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HR's New Best Friend - The Trans Inclusion Toolkit
9 Plays9 days ago
This week, Kai and El are getting into one of our favourite behind-the-scenes heroes of inclusion: the toolkit.
Think of it as your organization’s go-to guide for supporting trans and non-binary employees - before, during and after someone comes out at work. No scrambling, no awkward guesswork, no “uhh… what do we do now?” moments.
A great toolkit does more than hand out definitions or policies - it sets your whole team up to respond with clarity and confidence. It answers questions before they even come up, like:
• How do we update names and pronouns across all our systems?
• What should a manager say (or avoid saying) when someone comes out?
• What if no one’s come out yet - should we still have one? (Spoiler: yes.)
In this episode we talk about what makes a toolkit actually useful, how it connects to broader inclusion work, and why it’s one of the smartest moves you can make if you want to be ready - not just reactive.
Take our quizzes and get our free downloadable resources!
1. How Do You Show Up as a Trans Ally at Work? Take our quiz for individuals here
2. How Ready is Your Organization for Trans Inclusion? Take our quiz for organizations here
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Want to get in touch? Contact us at podcast@transfocus.ca
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Transcript
Introduction with Kly Scott
00:00:02
Speaker
This is Gender in Focus. I'm Elle, and each week I sit down with the president of Trans Focus Consulting and all-round gender diversity genius, Kly Scott. I get to ask all the questions you've ever wanted to ask about how to make the workplace and the world a better place for trans and non-binary people.
00:00:20
Speaker
Let's get into it.
Toolkit Essentials for Trans Support
00:00:23
Speaker
In today's episode, we are discussing the value and process related to introducing toolkits that outline how staff of an organization can be supportive of trans and non-binary people.
00:00:35
Speaker
Because the topic of gender diversity can be relatively new to some folks, it is important for organizations to document what support looks like. And it's not just at the obvious moments, like when somebody comes out as trans.
00:00:49
Speaker
We dive into the details surrounding this kind of powerful tool for clarity. I'm excited to jump in. So I'd never actually heard of any kind of toolkit like this before I started working with TransVocus. So can you explain what the difference is between having the toolkit in place versus just having like a standard policy for diversity and inclusion?
00:01:10
Speaker
Absolutely.
Toolkit vs Standard Policy
00:01:11
Speaker
Happy to to clarify. Yeah, it can be a bit confusing. i mean, there's so many different words that are swirling about, right? Some people call it a transition guideline. Some people call it a policy.
00:01:23
Speaker
Others talk about you know toolkit. And certainly we've rotated all of those different ways of describing this type of document. And where we've landed is toolkit ah because policy can often be feel very heavy handed.
00:01:40
Speaker
ah For some folks who are just new on the topic, it's like, whoa, there's something like really ah heavy in place and it's very serious. And of course it is serious, but it's not coming with a supportive stance that a lot of people need when they're learning on something as what can be new to them ah about gender diversity. And so toolkit
Beyond Coming Out: Continuous Support
00:02:02
Speaker
it comes from like a very practical lens and really coming alongside folks to say, hey, you might not know, but X, Y, and z have you considered um if you know somebody who's trans or if somebody's just coming out or any number of different scenarios that are at play and giving them
00:02:21
Speaker
proper answers or clarity on the topic rather than saying, thou shalt do X, Y, and z And when people are like, oh dear, what if I don't do that? Will I, you know, land up in jail? You know, people can come from a very fear-based response to policy.
00:02:39
Speaker
ah Certainly, I appreciate why people want policy. They want to denote how important this topic is. and give you know some weight to the matter. But I think given how new this topic is for many people, it is important to be supportive rather than directive.
00:02:58
Speaker
And people tend to respond better to that. um And we did veer away
Cultural and Structural Inclusion
00:03:03
Speaker
from calling it a transition guideline ah because it's not just about people coming out at work.
00:03:09
Speaker
And transition often denotes that it's about... um or people, what people conjure up in their mind is medical transition. And of course, not everybody medically transitions.
00:03:21
Speaker
And so we didn't want that to be the focal point. um And sometimes people then ask unnecessary or private ah questions. And so just really want to focus on everyday support for trans folks. And that can come at different stages.
