National Coming Out Day: Credera’s Trans Support and Transition at Work policy

This National Coming Out Day, we are pleased to officially launch our Trans Support and Transition at Work policy. The policy provides information and guidance for everyone - in particular, those with management responsibilities - on how they can best support their trans colleagues, and outlines the information and assistance that is available for trans colleagues to support them in coming out or transitioning in the workplace.

National Coming Out Day

October 11th is recognised around the world as National Coming Out Day, where we celebrate and support LGBTQ+ people and the quest for LGBTQ+ equality. Homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia thrive in an atmosphere of silence and ignorance, and so this day recognises how being able to come out and live proudly and openly is a form of activism. This comes with the idea that people will be less likely to hold these oppressive views when they know that they have friends and loved ones who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. It is important to acknowledge that not everyone is in a position where they feel it is safe to come out. When people are able and do choose to come out, it is not a one-time thing. LGBTQ+ people will often find themselves coming out repeatedly throughout their lifetime, and may choose to be out to some people in their life, but not with others. One factor that may affect whether someone feels that they are safe to come out is whether they feel that it is likely to pose a risk to their employment. As such, it is important for employers to unambiguously demonstrate their support for LGBTQ+ people, so that it is clear they provide a safe environment for people to be ‘out’ without fear of facing discrimination and negative outcomes for their career.

Our commitment to diversity

One way that employers can do this is through ensuring that their policies and processes are explicitly inclusive of LGBTQ+ people. At Credera, we have done a lot of work in this space over the past year, including:

• Reviewing our policies to ensure that gender neutral language is used throughout, such as in parental leave policies;

•  Expanding and clarifying our Equality and Discrimination policy;

• Identifying and addressing gaps in policies, including the introduction of the Trans Support and Transition at Work policy.

In addition, our LGBTQ+ network has undertaken both internal and external-facing activities throughout the year to help increase visibility and understanding of the lives of LGBTQ+ people and how this may impact on them in the workplace. This includes the recent launch of a special edition of our Technically Minded podcast, ‘How can consulting firms best support LGBT+ colleagues in the workplace?’ These actions reinforce our commitment to diversity at Credera. We hope that they help colleagues feel confident to come out in the future, and demonstrate to any possible LGBTQ+ applicants that we provide a safe environment for them to come as they are.