Sarah* is a high school teacher in a school district without much understanding or acceptance of transgender individuals. For years, she remained closeted about her gender identity due to fear over how her colleagues would respond. When Sarah finally decided to come out at work, the emotional and social consequences associated with being her true self became almost unbearable:
Research: Why Employer Support Is So Important for Transgender Employees
Research, including five years worth of interviews and surveys with transitioning workers, suggests that senior leaders cannot neglect the importance of promoting a larger culture of support during and after the transition process. In fact, perhaps the most important thing employers can do to ensure the success of a gender transition is to create an atmosphere where coworkers validate the transitioning person’s gender identity. Those who were farther along in the transitions were more satisfied with their jobs, felt a greater sense of “fit” at work, and reported less discrimination. These effects were explained by their enhanced feelings of relational authenticity – or the degree to which they believed others at work perceived their gender in the same way that they defined their gender.