00:03:36
Speaker
ah But really just being that is the focal point for folks. So you were talking about how the toolkit not just addressing people who are coming out, but it's more of a kind of like overall look at supporting people who are trans and non-binary. Can you go over what those things are? If it's not just about coming out, if it's not just about medical transition, what what is it about then?
00:03:59
Speaker
Right. What other things can we talk about? um yeah I think a lot of the more obvious piece of information that people don't feel prepared to address is somebody coming out.
00:04:11
Speaker
So that tends to be like the thing that people want to put in the toolkit, ah which I appreciate. There are specifics to that process and It's good to outline it for folks so that managers feel equipped and other people in the organization know what to expect, right? So it is good to talk about that, but that shouldn't be the only thing.
00:04:33
Speaker
um Of
Overcoming Challenges
00:04:34
Speaker
course, support comes before somebody comes out ah at at work, right? it should be actively creating a safe environment for folks to come out if they want to, or feel safe if they don't want to, right?
00:04:48
Speaker
Of course, coming out is not required. ah People can, you know, and come out earlier in life and then never want to talk about it again, right? So that's a perfectly legitimate, but of course, still want a safe environment.
00:05:03
Speaker
ah So not hearing ah jokes about trans people, and them being witness to those, and everyone thinking that in the room, that there's no trans people, right? um Which can be something that if you haven't set up a proper or cultivated a proper culture, those are things that can come up for folks that can be very chilling either before or if they're not coming out at work. And so these are some of the things that you can actively you know highlight for folks and to share and to help cultivate that culture.
00:05:39
Speaker
There's also after coming out. um I think sometimes people think, well, just help somebody come out and then that's it. And then off they go into right into the sunset.
00:05:50
Speaker
um And, you know certainly some people that's the case, but certainly. Others will need continuous support, either because there's a lack of understanding or there's continuous misgendering that happens, or perhaps even instances where people push back on.
00:06:09
Speaker
We're seeing quite a bit of a backlash on trans and non-binary folks. And so these are some of the things that employees may need continuous support on and with. Or just practical things like ongoing medical appointments, right? Where does that fit within the everyday flow of the work that they're doing?
00:06:29
Speaker
So these are some of the things that um it's not kind of one and done. It's a continuous ah process, ah one that people will need support. And so we just try to map all of that out for folks so that it's on their radar.
00:06:44
Speaker
They know what to do,
Practical Benefits for Workplace
00:06:45
Speaker
no matter what level of the organization they're at. And to really be clear and in ways that are supportive and reassuring and um really help people feel feel inspired to step up.
00:07:00
Speaker
So I was looking over the toolkit and you've split it up into different sections. So systems, cultures, and communication. Do you mind going into those and why it's so important to have those as like separate, um, focuses as opposed to just like assuming that everything will come together and just hope for the best.
00:07:16
Speaker
No kidding. Yeah, it's so true. i mean, certainly the the main framework that we use at TransFocus is separating culture and structure. And it's not to say that they're not linked.
00:07:30
Speaker
ah Certainly they are and do need to carefully kind of weave them together in some way. um But it is good to look at them ah in their own respect.
00:07:41
Speaker
So the cultural is all about how we interact with one another, group dynamics, culture of the workplace. There's also the structural piece, which is just how are things set up, systems, spaces, procedures, like how do things work together?
00:07:57
Speaker
And what we found is that oftentimes people have a lot of questions on the cultural side, which is really important. And certainly toolkits do provide guidance on that and give suggestions. And you know rather than if you're meeting somebody for the first time, don't assume their gender or their pronouns, right? Something very simple, very basic, ah but very important.
00:08:19
Speaker
ah you know If you misgender somebody, correct yourself, things like that, so that people can have that tangible know-how to do things. ah but organizations should also look at the structural side. And that's where this toolkit kind of weaves all that together because in order to figure out how to help somebody come out, you then bump up quite literally into um the, especially systems, but you also have to talk about washrooms. So if you don't have all that structural stuff sorted out um or if you haven't thought about it,
00:08:53
Speaker
it then becomes this very unpleasant surprise for everybody. And so that's where we try to kind of tease those apart to say, okay, here the steps to take, um you know, things to to consider around setting up systems in a good way, you know, whether it's having two first first name fields um and so that if somebody is in the process of changing their legal documentation, haven't quite done it because it takes a long time, it's costly,
00:09:23
Speaker
yeah at least you have their chosen name for that time where they're changing their documents, which is typically a part of coming out process. So that's just one tangible example, but really to have sorted out both the cultural and the structural and then put them together in a toolkit that allows people to see, okay, this is how we do things. And this is how we'll record those things in the systems and spaces that we've set up.
