The future is in your hands

Gender Affirmation Policy

Owned by Khaila Prasser
Last updated: Nov 19, 2024 by Khaila Prasser
10 min read

At Future Group we want to create a workplace that is full of diverse and wonderful people who can bring their whole selves to work. We want our workplace environment and culture to be a place where everyone feels safe, has a sense of belonging and is able to do their best work.

We believe that creating a society that is inclusive and equitable is everyone’s business and, as an employer, FG has an opportunity to practice real allyship for Transgender and Gender Diverse people. 

This policy outlines how FG will support Transgender and Gender Diverse employees, including the support available to assist employees through the journey of Gender Affirmation. This policy also outlines the expected behaviour of every FG employee in supporting their Transgender and Gender Diverse colleagues.

As always, we love input - without it, our policies are less effective. Take a few minutes, ask questions, and give us feedback. 

Background

FG has a big mission; to harness the power of super to build a future without climate change or inequality. To accomplish this huge goal, we need to have a workforce that is full of great people, and a workplace where these people can do their best work. Research consistently demonstrates that having a diverse and inclusive workplace leads to greater employee performance, wellbeing, engagement and retention. Similarly, having a workforce that has a diverse range of backgrounds and life experiences that is representative of society (and our members!) makes our work stronger, more innovative and relevant.

To attract and retain a diverse range of people to work with us on our mission, we need to do our bit to remove the barriers to employment that marginalised groups face, and ensure that our workplace is an inclusive and safe environment for all people to be themselves.

Transgender and Gender Diverse people are one such group that currently face marginalisation within society, due to binary notions of sex and gender. It is important to note that this has not always been the case, with Transgender and Gender Diverse individuals being valued members of different Indigenous cultures since time began, including in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. 

Barriers to Inclusion for Transgender and Gender Diverse Employees
Trigger Warning: Broad discussion of discrimination and abuse, barriers to healthcare and employment

Transgender and Gender Diverse people currently experience discrimination, a lack of acceptance, stigma and abuse from broader society, resulting in worse mental health than the general population and barriers to employment and health care.  

Not all Transgender and Gender Diverse people undertake gender affirmation steps (also known as transitioning) but for many it can be an important part of their overall wellbeing. Undertaking gender affirmation steps can result in additional barriers to employment and health care. 

This is because the gender affirmation process  requires a great deal of financial, physical and psychological support, as well as other resources. Workplaces are not always prepared to accommodate for it, including allowing employees to take necessary leave for gender affirmation steps. Undertaking a gender affirmation process can therefore have a negative impact on Transgender and Gender Diverse people’s employment. We want to make sure that we are a workplace where  people can undertake a gender affirmation process if they wish to do so without significant impact on their employment. We also want to ensure that Transgender and Gender Diverse people feel supported in their journey and can bring their best selves to work. 

A significant barrier many Transgender and Gender Diverse people face when planning to undertake gender affirmation is the financial barrier to necessary health care. Gender affirming surgery costs may run anywhere from AUD20,000 to more than AUD100,000. This does not include other costs which are a prerequisite for undergoing surgery, such as having to receive referrals from mental health professionals. Other expenses that may apply to gender affirmation include payments for hormones, clothing or legal services. These costs are already overwhelmingly prohibitive, but are even more so when considering rates of unemployment and under-employment in the TGD community.  This means that despite clear research that TGD people being able to affirm their gender is key to their overall health and wellbeing, many are not able to access gender affirming procedures.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline FG’s support for Transgender and Gender Diverse employees, in order to ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace, where all people can be their whole selves at work. 

This includes outlining the support available to assist Transgender and Gender Diverse employees who are undertaking gender affirmation steps and outlining the expected behaviours of every FG employee, director and independent contractors in supporting their Transgender and Gender Diverse colleagues. 

Scope

This policy applies to all FG employees whose gender identity sits under the Transgender and Gender Diverse umbrella term. It also outlines expected behaviour from all Future Super employees, directors, and independent contractors.

