bear on a roof. Like exactly. I mean, or a bobcat. Yeah.
00:05:31
Speaker
So, yeah, that there's there's just something kind of, there's ah something awful about that because as trans people, we can relate. Like, we can be like, oh, yeah, that just happened to me yesterday, right? And that could be distressing to so to notice that the organization that one is a part of hasn't addressed this yet.
Misinterpretation of Trans People's Intentions
00:05:52
Speaker
And so the invisible labor that we're talking about is basically, um and organizations more generally tend not to solve issues until somebody tells them that something's wrong. And so that puts the onus on that person to raise the matter with the organization.
00:06:15
Speaker
And there is, like we're calling it labor, and the fact that it's invisible is that basically it's not very apparent to organizations that this is happening in the background. Not a lot of trans people share because, I mean, we'd pretty much be describing our daily lives like it would just take a long time and we want to get on with our lives. So it just really puts people in a pickle where it's like, okay, something has happened. There's a gap here.
00:06:50
Speaker
And then people have to make a decision. Is this like super critical? And do I have the energy to address this? um You know, people have varying levels of mental health and capacity um because it's dealing so many other things, along with kind of worsening sociopolitical conditions here. Right. And so, yeah, yeah people just like, okay, well, and usually if it's a, for example, a healthcare care issue, people might put in the effort because they want to have access to healthcare, you know?
00:07:27
Speaker
Yeah. Versus like a small thing that's like annoying, um but maybe people can't be bothered. So. It essentially means that organizations don't know how bad it is um because perhaps they haven't investigated it or they're just it's they aren't they're unaware of what the issues are. But that that inaction creates ah puts the labor on the trans or non-binary person to say something when they're already saddled with so much.
00:07:58
Speaker
Right. You made like quite a good point then. Well, I mean, all of was a good point, but the the thing I wanna focus on is the that you talked about, for example, with healthcare, trans people are very motivated to address the systems that are maybe having these limitations because they're like, oh God, I really wanna, I need this help, I need this care. And that is true of like, you know, multiple um different aspects within these these systems.
00:08:27
Speaker
Trans people are facing something that they are really affected by and so are motivated to make those changes. But often that motivation can be sort of misinterpreted as like, oh, they're happy to help.
00:08:41
Speaker
They're happy to do all of this work. And so that's something I really want you to dive into, if you don't mind, because that's so complicated. It creates such a ah high pressure or like such a weird dynamic.
00:08:53
Speaker
That's so true. And I've encountered it myself. I've witnessed it in so many certain settings where organizations may misinterpret the um urgency and maybe the energy that comes with a trans person pointing something out. And then if somebody asks, well, what should we do instead? They might be very motivated to to help out because they don't want other trans people to experience the same thing. It's not because they made the active decision to be involved. It's more that
00:09:31
Speaker
um it's more that there's this pressure that they feel and we we've researched this. So this is why we know about it is we've asked and time and time again, people, trends and non-binary folks say, I provide free education to people in our organization.
00:09:48
Speaker
I provide free labor, like in a significant percentages too, it's upwards of half. um And so this is a very big problem and one that um organizations understandably want to um consult with trans and non-binary folks, but unfortunately haven't set up the consent process.
00:10:12
Speaker
So people are actively choosing. Maybe they want to expand their skill set or they're really interested in the topic, not because i feel really horrible that somebody else might experience this. That's not actually a choice. That's like a pressure that's put on somebody.
Tokenization and Misrepresentation
00:10:29
Speaker
And has mental health impacts. People really suffer with the idea that others could fare the same or worse than them.
00:10:41
Speaker
And so it's really important to understand this dynamic and to avoid, um you know, participating in it by setting up a thoughtful process. And we can talk about that a little bit later on, but it's really important to understand this dynamic.
00:10:57
Speaker
And so there is that that confusion of um the enthusiasm and the willingness to help is not necessarily because it's something joyful and exciting, you know, something they're excited to do. It's more like, oh, this needs to be done and no one else is going to do it unless I step in. So it's it's not a case of like, I'm excited to help. It's like... And all all while trying to navigate their life, like their job, they need to still perform at work.
