Why we’re encouraging our team to use pronouns in their signatures

You may have noticed that some of our team members are now disclosing their pronouns in their email signatures, Slack profiles and more. 

Some of us have never had to think about how people perceive our gender, or are not as familiar with the LGBTQ+ community and may find it difficult to relate to these new changes we are implementing. 

In day to day life, pronouns are frequently used, in which gender is often assumed to be she or he. As a result, more and more people in the non-binary community are affirming their gender identity by sharing their gender-neutral pronouns such as they/them/theirs. Using someone’s preferred pronouns ensures that their gender identity is respected, and is one of many ways to be more inclusive towards others.

We have invited our colleagues to share their pronouns in support of our friends within the LGBTQ+ community.

We stand with our colleagues, clients and friends of all gender identities to ensure that they feel comfortable, welcomed and respected in our community. By facilitating the sharing of personal pronouns, we want to foster a culture of empathy and avoid instances of misgendering. Our cis-gender colleagues are invited to share their pronouns too so that those within the non-binary, genderfluid and transgender communities feel valued, included and reinforced. 

We hope that this simple change can help us normalise the sharing of preferred pronouns and make our work life more inclusive for all.