Definitions 

Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) people

Transgender and Gender Diverse people is a term that describes people whose gender differs from what was assigned or presumed for them at birth.

It is an umbrella term that covers a large range of genders such as being non-binary, genderqueer, a Sistergirl or Brotherboy, genderfluid, transgender, and more.

Gender affirmation or transitioning

Gender affirmation refers to the process of a person who may take social steps (such as publicly changing their name, pronouns and appearance), medical steps (such as hormones, and/or surgery) and/or legal steps (changing their legal gender marker and name in official documents) to live as their defined gender(s), based on what is right for them. Gender affirmation is not a single action, but a journey that can occur over a long period of time. 

We recognise that each person's journey is unique to them, and will look different for each employee. ​​We also recognise that not every TGD person wants to or will undertake gender affirmation steps.

Guidelines for Behaviour

Responsibilities of Directors, Managers and Supervisors

Directors, Managers and Supervisors must:

  • Model appropriate standards of behaviour;

  • Take steps to educate and make their team and team members aware of this policy and other awareness raising activities regarding TGD people;

  • Be supportive, open-minded and honest with any employee undergoing a gender affirmation process when you are preparing a workplace plan together;

  • Reaffirm a person’s right to use the bathroom/facility of their choice;

  • Intervene quickly and appropriately when they become aware of behavior that contravenes our standards of behaviour;

  • Act fairly to resolve issues and enforce workplace behavioural standards, making sure relevant parties are heard and afforded procedural fairness;

  • Ensure that recruitment decisions are based on merit;

  • Genuinely consider all requests for flexible work arrangements.

Future Group employees

  • All new staff will complete LGBTQ Introduction eLearning run by ACON as part of their onboarding process. Current staff are strongly encouraged to complete this training also. 

  • Be sensitive and respectful of anyone who is affirming their gender, and treat everybody with dignity and respect.

  • Do not disclose someone’s TGD identity without their consent; this is considered ‘outing’ someone and can be detrimental to their wellbeing and safety. Information should only be disclosed to those who need to know, are involved in the process, or have the consent of the person who is affirming their gender. 

  • Encourage others to use correct pronouns. If you use the wrong pronoun, correct yourself and move on. Consider adding your pronouns to your email signature, slack, zoom and any other online communication tool we use at Future Super. This reinforces our culture where people of all genders feel safe and included.

  • Someone who has decided to take steps to affirm their gender may experiment with their outward appearance. This could mean growing their hair, wearing different clothing or adjusting their voice, to name a few. We want all staff at Future Super to feel comfortable to come to work as themselves, so it's expected that you treat staff with kindness, patience and respect during this process.

  • Someone affirming their gender may choose to use the bathroom or other gendered facilities that affirm their gender, which can sometimes be difficult to navigate. If you can be there as a buddy, feel free to accompany someone, with their permission.

  • If someone does or says something disrespectful, make sure you call it out  in the moment (if you feel comfortable and safe to do so), and speak to your manager or anyone in the People and Culture Team. We have zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment or bullying. Proactively educate yourself by attending and engaging with training provided by the business, accessing resources provided by the business, and seeking out additional resources to further your own education and understanding. A great place to start is the additional resources section of this policy.. 

  • Respect boundaries. Do not ask intrusive or intimate personal questions that you wouldn’t ask another person or wouldn’t want others to ask of you (for example, about their body, relationships, sex life or any medical intervention). If you feel it is appropriate to ask a personal question, check first if it is okay to do so.

Support available for Transgender and Gender Diverse Staff

We understand that every person’s gender affirmation or transition journey will be unique to them and what level of support they would like from their workplace will also vary. With this in mind, we wanted to outline what support is available to an employee undergoing gender affirmation if they would like to engage with some or all of the process. The role of FG during an employee’s gender affirmation process will be led and informed by the TGD employee.  

Initially, we encourage the person looking to affirm their gender (or a chosen, trusted representative) to speak with their manager and/or the People and Culture team to commence support. They may also wish to speak with a coach from Uprise (our employee assistance program). Please see this page for a list of coaches available with Uprise who have received LGBTQI+ specific training. 

