#VUHRDResearch is making headlines!
Yesterday, Villanova HRD faculty members Christian Thoroughgood, Ph.D. and Katina Sawyer, Ph.D. had an article published on Harvard Business Review, Research: Why Employer Support is So Important for Transgender Employees. If you follow the Villanova HRD Corner Blog, you will remember the Research Spotlight Series we did over the summer that highlighted some of this work on transgender inclusitivity.
We are so proud to work with Christian and Katina and hear about the work they are doing to improve the awareness and support that our transgender employee population need and deserve. We have been Tweeting it and sharing it across social media to raise awareness on such an important issue. As they mention in their HBR article, "As non-transgender people with only an academic understanding of the job-related challenges that this population faces, our work was prompted by a desire to become better educated on these issues." It is important for all of us to become better educated on these issues. As HR professionals, it is our responsibility to insure that all employees in our organizations are supported, especially those who have been underrepresented and under-supported in the past.
Christian and Katina's research suggests that "senior leaders cannot neglect the importance of promoting a larger culture of support during and after the transition process (for transgender employees). In fact, perhaps the most important thing employers can do to ensure the success of a gender transition is to create an atmosphere where coworkers validate the transitioning person’s gender identity and understand how the transition process helps their colleague achieve greater health and happiness."
"Perhaps the most important thing employers can do to ensure the success of a gender transition is to create an atmosphere where coworkers validate the transitioning person’s gender identity and understand how the transition process helps their colleague achieve greater health and happiness."
--Christian Thoroughgood, Ph.D. & Katina Sawyer, Ph.D.
Congratulations, Christian and Katina, on publishing this work! Our program is excited for the change it can create in organizations and the support it will build for transgender employees.
To learn more about their research, check out the HBR article and listen to their thoughts from the #VUHRDConversation video this summer.
