Transgender bias across many businesses in the UK

UK employers are shockingly biased against transgender candidates, with one in three employers admitting they are “less likely” to hire a transgender person and nearly half (43%) unsure if they would recruit a transgender worker.

The findings found that the retail sector has the highest number (47%) of businesses unlikely to employ a transgender person, followed by IT (45%), leisure and hospitality (35%) and manufacturing (34%).

The high percentage of employers that are biased against transgender workers shows that there is a prejudiced attitude throughout both shop floor and management in many businesses. Whether this reflects a lack of understanding or simply a fear of a potential discrimination claim, is not evident.

Just 3% of the 1,000 employers polled across the industries reported that they have an equal opportunities policy that openly welcomes transgender people to apply for jobs.

To build a trans-inclusive culture the following is recommended:

• Equipping line managers with the understanding and capability to have conversations with individuals and provide support.
• Employers have a responsibility to ensure their people management practices do not exclude trans individuals, for example by using gender-neutral language.
• For those undergoing gender reassignment surgery, the process can be lengthy, and integration back to work should be made as smooth as possible. Employers need to work with the individual and their manager to make the process as supportive as possible.