00:09:49
Speaker
have you Have you come across any pushback or ah yeah resistance to this? I guess for a lot of people it would be, okay, we have a policy, so why do we need anything extra? So, yeah, have you come across any kind of pushback?
Addressing Trans Journey Challenges
00:10:01
Speaker
Sometimes when talking with leadership, they want to know the rationale. Certainly I appreciate if you already have, say, a respectful workplace policy in place, like why add to it?
00:10:14
Speaker
right It's already stated explicitly, no harassment, no bullying, etc., etc., right? It's very clear. Now, I will say that it's really the devil's in the details when it comes to trans and non-binary issues.
00:10:29
Speaker
ah Given that most people, it's not on their radar, it can be a bit surprising or they just know how to handle it. And so having a place that spells that out can be helpful or a place for people to point and say, it seems like you're struggling with X that's addressed in this toolkit.
00:10:48
Speaker
you know Feel free to to read it in your own time and place. Right. Another thing too is that we there is education that organizations are setting up, but because it's voluntary, not everybody shows up, right?
00:11:03
Speaker
And so this is a backstop to people not being able to or not wanting to or whatever the case may be, not attending education sessions.
00:11:13
Speaker
This is that, hey, This is the expectation that folks have, ah the standard that the organization has set on this topic. um And so that doesn't leave any mystery as to where we're landing, where we want the culture to be in the organization. People aren't scratching their heads wondering, it's spelled out, right?
00:11:35
Speaker
um Whether somebody attends an education session or not, it's there, it's a backup. um I will say that um you know the pushback that we get is not so much should it be this, it's just that it feels like a lot.
00:11:51
Speaker
And it is. Usually these toolkits can range anywhere from 10 to plus pages, depending on you know how much
Common Misconceptions
00:12:01
Speaker
detail is needed, especially around the coming out process.
00:12:05
Speaker
Usually that can amount to some, you know have some level of documentation or different places that need to be changed. Almost need to treat it like this person, like a new employee, essentially, right?
00:12:17
Speaker
To think, especially if somebody has changed name, pronoun, you know gender category, you just think about all the places that would need to be updated. And especially in a large organization with so many different systems, they can have like huge cascading impact, right?
00:12:34
Speaker
So it just takes a lot and um people can feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of content. And I will say it's probably not that everybody needs to read word for word, but that it's a resource available when specific things come up to be like, I wonder what we do in this situation. Oh, look, it spells it out here in chapter 2.1, right? Let me go there.
00:13:00
Speaker
We don't need to read necessarily everything else, but this time, this place requires that information and we have it available to ourselves. Another challenge that can come up is that people are not aware that the toolkit exists. So it is, there's kind of beyond just creating it, there's also communication and developing awareness of the toolkit that's necessary.
00:13:23
Speaker
There's a few different levels and steps involved, a bit of a process to make it a successful tool available to folks. But ah Yeah. um I won't say that we've heard of a lot of pushback on the contents itself by employees.
00:13:39
Speaker
More often than not what happens is employees are really thankful that it exists, right? Because most people are just wanting clarity. one way or another, just tell me what to do, right?
00:13:53
Speaker
ah Like spell it out for me. um And for trans and non-binary folks, they're really thankful because now there's a process and it's not kind of a mystery. They don't feel like they have to do it themselves.
00:14:05
Speaker
They know that they can ask for help. They know that the organization will have their back. So there's not as much pushback there, but certainly leadership, just thinking it through is a consideration.
00:14:17
Speaker
ah can imagine that it's super daunting to have to come out or like people that I know who have done this where they've come out in a workplace and they haven't had a toolkit in place. It can be a super daunting experience. So can you kind of describe that or like go into how this actually impacts trans people or trans and non-binary people?
