Being transgender at work

Ideally, I would have liked to speak to a representative of a trans organisation. But they’re all up to their ears – especially because it’s June, which is Pride month. No doubt, there’s a great need for information and education when it comes to trans matters.

However, the issue was too important to me to let slip. So instead, I started to do research of my own. This soon brought me to the Transgender Network Switzerland (TGNS) – an organisation run by and for trans people. It’s where I got my hands on ample information I’m happy to share with anyone who’s interested – cis or trans. Good to know: unlike a cis person, the gender identity of a trans person does not match or only partially matches the sex assigned to them at birth.

Coming out at work: I’m transgender

Transitioning at the workplace will raise various issues. Both for the person transitioning as well as for the employer and the person’s environment. That’s why it’s important that both sides know how the coming out process will be managed at work – provided a trans person even wants to come out. After all, it’s the decisive factor when it comes to how colleagues, customers and other people in the professional environment take the transition. For this reason, I’d like to refer to some practical tips for trans people planning to come out at work, as well as employers who are inexperienced in dealing with trans people.

Sad fact: according to TGNS, transgender people are much more likely to be unemployed and remain unemployed longer. The unemployment rate for trans people is around 20 per cent, which is almost five times higher than for the Switzerland’s population as a whole.

The power of words – do’s and don’ts

There are trans people working at Digitec Galaxus, too. We try to create the best possible working environment for everyone. Admittedly, we’ve still got some work to do when it comes to perfecting the way we deal with transgender employees and customers – but we’re on it. Generally speaking, there seems to be uncertainty about how to behave around transgender people. Which pronouns should I use? Which questions show I’m genuinely interested, which are insensitive and which are downright out of place?

The International Center for Transgender Care put together a glossary of terms that could be helpful for colleagues or managers of a trans person. Although the site is primarily aimed at people reporting on transgender people, it also works for daily dealings with trans people. It includes why the word sex change is controversial, why you’re better off using the phrase «being assigned male/female at birth» instead of «biologically male/female» and which sentences you should avoid at all costs.

Trans: legal situation and terminology

Legal situation in Switzerland: the legal situation and challenges for trans people were the focus at this year’s Pride in Zurich on 18 June. The TGNS website provides an overview of the current legal situation in German, French and Italian. There are still several shortcomings in the law. For example, when it comes to protection against hate crimes, discrimination, prohibiting so-called conversion therapies, access to medical care or parenthood.

Glossary: here’s a glossary comprising the most important terms used in this article.