Creation of a Gender Affirmation Workplace Plan

In collaboration with the TGD person, their manager and People and Culture, a Gender Affirmation Workplace Plan can be created to help facilitate gender affirmation in the workplace. This plan can include:

  • ​​Details of key support team and ongoing support meetings; 

  • Anticipated timeframes for gender affirmation;

  • Leave plans and flexible work arrangements;

  • Details of communication to relevant teams and stakeholders; 

  • Details of Training/Education/Awareness program for other staff ;

  • Details of an event to meet team in affirmed gender and;

  • Expectations and timeframes in relation to internal and tech system changes (such as gender and name). 

Gender Affirmation Leave and Flexible Working Arrangements

With the recognition that each gender affirmation journey will look different, an employee undertaking gender affirmation will have the below leave and/or flexible working options available to them as needed for the purpose of affirming their gender. 

This time or flexibility could be used for a variety of reasons, including for attending medical or legal appointments, recovering from medical procedures, changing dress or appearance, attending counselling or implementing other aspects of their workplace plan. 

The below leave and flexible work arrangements are available to staff upon commencement of their employment with Future Super, with no minimum service requirement in order to be eligible. 

  1. Gender Affirmation Leave

FG will provide permanent, full-time employees with up to 30 days (pro-rated for part-time employees) paid Gender Affirmation Leave in the event they are unable to perform their work duties because they are undergoing any aspect of a gender affirmation process.

As with personal leave, any unused Gender Affirmation Leave will not be paid out upon an employee’s departure from FG.

FG will also provide up to 12 months’ unpaid Gender Affirmation Leave for any permanent employee undergoing any aspect of a gender affirmation process.

Flexible Working Arrangements

FG will work with the TGD employee to discuss what (if any) flexible working arrangements may be required while they undergo a gender affirmation process. Options include, but are not limited to:

  • The possibility of working from home; 

  • The possibility of working altered hours (e.g. starting earlier or later); 

  • The possibility of taking paid Gender Affirmation Leave;

  • The possibility of taking unpaid Gender Affirmation Leave;

  1. Financial Support

FG recognises that a significant barrier TGD people face when planning to undertake gender affirmation is the financial barrier to necessary health care, and that government-funded subsidies and support are currently limited and inadequate.

While we hope in the future that greater funding and support will be provided for this health care, to help address this until then, permanent TGD employees who are accessing gender affirming procedures, products and services can apply for financial support to pay for out-of-pocket costs (it is assumed that the individual will claim any Medicare or private health fund rebates to which they are entitled).

Further information can be found in the Employee Financial Support Guidelines.

  1. Access to Employee Assistance Program

FG provides all employees and their immediate family to an Employee Assistance Program, currently Uprise. 

Uprise provides a range of services for team members – including in-person counselling, health and wellbeing content and tele health coaching and counselling – which is all on a confidential basis and uses accredited counsellors, psychologists and specialists to provide these services. 

TGD employees can access unlimited counselling and coaching sessions with Uprise, to support them in their gender affirmation process.

  1. Additional policies and resources

We encourage you to read and consider this policy in conjunction with other relevant FG policies and resources, including:

  • Gender Affirmation Workplace Plan Template

  • Standards of Behaviour

  • Workplace Health and Safety Policy

  • Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy

  • Employee Support Loan Guidelines

  • Uprise

Additional resources and references

We would like to acknowledge that this policy was created using Trans Hub’s Gender Affirmation Policy and Guidelines Template. We would also like to acknowledge the following institutions and organisations, whose own existing guidelines and policies were used as starting points and reference for the creation of this policy: 

Some fine print 

Any obligation contained in this policy does not create contractual rights. Any benefits or entitlements described in this policy is discretionary and FG has the right to change, remove or replace any obligation, benefit or entitlement at any time. 

If you have any questions, please email us at peopleandculture@futuregroup.com.au.

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