00:14:34
Speaker
Absolutely. So you're right. it is very daunting. And, um you know, no matter the circumstance, even with a toolkit, it's daunting. um And but the toolkit takes off that edge that exists, right?
00:14:49
Speaker
Because coming out um for some, maybe not all, and it's like jumping off a cliff. So if you don't feel like you have a set of wings, or you don't have any mechanism to ride the currents,
00:15:05
Speaker
it feels like free fall, right? And so this toolkit is ah set of wings that help people fly and you know thrive in an organization. And what we've heard time and time again is when there's not a toolkit in place and somebody comes out, they're like, I wish this was had been in place.
00:15:23
Speaker
That would have really helped me, especially to know what to ask for. Because oftentimes people have their sense of like, this is how I would like it to go, but it's never spelled out that they can assert that, right?
00:15:36
Speaker
um I'm often people, like off hours, trans people will approach me and be like, can I ask for this? I'm like, absolutely. And your employer really wants to know, hopefully, um can't speak for all employers, but ah Certainly many of them want to know exactly how to support you and spelling that out is really helpful for them.
00:15:56
Speaker
And they ought to help you with that, you know. And um if there is a toolkit in place, what we find is as soon as something is introduced, like a toolkit, there's a wave of people who come out.
00:16:09
Speaker
Oh my God. maybe one, two, three, if it's a large organization, sometimes more. People are like, oh, finally, there's clarity here and I feel way more confident ah to show up fully at work and i have a pathway ah that's been described to me or it's been you know clarified that I can ask for things and the organization will try their best to implement those or work with me.
00:16:38
Speaker
um Especially spelling out that it's an employee-driven process ah helps so that managers know that they're coming alongside rather than
Implementing TransFocus Toolkits
00:16:48
Speaker
dictating something. Like be like, okay, this is what you have to do.
00:16:51
Speaker
Steps one, two, three, everybody the same. um That can often feel very restrictive in a way that almost replicates the harm from being misunderstood all the way along.
00:17:05
Speaker
And that's so hard for, I imagine for a manager too, because they don't know what you need. So it must feel really sort of hard for both sides there. Oh, ah managers are freaked out.
00:17:18
Speaker
right right This is no understatement. a any anytime and just this only we only We know this because we support quite a few coming out processes.
00:17:30
Speaker
It's not certainly our first service offering. right We want to have organizations be independent, be able to handle their own coming out processes.
00:17:41
Speaker
ah But certainly, if needed, we can come alongside and support. But what we just see is just h r human resources and managers, deer in headlights, just like, by i I know trans people exist. I never thought they'd come through the door and I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do.
00:18:01
Speaker
Right now, preferably yesterday. and no, no, I mean, yeah but people are really, really concerned because they recognize that trans people have our protections under the law here in Canada.
00:18:16
Speaker
And so they want not only to avoid any legal trouble, but they also want to do right by the the trans person, but have no benchmark for how that happens.
00:18:27
Speaker
um
Conclusion and Resources
00:18:28
Speaker
And so they kind of tap in the dark unless they bring us in or have any other tool involved. But if they've thought it through with it and written it down in a toolkit, it's that much easier. It's not a bat of an eye, like, oh, yeah, of course, you know, let's sit down, let's chat, you know.
00:18:47
Speaker
And it's such a relief for everybody because there's a a framework that supports that journey for for everybody involved. Could you give us a sort of idea of like ah a real life scenario of what this looks like for an employee or for an organization.
00:19:04
Speaker
um If somebody is thinking about coming out or just kind of like from start to finish having this toolkit in place, how that can benefit people Yeah, absolutely. So there's a few scenarios that can come up.
00:19:15
Speaker
One example before somebody comes out is maybe they'll put something on social media and there's that fluidity between work and personal where some employees are friends on, say, Facebook or Instagram, and they may notice, oh, this person has changed their name and or their pronouns.
00:19:36
Speaker
um And now what? you know, we work together. What do I do? Like, I have this piece of information. it is publicly available. And so some people might feel inclined to kind of raise that at work.
00:19:51
Speaker
Again, coming from a good place, but maybe not giving agency to that trans or non-binary person. And so they're just trying to figure out what to do, how to be supportive um and may misstep if they don't have clarity around it.
