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Gender Transition Plan For Work

Tell The Director

SUPERVISOR and I will be doing that together. Bringing printed copy of plan and other materials for understanding and communicating with XYZ.

Enlist The HR Liaison

Contact HR LIAISON to start the paperwork for changing gender designation. (Do this after telling the director.)

• Records and Benefits
• Insurance
• other places where gender is important

Inform The Other Supervisors

Give them information about how this is going to unfold, so they can plan to make the transition smooth for all.

Materials:

• "The Employer's Guide to Gender Transition: Information for those dealing with an employee involved in gender transition." Dana Cole, IFGE publication 1993.
• "True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism (for Families, Friends, Coworkers and Helping Professionals" Mildred Brown & Chloe Anne Rounsley, Josey-Bass 1996.
• Transsexual Roadmap: http://tsroadmap.com/
• Transsexual.Org: http://www.transsexual.org/

Develop A Trust Network

Select and recruit a cadre of 3 to 5 people that can be trusted to bring back feedback that is not getting to me through regular channels, and can provide coaching on what to do with the feedback.

Complete Name Change Paperwork

Court name and gender change documents or notarized declaration of name and gender change, get DL and SSN changed, change direct deposit checking account, and begin rest of the paperwork trail. (This is outside work, specifically, but as I was planning on doing this soon, this now gives me a deadline to meet.), Also complete name change paperwork for inside the company: contact information, corporate directory, seating chart, name badge and placard, id badge, insurance, payroll, benefits & records, security.

Gather Literature For Work

Collect printed and online information resources for people at work to read as they so desire. (See the list above for starters. Will probably add some of the political and social books as well.)

Schedule An All-Hands Meeting

Target 2 weeks after home department leaders meet, 4 weeks prior to full-time start date.

Design The Agenda For The All-Hands Meeting

• Put together the set of outcomes and agenda or the all-hands meeting.
• Get meeting logistics in order.

All-Hands Meeting

Hold the all-hands meeting to let everyone in the group know about the impending transition.

Agenda:

• Opening
• Director informs department of transition.
• Date of full-time transition is announced (between 4 and 6 weeks out).
• Explanation of Company and Department policies.
• Explanation from medical expert on GID
• Open Q&A for group. I absent myself to ensure free flow of questions.
• I return to answer additional questions; adjourn. .

Transition Begins

(4 - 6 weeks, depending)

I will begin being more free in my expression (I've already been dressing somewhat androgynously, this will just be more of that. No dresses, pads, make-up, etc., yet.), and will be open to discussing things with people. In addition, specifics of transitioning work relationships will be openly planned (i.e. which clients are told, how they are told, etc.)

this is a period when all those who have known me as OLD NAME will begin to transition their relationship with me as well. I expect this period to be somewhat challenging, with awkwardness and so on. I hope this period will be a good guage for how things will go after I start living full-time.

Time Off

I take a two-week vacation before the full-time date. I need time off to give my self full opportunity to prepare, visit family, complete any logistical issues, complete paperwork, ensure I have an adequate wardrobe, and just hang.

Full-Time As NEW NAME

I return to work as NEW NAME. At this point, I will be living full-time as a woman, and expect to be treated as such and afforded the same rights as other women in the workplace.

Categories: Transition, Work