Supporting Transgender Staff

Page updated: 02/10/2023

We are responsible for delivering a diverse range of services to the community that we serve. Our success depends on the people we employ and being able to draw on their different perspectives and experiences.
By attracting, recruiting and developing people from the widest possible pool of talent we can develop a better understanding of our customers’ needs now and in the future to ensure our success.

We are all different. Our different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives mean that we think about issues in different ways and can identify new solutions and opportunities to improve. These skills are important for us all so that we can deliver the best possible service to the public.

There is a wealth of research to show that workplaces that are more inclusive are more productive.

If barriers exist to the recruitment and retention of trans staff , we could miss out on this potential. We know that trans people often leave their jobs before transitioning and often take lower paid jobs when they return to the workplace, often because of the possible discrimination they imagine they will face if they stay in their place of work. This can result in a loss of expertise and investment. We are committed to ensuring that all employees are treated fairly and with respect at all stages of employment including the recruitment process.

This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Equality and Diversity Policy.

This guidance has been produced to support our employees and managers in understanding the experience and process of transitioning and the potential barriers that may inhibit a trans person in reaching their potential in the workplace. It provides helpful guidance on supporting trans applicants and employees, creating an inclusive working environment and what a trans person can expect in terms of support.

The specific aims of this guidance are to:

  • Ensure that trans people and individuals undergoing the transition process or who have transitioned are treated with fairness and support during the recruitment process and their employment;
  • Provide all employees and managers with guidance on the statutory protections for trans people undergoing the transition process;
  • Detail the appropriate procedure to be followed when a trans person applies to work with us following transition, or states that they are about to transition whilst in our employment;
  • Provide details on what support should be provided by our managers to employee who are transitioning.

This guidance covers all employees including centrally employed teachers but excludes staff on the complement of locally managed schools for whom separate guidance applies. In the absence of guidance agreed locally by individual schools the principles of this guidance should be followed. Transgender Guidance.

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