00:11:30
Speaker
Absolutely. And I think sometimes people or organizations think, oh, this is a simple solution. So it won't be a big effort. When in fact, it's actually there's a lot involved and it's very complex. To the degree that some trans people might start, like, want to be involved, but then once they realize the layers are like, whoa, I'm way over in my head. yeah You know, whatever the expression is. um And that could add another layer of, like, holy crap, I feel insufficient to respond to this. And I'm kind of freaking out that all of this is on my shoulders. Right. Because...
00:12:07
Speaker
We're 1% of the population, so likely only going to have a handful, maybe even one person, sometimes none. And so it's just like that that just so, um yeah, it's very overwhelming for those. And sometimes there can be an age factor too, right? Where if somebody is young early in their career, they can feel like they have to um because, you know, maybe their job is in jeopardy. versus somebody further in their career might be able to push back and be like, you need to hire somebody. can help out with this, right? yeah So it's, yeah, those are some of the additional layers, but yeah, it's not always a joyful thing. Now I will say among some people, a few,
00:12:56
Speaker
They will be exciting and interesting. So we don't want to discourage anybody from being involved if that's their interest. Also, you need to have a little expertise or understanding.
00:13:06
Speaker
um But so we don't want to completely discourage. We just want to insert another layer so people and a pause so people can make that choice that's right for them. Right. Yeah. I liked what you said about setting up a kind of consent process is like and checking in, i guess, on a regular basis
Understanding Diversity Within Trans Communities
00:13:23
Speaker
that is still good. And like you're not you just because you started something doesn't mean you have to continue with it if it's, you know, like hard. um and And on that, something that you just said was about how um there does need to be a level of expertise. and And I wanted you to go into that a little bit more because there is this, um you know, trans people are not the expert by default. They they know their own experience, but that doesn't mean they can, ah you know, understand the nuances and complexities of everybody's experience. And it's a lot of pressure to put on one person to be like, okay, you're trans, tell us what trans people need. It's a lot. And so for all time, yeah please speak on behalf of all trans people. What do we need to do here? And so that that creates a one, a lot of pressure and two, maybe solutions that haven't thought about or considered the the complexities of other trans people's experiences. So i was wondering if you could um yeah go into that, too. Yeah. I mean, there is a a word for that and it's tokenization. And again, people don't walk, like organizations and representatives thereof aren't intending to do all this. But unfortunately, without being aware of that these aspects or dynamics, then unfortunately they're just at play. um And I think it's important for organizations to take on that labor and then to involve whoever is available, interested, and and whatnot.
00:14:50
Speaker
I would also caution, like you were saying, that um there are many who ah painfully understand their their own problems, like they're daily or frequent, and so they can very well articulate them, and that's important to listen to and and understand and to absorb.
00:15:08
Speaker
And, of course, that's not the only experience. um Sometimes... people understand the trans and non-binary community to be somewhat of a monolith, which no marginalized community is. It's just like so many different aspects to it. I mean, one aspect is it's a gender spectrum. So there's non-binary folks, there's trans women, there's trans men among others. And And two spirit folks. So it's just like that.
00:15:39
Speaker
Those are distinct needs, each one of them. Sure, there might be some things that are tying them together. And you could address that and it speaks to all of their experiences. Sure. But then there's other layers that are sometimes invisible, not.
00:15:55
Speaker
and and not balanced. So somebody who's non-binary is like, this is what I need, but that might then be different from what a trans woman needs. And if there's an adequate expertise, you could have a solution that that could be for both or to know that you need two different solutions, right if you know what I mean. Yeah.
00:16:16
Speaker
One for a non-binary person and one for a trans woman, right? so ah Or just the concepts of like choice among options or, um you know, ah flexibility or, um yeah, just there's there's kind of principles that we have at Transfocus that allow for the variety of solutions that are necessary.
