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Our
full day workshop
covers :
 Historical
& Medical facts
Misconceptions
laid to rest What
the law says and implies Good
and bad practice Diversity
policy essentials Managing
a transition
And provides :
Background
resources
A
transition checklist
Case
consultancy groundwork
Case consultancy :
Although our one day course is
comprehensive and provides all the reading and research which an Equal
Opportunities worker will need to develop a policy, many organisations
find it beneficial to bring in outside help when dealing with an
on-the-job transition for the very first time.
Consultancy can help to review and
sense-check your overall plan.
We can help you meet and support the
member of staff concerned, and explore their preferences and needs.
And we can help to prepare co-workers and
management, by explaining what is happening and setting their fears to
rest. Sensitive issues like toilet arrangements can often be defused in
this way.
Credentials
and contacts
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An
expensive area of diversity to get wrong
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In
1999 a new law which came into force throughout the UK made it an
offence to discriminate against anyone in
employment or vocational training on grounds related to the fact
that they intend to undergo, are undergoing or have
undergone gender reassignment treatment.
In
common with other Sex Discrimination grounds, Employment
Tribunal awards to people who have suffered negative treatment
are not subject to limitation. Employers and service providers
increasingly find the need to settle out of court and issue
public apologies, or face substantial financial penalties.
In
one recent case
a professional body was ordered to pay £140,000 for lost
earnings and hurt feelings. In another instance an employer
settled out of court for £80,000. Others cases have commonly
exceeded £20,000.
Recently
updated research on over 200 transsexual
people has
highlighted the degree to which valuable skills are lost to
employers and the community through failure to provide support
for such staff and their colleagues at a difficult time. As
trans people become more confident about their right to better
treatment, it can be expected that the number of ET cases will
rise.
In
July 2002 the European Court of Human Rights also reached a
landmark judgment, as a result of which all UK law will
henceforth be interpreted in a way which recognises the
corrected gender of citizens, where such distinctions are
applied. This has further implications for employers in the
provision of benefits to staff and services to customers.
Trans
awareness in business is far simpler than it sounds and the accommodations
are far less problematic than sometimes imagined. Getting it
wrong is an expensive mistake though.
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