How To Create a Gender-Inclusive Workplace

Creating an inclusive work environment ensures everyone on your team feels comfortable and confident coming into work. Some believe that diversity initiatives aren’t important for business performance, but the truth is that gender-inclusive work environments benefit everyone. In this blog, we’ll explore how to create a gender-inclusive workplace.

Remove Gendered Language

Gendered language can exacerbate existing biases in employees, job candidates, and clients. Even if these biases are unconscious, they can create gender disparities in the workplace. Avoid using gendered terms that may unintentionally create a gender biased assumption and opt instead for gender-neutral terms. When referring to an unknown person, use “they” instead of “he” or “she.” For example, “Someone left their notebook behind after the last meeting. I’ll leave it in the breakroom for them to pick up.” Shifting away from gendered language will make your workplace less biased and more inclusive to employees of all genders.

Share Pronouns

Sharing pronouns at the beginning of meetings and in email signatures is an easy way to ensure everyone uses the correct pronouns. Asking everyone, regardless of identity, to share their pronouns normalizes the activity and removes pressure from trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming employees to inform people separately of their pronouns. Making pronouns easy to reference in email signatures or on business cards reduces the likelihood of employees assuming pronouns and potentially misgendering their coworkers.

Create a Gender-Neutral Bathroom

Another way to create an inclusive workplace for non-binary employees is to offer a gender-neutral or all-gender bathroom. Ensure this bathroom is as easily accessible as gendered restrooms in your office space. Sending employees to a separate floor or away from your office space to use an all-gender restroom isn’t inclusive, even if it provides a neutral bathroom space. Use clear signage to mark your all-gender bathroom and ensure all existing employees and new hires know its location.

Now that you know how to create a gender-inclusive workplace, you can take steps to create an environment where everyone can do their best work, regardless of their gender. After taking these steps, continue to make allyship and inclusivity a part of your workplace culture and learn new ways to create a more inclusive work environment.