Roadmap and Examples for Creating Resources to Support Transgender Colleagues

Abstract:

Although Human Resources (HR) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been supporting transgender staff for many years, PNNL lacked easily accessible, formal documents that could (1) educate all staff, (2) guide managers, and (3) provide critical information to transgender staff. With the support of HR, PNNL’s Employee Resource Group for LGBTQ+ staff and allies, Prism, created three resource guides to support transgender staff: “Supporting Transgender Staff at PNNL: A Guide for All Staff,” “Supporting Transgender Staff at PNNL: A Guide for Managers,” and “Transitioning while at PNNL: A Guide for Transgender Staff.” Prism used iterative research, feedback, and revisions to create the documents. Prism, HR, and Communications created a formal plan to roll out the resource guides so that managers and HR staff were equipped appropriately if any staff questions arose. The guides have received positive feedback from all levels and are acting as a model for other Employee Resource Groups at PNNL to create resources for their communities.