00:16:39
Speaker
And then of course, we're not even getting into, or we should be getting into also intersectionality, right? So, you know, sometimes there's a lot of white trans people that are raising the alarm bells. And unfortunately, given how much is already on trans people of color or trans people with disabilities plates, they don't have the energy to raise the issues. but then they're not there to provide the solutions they need. So right yeah it's just like, that's where just listening to one person is insufficient, even if they have a lot to contribute. So I would say if they have experience with other
00:17:22
Speaker
and i kind of consultation processes where maybe multiple views were at play or involved in an organization in the past, maybe that's different so that they could be like, okay, this is my need, but this, you need to also consider this and this and this, you know? So, yeah.
00:17:41
Speaker
that's all at play and needs to be carefully considered. Right. And then there's also like the stuff that you work with, with this balance of not just trans and non-binary people's needs, but also cis people's needs and making those changes.
Consensual Involvement in System Change
00:17:53
Speaker
And there's a lot to really think about and consider. And so with that, then obviously you've talked about how a lot of trans people are just exhausted and the only reason they're working towards this is because something needs to happen but there are those people who raise the issue and would really like to see it through and really want to be a part of the process and so i was wondering how that balance works with taking the question to an expert but while also including the people who want to be involved who kind of raised the issue in the first place and this is their you know passion and something that they really want to be involved in having that kind of consent piece but also not just blocking them out and being like well we've hired trans focus now so don't worry about it decide yeah like like that balance it must be quite tricky sometimes and in or is it i don't know i've guessed
00:18:41
Speaker
Yeah, that's such a good point. we For people who want to be involved, it's a very bad idea to to kind of move them aside. um Certainly it helps to have someone like ourselves in the mix because then we can um kind of bring them with in a way that doesn't burden them, right? Right, yeah. Where that person or perhaps a few others maybe want to be in an advisory role where We do the heavy lifting because we have the know-how. We also can consult with, have listening sessions or surveys, so many different ways to gather feedback from people who just want to do a one-off thing and say, this is all the things I deal with.
00:19:27
Speaker
Do with it what you will. And then for us to put something together, then that we give to this advisory and be like, hey, what do you think? um And then they provide like really important salient points that we've either missed or that need to be refined or added to. And so that collaborative piece is super powerful. Like I always very much appreciate when I can work. with trans folks, trans and non-binary folks on these types of things. And so definitely recommend to have that kind of advisory role, but certainly not the, I mean, we do a massive amount of work for somebody to do that off the side of their desk. Like that would be asking a lot.
00:20:09
Speaker
But i think they are very, some of them are very curious and interested and really enjoy somebody having done the heavy lifting, but they're still involved and at key points where they can make pivotal moves that really tailor it to the organization. And so definitely think there's a role for them. It's just figuring out like which one and how And that definitely is is a huge part of skill development for them if they don't already have those skills, right?
00:20:40
Speaker
And so there's that piece.
Including Cisgender People in Discussions
00:20:43
Speaker
And i i like what you said also about factoring in cisgender people, because if we don't, which when we survey or do listening sessions, we do involve cisgender people.
00:20:56
Speaker
And like we have a separate set of questions for them. And that gives us a real good temperature check um in a way that's safe for the cisgender people, because oftentimes they're worried about saying the wrong thing or getting fired or whatever, but they still hold these...
00:21:15
Speaker
ways
Compensating Trans People for Contributions
00:21:16
Speaker
of thinking or beliefs that can hamper progress. And so it's good to know about them. yeah And sometimes it's great, like, wow, we're really,
00:21:27
Speaker
you know, in a good position. um And then other times organizations are a little surprised by what people actually think. Right.
00:21:38
Speaker
Like with anonymity. So all of those are really important to know regardless of what the outcome is. So that's why important to involve them. And more often than not, it's just people don't know what to do. And so that's good to know as well.
00:21:54
Speaker
Yeah. So with the trans and non-binary people who really are wanting to be involved in the process of um changing things and making making things better in the workplace, what are some considerations that um organizations should yeah really think about? Yeah, so there's the kind of proper setup.
00:22:12
Speaker
In terms of the process and clearly defining it rather than it going on forever and ever. But correct five meetings, it's going to be, you know, two hours of your time, you know, things like that.
