Pronoun usage in the workplace

[Kaleb Hall]

• Does anyone have information about what companies are using pronouns within the workplace?
•  What or how are they are doing? 
• Any manufacturing or Automotive Examples?
• Do you have any feedback or results of practicing pronoun usage?

[Out and Equal Administrator]

Hi Kaleb, 

Thanks for reaching out about this. We will actually be hosting a webinar on this topic tomorrow at 3pm ET.

International Pronouns Day: Practices to Support Inclusion Year-Round
“International Pronouns Day, which is celebrated this year on October 21st, provides an important opportunity to build awareness around pronouns in the workplace, in addition to making conversations about pronouns commonplace. Using the right pronouns to address and refer to colleagues is a necessary component of inclusive and supportive workplace cultures. Join Out & Equal for in-depth discussion on pronouns as leaders across industries highlight case studies on how to build inclusive pronoun practices into everyday operations, as well as the vital importance of doing so.”

We will be joined by the following panelists:

Ali Valin (they/them) – Brand Strategy Manager, Accenture

Gino Ramos (he/him) – Senior Manager of Equality Programs, Salesforce

Jess Ricker (they/them) – Senior Manager, Financial Reporting, Bank of America

Kate Fisher (she/her) – Enterprise Account Manager, Oracle

Madelyn Gelpi (anything respectful) – Senior Manager of Stakeholder Engagement, Out & Equal 

 Here is the link for more information. In addition, you can register here! Hope you are able to join us. 

[Jeiz Robles]

Hi @Kaleb Hall, to share my experiences from IBM. We have our pronouns incorporated into our directory as well as our HR System. The employee has the option to update it as preferred. We are also encouraged to add them to our signatures if we prefer. For events that some of us facilitate we encourage the introduction of pronouns when the speakers are introduced especially when the events are related to D&I. In terms of the result per se, I would say that being open about ones’ pronouns signifies allyship to and within the LGBT+ community and one can feel more open to those who visibly signify their pronouns – especially when they are managers for example. There have also been instances in my personal experience that I was asked for my pronoun in personal conversations which can directly impact employee engagement as it being associated to being yourself and being able to choose pronouns that one identifies with.

[Kristina Kishbaugh]

Having a voluntary campaign to help share about pronouns and their helpfulness. Not only with LGBTQ inclusion, but also general every day. The name Pat could be short of Patricia or Patrick, pronouns would help in this case. When we pitched this we worked to show inclusion beyond LGBTQ, and how it helps for folks in different countries to connect. Helping folks see that this was a larger base for inclusion helped with buy-in. Also, I always recommend voluntary as you don’t know a person’s journey, and forcing them could make them either out themselves or put them in an uncomfortable spot. Not everyone’s journey with pronouns has been easy. Several HR systems can capture pronouns, and tools like MS Teams can also share pronouns based on contact data in the HR system. This is super helpful on calls with folks.

[ewaller]

Hi all,

For Huntington National Bank, we are permitted to have our pronouns in our email signature (both for internal emails and external), business cards (if the position requires it), Microsoft Teams, and Workday. With the exception of business cards, they are up to the colleague to enter, so they can type whatever they feel (for example, any/all). The business cards ordering has a drop-down menu for some pronoun options.

I actually was the one to spearhead pronouns being on business cards, because I used to write them on my cards (for clients I was comfortable sharing that information with). I have a traditionally feminine name and with no current plans to change it, having the option to put my pronouns on them helps a lot. I’ve even had a client correct themselves after seeing my pronouns on my business card. I can’t overstate how important that was to me, as a non-binary person.

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