We want all employees that use MISEbox to feel recognized, comfortable and included in our community. Asking for and then using someone's self-selected gender pronoun is a simple way to recognize and affirm their identity. It is an easy way to show you and your company respect and understand them.

Incorrectly identifying another person differently than they identify themselves can cause extreme stress and pain for that person, and make workplace situations very uncomfortable.

If this is new territory for you, it is normal to experience discomfort or anxiety about saying the wrong thing or not knowing how to even ask someone this question. To help, you can use the following suggestion to confidently and comfortably ask your new employee how they would like to be identified:

"As a way of making all of our employees feel comfortable and confident working with us, we like to ask which gender pronouns they prefer to use. My preferred gender pronouns are [say your pronouns]. What about you?"

Stating your pronouns as an example can make people more comfortable with the question and understand what you're asking if they are also unfamiliar.

A person's gender identity may be a very personal and private, just like a person's sexual orientation (which is not the same thing as gender identity). A person should not feel pressured to identify but know they are in a place where self-identity is welcome. There is, of course, an option for someone to choose not to answer.

Actually, lots of people... including you! Pronouns are one of the simplest ways we acknowledge a person's identity, including our own. Most of us can empathize that our personal identity is important. Most of us can think of a time when we were stressed, anxious, frustrated, or even angry that someone else's idea of who we are is different than what we think of ourselves (gender or otherwise).

The use of this feature should be taken seriously. Please be mindful of your company's policies and procedures concerning anti-harassment and any applicable federal, state, and/or local laws protecting employees against discrimination and harassment. Misuse or abuse of this feature by any user will be handled in accordance with our Terms of Service

For more information about this topic, we recommend that you take a look through the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's "Transgender Inclusion in the Workplace: A Toolkit for Employers" which provides a comprehensive explanation of this topic beyond what we are able to provide for you here.

If you have any questions about this, please feel free to email us and we're happy to discuss them with you.