00:22:27
Speaker
You know, it's helpful to have like a terms of reference for any, say, advisory committee or such. not So it might already be the practice of your organization, but this also this term this topic also deserves that.
00:22:42
Speaker
A really important thing that often gets overlooked is that the expectation is that this is free labor. And most like it's covered under your salary or maybe there's an hourly.
00:22:54
Speaker
But all that to say is it is separate work and it needs to be compensated. Right. Right. Now, I appreciate their budgetary considerations and maybe there's not large unending pools of money lying around. ah But that said, even some amount of compensation um is really important. There might be, you know in lieu of of cash or you know dollar payments, there could be other ways to acknowledge, right? you know, gift cards and, you know, whoever, you you might have benefits that you could tap into to give to people, a to acknowledge that people are putting in literal labor. And think that often gets missed. And then people are doing it kind of out of the kindness of their heart, which,
00:23:51
Speaker
They will do, but I don't know how ethical it is. So that would be an important part to add into it. And sometimes it also, if it's if some stuff is done virtually, others is done in person.
00:24:05
Speaker
If it's in person, also thinking about the transportation to that as well. So it's not just the compensation, but, you know, taxi, Uber, you know, mileage, that kind of thing.
00:24:17
Speaker
Hmm.
Transfocus: Strategic Recommendations for Organizations
00:24:19
Speaker
So to to kind of close up then, just more looking at the work that Transfocus does and like what, yeah, what the role of Transfocus is with a lot of organizations that you've worked with. And yeah, I was wondering about how, what approach you take when it comes to looking at this on a more strategic way or kind of addressing the system limitations in practice um that would maybe not be as obvious if you were just,
00:24:46
Speaker
I don't know, relying on one trans person to do all of the heavy lifting. Right. I mean, a lot of it comes down to trade-offs and I think organizations would love and individuals too, like one silver bullet that takes care of everything.
00:25:06
Speaker
wish that were the case. I'm still looking for it. But usually it's actually a set of decisions informed by, a you know, context and like what's actually happening in the organization. Right.
00:25:21
Speaker
But we're often saying, okay, there's, you know, this way forward, this way, and this way. Maybe we have, like, a few options. And then it's about, like, ah um sometimes we have a structured decision-making process where we're weighting all these criteria and factors.
00:25:38
Speaker
that are important to the organization and also important to individuals to be able to have a a decision that you can feel good about that you can back up.
00:25:53
Speaker
Right. And you can explain to people who might not be super thrilled by the decision. Right. But you can explain it. Right. And I think that's a much better position than kind of willy nilly, you know, throwing stuff on the wall and be like, did it stick?
00:26:11
Speaker
Right. I get that. Yeah. No, we don't need that. We can be thoughtful and intentional. And then on the back end in the implementation side, be very careful and sensitive to how it's shared. to Be like, we understand this is important. We weren't able to do this. We got this other way.
00:26:30
Speaker
It meets a lot of needs, but not everything. And we recognize that. Right. It's super simple. But that kind of thoughtful decision making makes that possible.
00:26:41
Speaker
I think invisible labor is a really important factor, certainly not only experienced by trans and non-binary folks. I think any marginalized group has some aspect of invisible labor, so it's a broader issue. So if you're able to figure it out with trans and non-binary folks, that's a good model to replicate for other marginalized
Alleviating Labor and Further Engagement
00:27:01
Speaker
groups. So that we can take off that labor.
00:27:05
Speaker
People are really having a hard time. And so any little bit of labor, we can take off their their plate and include them if they want to be in a thoughtful way that's not overwhelming.
00:27:17
Speaker
So much the better. If you're wanting support with decision making as part of alleviating labor for trans and non-binary folks in your midst.
00:27:28
Speaker
I mean, thank, definitely thank them if they've identified something and then good to pivot to someone else. But if you're wanting to to pivot to trans focus to help out with that, we'll put a link in the show notes to just a bit of a description about what that looks like and happy to have a conversation to continue to better understand your needs.
00:27:51
Speaker
Amazing. Thank you so much, Kai. Thank you too. We'll see you next week. Bye for now. Bye.