Dublin Bus has launched guidelines on gender transition in the workplace.
The company, which employs over 3,500 people, worked with the Transgender Equality Network Ireland to develop the Dublin Bus Workplace Gender Policy and Guidelines.
It includes recommendations for employees, managers and the human resources department on how to provide “a welcoming and supportive environment for employees transitioning”.
Sara Phillips, chair of the TENI told The Irish Times “a lot of companies are quite slow to actually implement guidelines”.
“A number of the larger (companies)have been working towards looking at guidelines and policies around transgender inclusion. We’ve worked with quite a number of them over the last year ... There’s still quite a slowness in a lot of companies to look at it. It’s a mixed bag really,” she said.
“Usually what you tend to find sometimes is companies realising they need to take steps when they find themselves in a situation where a staff member is looking to try and transition within the workforce and then realise they don’t have any specific mechanisms or there’s no policy in place for such a situation.”
Vivienne Kavanagh, employee development and equality executive at Dublin Bus said: “It may be daunting for an employee to approach their manager in the workplace on this issue.
“These guidelines were created to help foster dialogue and understanding of transgender issues. Just as there are gay, lesbian and bisexual employees in Dublin Bus, there are also employees who are transgender.”
The Gender Recognition Act was signed into law in July 2015, allowing a person over the age of 18 to self-declare their true gender identity and apply for a new birth certificate, passport or driving licence that reflects this change.
A report from TENI, ‘Speaking from the Margins’ (2013) found that just over half of transgender respondents (51 per cent) were employed.
The report said 14 per cent of transgender respondents reported workplace harassment or discrimination, 14 per cent believed they had been unfairly turned down for a job while nine per cent believed they had been unfairly fired, dismissed or laid off.
In addition, nine per cent left a job due to harassment or discrimination with no other job to go to and eight per cent had not applied for certain jobs due to fears of workplace harassment or discrimination.”
Ray Coyne, CEO of Dublin Bus said: “We will not tolerate our customers, contractors or people we do business with discriminating against our employees because of their gender identity.
“This is also in line with our Dignity and Respect Policy which relates to the bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at work of our employees.”
Dublin Bus’s work in this area has been put forward as a case study for best practice in relation to workplace diversity by the European Commission.
TENI said it is available to assist companies who are looking to establish their own workplace gender policy and guidelines and can do so by contacing them at (01) 873 3575 or office@teni.ie.
