A brilliant initiative.
Marks and Spencer has introduced an optional pronoun badge for its employees.
Following a suggestion from a staff member, workers will now have the option of wearing “whichever combination of pronouns” they choose.
The initiative will allow staff to be address correctly and prevent non-binary people from being misgendered.
In a post on LinkedIn the retailer wrote:
“Recently, we introduced pronoun name badges for our colleagues, encouraging as many of them as possible to wear whichever combination of pronouns is right for them.
“An amazing initiative provided by one of our colleagues Morgen Kane to our Suggest to Steve programme, as we continue to build an inclusive future, together.”
David Parle, Food PR for the brand, took to Linkedin to share an image of his new pronoun badge, which read “He/Him/His”.
“I’m so grateful that Marks and Spencer actively encourages us to share our pronouns at work, whether on our name badges or in our email signatures,” he wrote.
“We introduced these new badges a few months ago, and they’ve already helped start some very necessary conversations around gender identity and non-binary experiences!”
Mr. Parke said giving people the option to share their pronouns is really important as it shows “allyship”.
“Many of us already include our pronouns in our email signatures, but when you’re talking to people in person it’s useful to know how they want to be referred to in order to help everyone feel comfortable and avoid any misgendering.
“Right now trans people in the UK are facing more abuse and discrimination than ever before, and so it’s up to all of us to create an inclusive culture and make sure everyone gets the respect they deserve.
“It’s great that M&S is proactively taking these sorts of steps to support and celebrate LGBTQ+ colleagues.”
Speaking to ITV news, Sasha Misra, Associate Director of Communications and Campaigns at LGBTQ+ charity, Stonewall said:
”It’s great to see an increasing number of businesses offering the option of badges with pronouns for staff.
Creating an inclusive workplace starts with everyday actions, and having pronouns on badges is a simple yet impactful way to make sure LGBTQ+ identities are respected – for employees and customers alike.”
