BBC encourages staff to say if they want to be called he, she or they in their email signatures in a drive to be more inclusive
- BBC encouraging staff to include their gender pronouns to email signatures
- The broadcaster announced the new guidance on the corporation’s intranet
- Hoped move will help transgender and non-binary staff feel more welcome
The BBC is encouraging its employees to include their gender pronouns in their email signatures in a drive to create a more ‘inclusive workplace’.
The broadcaster, who announced their new guidance on their official intranet, hope the move, will allow transgender and non-binary colleagues feel more welcome at the organisation.
According to the proposal, it is hoped that including pronouns in messages will be a ‘small, proactive step that we can all take to help create a more inclusive workplace’.
The move is also aimed at ensuring that members of staff who are trans or non-binary and often have to introduce themselves with their chosen pronoun, such as he/him, she/her and they, do not feel marginalised in the workplace.
The BBC is encouraging members of staff to add their gender pronouns to their email signatures. (Stock image)
Recent BBC data suggests that more than 400 members of staff at the corporation currently identify as transgender, according to The Times.
However following the new proposal, now all 22,000 staff at the organisation will be encouraged to update their email signatures to include their pronouns.
The guidance, seen by The Times, reads: ‘It lets colleagues knows your pronouns and shows that you respect other people’s too. It’s really simple.’
The move comes just a year after Virgin announced that it would be adding an optional field for employees to write the pronouns they best identify with in their email signatures.
In a statement the company’s owner Sir Richard Branson wrote: ‘Virgin has been an ally of the LGBT+ community since we started the brand.
‘In June, I was in New York with Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays, who made history with the world’s first ever Pride flight, and Virgin Voyages, who launched our LGBTQ+ Charter voyage.
The corporation hopes that the new proposal will help create a more ‘inclusive workplace’. (Stock image)
‘It made me reflect on everything we’ve done over the years to support the LGBT+ community and how the Virgin brand and family wouldn’t be what it is today without them.
‘One thing we’ve learnt is that standing up for LGBT+ rights involves moving with the times and constantly adjusting what we say and do to make sure we’re acting as inclusively as possible.’
He continued: ‘At Virgin Management we’ve chosen to add an optional field for our employees to write the pronouns they best identify with in their email signatures.
‘After speaking to LGBT+ charities Switchboard – LGBT+ Helpline and Gendered Intelligence, as well as to trans and non-binary people themselves, we learned how important asking someone’s pronouns can be.’