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Listen carefully: transgender voices in the workplace

Author

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  • Beauregard, T. Alexandra
  • Arevshatian, L.
  • Booth, Jonathan E.
  • Whittle, S.

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Beauregard, T. Alexandra & Arevshatian, L. & Booth, Jonathan E. & Whittle, S., 2016. "Listen carefully: transgender voices in the workplace," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 67793, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:67793
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/67793/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Frances Bowen & Kate Blackmon, 2003. "Spirals of Silence: The Dynamic Effects of Diversity on Organizational Voice," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(6), pages 1393-1417, September.
    2. Bockting, W.O. & Miner, M.H. & Swinburne Romine, R.E. & Hamilton, A. & Coleman, E., 2013. "Stigma, mental health, and resilience in an online sample of the US transgender population," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(5), pages 943-951.
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    Cited by:

    1. Klavs Ciprikis & Damien Cassells & Jenny Berrill, 2024. "Transgender self-employment outcomes: evidence from the USA," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(3), pages 871-896, October.
    2. Olga Suhomlinova & Saoirse Caitlin O’Shea & Ilaria Boncori, 2024. "Rethinking gender diversity: Transgender and gender nonconforming people and gender as constellation," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 1766-1785, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    transgender; LGBT; voice; silence; diversity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General

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