00:20:07
Speaker
As in, if you know that person really well, maybe approaching them and saying, you know, i noticed this on your Facebook, Instagram, you know, tell me more if you want to, or is there, um you know, anything you want me to do with regard to work, right?
00:20:24
Speaker
And just have that conversation and have them break it down. Be like, no, I want to wait. I'm not ready to come out at work. um So please keep that private um and respecting those wishes. Or, yeah, I'm trying to figure out a way to bring it up work, but I don't ivan and don't know how to do that. And then in which case you can say, hey, if you want me to accompany you to any meetings, happy to be there for you, et cetera, et cetera.
00:20:48
Speaker
If you're not close to that person, it it's it's just keep it in Facebook, Instagram land, right? like And leave that person to take the journey that they need and want.
00:21:00
Speaker
um And so these are some of the things that are unpacked in the toolkit to provide that clarity ah because there's these overlapping. Okay, but let's say that person then becomes ready to share at work.
00:21:13
Speaker
And usually people approach their manager first and say, hey, you know, I want to share this with my team, maybe a wider part of the organization, or maybe all of the organization.
00:21:26
Speaker
You know, how do I do that? And then If they've got a toolkit that'll outline the various options that are available, the manager then can go through those options with that person.
00:21:37
Speaker
Maybe it's an email announcement, maybe there's an education session, or it's in a team meeting, or it's in a newsletter. There's like thousands of different ways to share this information.
00:21:50
Speaker
And so, you know, having that discussion, um any other needs that they have, um then talking about how are we going to update this information? When are we going to update this information?
00:22:03
Speaker
um Legal name change versus chosen name, right? um There's things that people wonder about, like surgeries um or gender affirming care.
00:22:15
Speaker
um you know, how much or whether to talk about those. And certainly you can talk about time off. That's really important. That's practical. Somebody is doing a major surgery and is going to be off for six weeks.
00:22:27
Speaker
You got to talk about that, right? so But we're not talking about what procedure, right? That's not, that's private information. um And so not kind of going overboard on wanting all those details.
00:22:41
Speaker
But certainly, how are we going to do time off? um Is it supported? Short-term disability, right? um There's also things like washrooms. People wonder how to navigate that as managers or even human resources.
00:22:57
Speaker
Generally, it's really helpful to talk about if they foresee if the employee foresees any challenges in accessing washrooms that are for them, right? um We're not asking which ones, but we're just asking access um and whether they see any challenge and how to create support for that access, right?
00:23:18
Speaker
So it's just unpacking some of these practical things during the coming out process. And then after coming out, it's really important to continue to check in with the person. you know It's been a month, how are you doing?
00:23:32
Speaker
Is everything going as planned? Do we need to adjust things? Are there any surprises? um is it What are things that you're really excited about? so just filling out that picture because oftentimes managers are like, whew, coming out is done, that's it.
00:23:49
Speaker
And then a trans person, typically we find in the research that we do, they're not going to come and usually it's very difficult to share challenges that are happening.
00:24:01
Speaker
especially they involve ah colleagues, right? We don't want to like make trouble for colleagues, but there are things that are upsetting, right? And so, if you have kind of you, the the manager, or human resources are looping back that can often open that conversation in an easier way.
00:24:20
Speaker
So these are some of the things before, during, and after ah that are at play. Certainly not everything, but just gives you some flavor of ah what's in the toolkit that can be spelled out for folks, um whether managers, colleagues of trans and non-binary folks or trans and non-binary folks themselves.
00:24:42
Speaker
yeah There is a little bit in the toolkit that you've put together that talks about what you shouldn't ask. ah Things that you need to not, ah you can, it's an inside thought.
00:24:52
Speaker
and You don't need to actually put it out there. And you've mentioned that a couple of times just then, just these questions that you might be interested in, but ah are really not appropriate to to ask. Would you mind just going into that a little bit further and like why that's so important? Yeah.
00:25:07
Speaker
Yeah, it again goes back to most people have not knowingly encountered a trans person. And so when somebody comes out, it's like, holy smokes, finally, we have source of information for all of my questions ever on this topic. And certainly they're mounting because we see it in the media and we see, know, legislative changes and, you know, it's just like a swoon. whirling mystery.
00:25:35
Speaker
And so, trans people in front of, like, that's very powerful. And I understand why people are very curious and they want to know more about their fellow person.
