ANZ have announced its Australian and New Zealand based employees who are affirming their gender will be able to access six weeks of paid leave, and up to 12 months’ unpaid leave.
The newly created Gender Affirmation Leave will support staff as they undergo any aspect of gender affirmation including social, medical, and legal gender affirmation.
ANZ’s Diversity and Inclusion Lead, Fiona MacDonald, said the company was committed to creating an inclusive culture.
“This is another example of ANZ’s ongoing commitment to the LGBTIQ+ community and creating an inclusive culture where our people feel a sense of belonging and comfortable to be their authentic selves.
“The six weeks of paid leave means people who are affirming their gender do not need to exhaust their annual or sick leave entitlements, while also easing some of the financial pressures.
“This is especially important as research shows that trans and gender diverse people are more likely to experience lower incomes and employment rates,” MacDonald said.
ANZ said they recognised that gender affirmation processes were different for everybody but might including social affirmation which might include a staff member changing the way they dress, their pronouns or their name, and also medical procedures or legal changes.
The company employs more than 40,000 staff globally and is a signatory to the UN Standards of Conduct for Business Tackling Discrimination against LGBTI People.
Last month Coles announced a similar scheme for their employees allowing them to take up to 10 days leave to allow them to affirm their gender.
Coles legal and safety chief David Brewster said it was time to introduce trans-specific policy because the company had identified a significant number of transgender employees.
“We know that we have at least 900 team members who identify as transgender or gender diverse,” Brewster said.
“We need to have proper policy and education in this area so there is clear guidance around taking leave for this important transition in their life.”
Announcing the policy Coles said its trans staff were also able to use the toilets of their chosen gender. The introduction of the gender leave follows a similar move by rival Woolworths in 2021.
Zurich, ABC, IBM, Accenture, Westpac, and Deakin University, and the Victorian public sector are other workplaces who already have policies in place to support transgender team members.
OIP Staff
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