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Beauregard, Arevshatian, Booth, Whittle 2016.pdf (626.61 kB)

Listen carefully: transgender voices in the workplace

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-10, 04:36 authored by Alexandra T Beauregard, Lilith WhileyLilith Whiley, Jonathan E Booth, Stephen Whittle
We find that only 17% of FTSE 100 company websites refer directly to transgender (‘trans’) individuals, illustrating the extent to which trans voices are unheard in the workplace. We propose that these voices are missing for a number of reasons: voluntary silence to protect oneself from adverse circumstances; the subsumption of trans voices within the larger ‘LGBT’ community; assimilation, wherein many trans voices become affiliated with those of their post-transition gender; multiple trans voices arising from diversity within the transgender community; and limited access to voice mechanisms for transgender employees. We identify the negative implications of being unheard for individual trans employees, for organizational outcomes, and for business and management scholarship, and propose ways in which organizations can listen more carefully to trans voices. Finally, we introduce an agenda for future research that tests the applicability of the theoretical framework of invisible stigma disclosure to transgender individuals, and calls for new theoretical and empirical developments to identify HRM challenges and best practices for respecting trans employees and their choices to remain silent or be heard.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

International Journal of Human Resource Management

ISSN

0958-5192

Publisher

Informa UK Limited

Issue

5

Volume

29

Page range

857-884

Department affiliated with

  • Management Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2022-09-05

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2022-09-05

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2022-09-02

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