Employment

Nonbinary people often experience significant discrimination and erasure in the workplace and while job-hunting. The majority of nonbinary employees remain closeted at their work. Some research has shown "that being out as a nonbinary transgender person has different effects [...] based on sex assigned at birth, with those assigned male at birth tending to be discriminated against in hiring but those assigned female at birth more likely to experience differential treatment once hired."

Some jurisdictions, such as the state of California, have laws explicitly protecting nonbinary people from discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere.

Tips for employers

It is recommended that employers take actions to show nonbinary inclusivity, such as:

• editing documentation to utilize gender neutral language and singular they rather than using phrases like "his/her paycheck".
• updating forms and software to allow more gender options than male and female (keeping in mind that "transgender" is not a gender on its own), and consider allowing free-text answers and/or "prefer not to say".
• offering gender-neutral honorifics such as Mx on forms and in computer systems.
• when appropriate (i.e. when it will not "single out" a trans/nonbinary employee), have people introduce themselves with their name and pronoun, and allow/encourage employees to list their pronouns on email signatures/name tags/etc.
• revising dress codes to eliminate gender-related restrictions, and "[r]eplace them with simplified instructions guided by principles of general professionalism."
• revising anti-discrimination/anti-harassment policies to include nonbinary gender as a protected characteristic and including information about nonbinary genders in any anti-harassment training activities.
• providing one or more gender-neutral bathrooms.
• Consider workplace recognition of holidays such as International Nonbinary Day, Trans Day of Visibility, and International Pronouns Day.
• Workplace policies related to gender transition should not require a specific timeline or "pathway" for transition to follow.
• Make efforts to include coverage for transition-related services in employee health insurance.

It is best to begin making these changes even before the employer has any employees who are openly nonbinary.

Some employers in the USA have to file a yearly Equal Employment Opportunity report with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). As of 2019, although the EEO reporting forms still only have Male/Female as gender options, it is suggested that information on nonbinary employees be reported in the comment box as "Additional Employee Data".

Tips for employees/job seekers

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While job-seeking

If you are already out as nonbinary, you can add your pronouns to your LinkedIn profile, resume, business card, email signature, or Zoom name, if you are comfortable with these options.

If you use a different name than your legal name, or if your current name is different than the name you used at previous jobs, it may cause problems in the background check/reference check process, so you may want to give the interviewer a heads up. However, you may want to wait until a job offer is made to tell them this, depending on if you think it will affect your chance of being hired.

During the interview, you could fish for information on whether the employer is accepting of nonbinary people by asking if they have gender-neutral restrooms in the workplace, or inquiring about the employer's approach to diversity/inclusion.

See also

• Coming out
• Template letters

Further reading/resources

• Fleenor, S.E. "7 Job Search Tips for Transgender and Nonbinary Folks". The Muse. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023.
• Katz, Joeli (19 October 2020). "Interviewing While Non-Binary". Archived from the original on 17 July 2023.
• White, Erin (12 March 2019). "Coming out as nonbinary at work". Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. (includes example letter)
• "Discrimination in the Workplace: Is There Recourse for Nonbinary Individuals Facing Discrimination at Work?". 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023.
• Valentine, Ginger (30 August 2019). "Job-hunting as a non-binary trans person: Help wanted". Archived from the original on 17 July 2023.
• Legal Aid at Work and Beyond Binary Legal (March 2022). "Transgender and Nonbinary Workers' Toolkit". Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. (Available in English and Spanish)