Growing Diverse Teams: Removing gendered language in people processes

Now that your job postings are concise and inclusive and you’ve hired some great new employees, next up is the removal of gendered language in your company’s people processes!

“Gendered language” simply means bias is taking place toward a gender, even if it’s unintentional, and that very bias is sustaining gender inequality. Many times when some hear this, they think of “men and women” only, when really the use of this type of language negatively impacts women, non-binary and transgender people as well. Sometimes this bias is even unconscious, due to stereotypes.

You wouldn’t believe the affirming, welcomed feelings of belonging and safety any marigilized person experiences when they feel seen, allowing them to be their true selves and reach their full potential!

When a new employee begins their onboarding process, one of their goals may be to align with your company’s policies, procedures and overall mission the same way they did throughout the application and interview process. Reading through guidelines can be potentially triggering if verbiage like “he or she” is used. Taking some of the same tips from our Part I series on Job Descriptions here and doing a good old “Ctrl F- find and replace method” is a great way to ensure lengthy documents like employee handbooks contain 100% inclusive language!

Here are some phrases to watch out for:

• The other gender (implying there are only two, and excluding those that do not fit within the gender “binary”)

• Both genders

• Men and women

• Ladies and gentleman 

• Boys and girls

• Brothers and sisters

• He or she

If you’ve identified the above verbiage, can you implement the following in its place?

• Genders /  All genders

• They / Them / Theirs

• All / Everyone / Everybody

• People / Persons

• Folks

• Coworkers 

• Siblings 

Many folks hesitate at the use of singular “they” as if they’ve never implemented this into their daily language, when in fact even Shakespeare wrote in singular “they” often! 

Here’s an example of regular use of “they” singular:

“Someone left their hat on this bench. Let me pick it up for them, and take it to the Lost and Found in case they come back to get it!”

Like many things, once we have an awareness of the content, it then becomes second nature to respect all human beings and provide a safe workspace for them to succeed!

Growing Diverse Teams: An LGBTQ+ Inclusive Language Blog Series

“We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.” -Amanda Gorman

Words have power beyond our understanding, stay with us, and are passed onto others. Just as business owners strive for every customer to have an unforgettable experience, it is important employees, candidates, and job seekers receive the same care. 

There are 11 to 13 million LGBTQ+ folks in the workforce today, and 50% are not out of the closet, leading to stalled careers or worse. Inclusive language in the workplace builds stronger teams. You have the power simply within your choice of words to change this statistic!

Did you know that by simply changing pronouns in your job descriptions you are not only making your workforce more inclusive, but you are contributing to suicide prevention, allyship, and career momentum? One small change like a neutral pronoun can make all the difference between a worker scrolling past your job or clicking “apply now.” 

If one of your organization’s goals is to form a diverse workforce, we have some tips on how to grow these strong teams, from inclusive language within your initial job postings all the way to going the extra mile for your loyal employees. General