00:25:45
Speaker
And again, it's not a bad thing. We've talked about this in other episodes. ah But certainly, and especially at at the outset, it's really important just to kind of go at the pace of the person in front of you.
00:25:58
Speaker
ah They're probably already overwhelmed by having come out. There's a lot to it. There's a lot going on. Lots is changing. It could be stuff at work. It could be stuff at home. And so then having people pelting additional questions trying to get their education on this topic.
00:26:16
Speaker
can feel like a lot, right? So we just want to avoid that scenario. um Certainly, people are very curious about gender-affirming care, but just recognizing that not everybody accesses that or needs to. So the question I got when I first came out a lot was, have you had the surgery?
00:26:35
Speaker
um People think that there's just one surgery. and that they thought it was appropriate to ask in the workplace about gender-affirming care, very deeply personal decision-making, and assuming that I was going to. It's just, yeah, not not going down that that line of inquiry um pretty much with anybody at work. um It's a safe bet, just like any other medical procedure.
00:26:59
Speaker
ah It's very personal, very private. um Other topics that I think are ah i would steer people away from are dating and personal life.
00:27:10
Speaker
So people are very curious about trans people dating. How does that work? What issues come up? you know um Certainly we could do a whole other podcast just on that topic. It is very full, shall we say.
00:27:25
Speaker
um But it is very tricky and can be a source of a lot of pain for for trans and non-binary folks. And so the degree to which they want to get into that at work is probably slimmer, right? Of course, I won't make a hard and fast, like always rule, but I would say on the whole, especially if you don't know that person, it's definitely steer clear of that.
00:27:50
Speaker
And family too. Certainly more and more people are accepting, but that's not everyone. And so some families can, you know, there can be family rifts over people being trans, and which is very sad, very hard ah reality.
00:28:06
Speaker
And even if they're not family rifts, there can be tensions that arise. um And so just being sensitive to those and not forefronting those questions that you might have about family reality.
00:28:20
Speaker
Of course, if somebody, trans and non-binary, starts to share about that willingly of their own accord, that's where you can be more supportive and listen and, you know, be, feel honored that you're hearing that story. That definitely means that that person trusts you. And, and so to take that and safeguard that information and that storytelling and, you know, affirm them too and ah validate their feelings ah related to it, but certainly not us driving the questions.
00:28:54
Speaker
It's that person sharing if they want to. Any final thoughts on toolkit, Kai? Toolkits are the best. No, no, no. I mean, toolkits are are an important tool. Of course, they're not the only thing.
00:29:07
Speaker
um Just because you have a toolkit doesn't necessarily mean that everybody's going to suddenly do things automatically ah based on the guidance provided. But it is ah an important anchoring point that provides the direction that an organization is heading in and can help people orient themselves, whether a manager, human resources, a trans or non-binary person.
00:29:32
Speaker
And so it's a pretty pivotal ah tool in the whole set for folks. So definitely recommend that organizations look at that.
00:29:43
Speaker
There is a process that's involved ah in creating one and then implementing it. We at TransFocus definitely help with those, both the creation of it. We have templates that we have that we make available.
00:29:57
Speaker
that organization can tailor to their organizational needs. And then we help with the implementation, educating on the toolkit so that managers and human resources are ready to action in case that a need arises. So it's not kind of out of left field, a mystery, ah wondering what to do. It's very clear and like, here we go.
00:30:20
Speaker
and We've got the steps in place. And we've also sorted out a few of the systems pieces to make that possible. So those are my final thoughts on this topic. Great. We do share a lot of information that goes packed into the toolkit through social media.
00:30:38
Speaker
So where can everyone find you, Kai? Absolutely. So we're on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Blue Sky, Threads, TikTok. I'm sure I'm missing one of the others. ah There's a few we' we're on.
00:30:54
Speaker
ah But anyway, pretty much. You choose, and you'll find us there. And definitely also join our newsletter where we have monthly events. tips and tools and lot of free resources that, you know, anywhere from three to five page documents that allow you to get a little bit deeper into things, have checklists or things to consider to deepen your allyship journey on this topic.
00:31:20
Speaker
Great. Well, see you next week. Excellent. Thanks so much. Bye for now. you