Employee using pronouns. Help!

[OfNobody]

Hi all,

A friend of mine has just taken on a new recruit and he's just realised that she uses pronouns after her name on her email signature.

He'd love for her not to do that because he's GC himself (and has a very traditional client base) but can he ask her to stop? Is that in itself discrimination?

Would love to advise him but generally, all the work issues I see around this run in the opposite direction (employers asking employees for pronouns).

Any experience of this, or any insight into how he can politely request that she drop the pronouns without ending up on the front cover of The Guardian?

From what he said, she doesn't sound like a massive raging handmaiden. She's just fresh out of uni and obviously thinks this is the way to go.

She's 'cis-female' she/her, if that makes any difference btw.

I think all new starts should have someone (office manager or administrator or whoever) show them the house style for email signatures to ensure consistency and a professional look.
No need to go into the politics of it, I wouldn't have thought.

I'd write it off. Similar to wearing a crucifix or something - she's allowed to express her belief. Time enough to challenge it if she makes any steps in the direction of telling everyone else to wear crucifixes.

I was wondering that @SuperLoudPoppingAction

Might be best to avoid mentioning what he specifically objects to and say 'this is what we put in our signatures, no more, no less'

Why would he have a problem with this? What harm does it do to anyone?

Stop creating issues where they don't exist. The employee is just as entitled to her inclusive views, as her boss is to his less inclusive views.

@SuperLoudPoppingAction

I think all new starts should have someone (office manager or administrator or whoever) show them the house style for email signatures to ensure consistency and a professional look. No need to go into the politics of it, I wouldn't have thought.

this

I can't see the harm in this either, as long as she doesn't pressure colleagues to do the same.

@Orf1abc

Why would he have a problem with this? What harm does it do to anyone?

Stop creating issues where they don't exist. The employee is just as entitled to her inclusive views, as her boss is to his less inclusive views.

What's inclusive about a woman stating that she wants people to call her "her" when she isn't there?

Why would being gender critical make you object to people including their pronouns in an email if they want to? Our CEO does it because she's fed up of people assuming she's a man.

His clients are mostly all from one strict religious community (that he also belongs to).

That's the shortest way of explaining why it's a bit of an issue for him. It would just be something that rocked the boat.

Being assumed to be male would be an advantage in most workplaces though.

I think if there is a corporate style then everyone should use that.
She might ask why the pronouns are not included though. Your friend might want to think about how they would answer that.

I think if there is a corporate style then everyone should use that.
She might ask why the pronouns are not included though. Your friend might want to think about how they would answer that.

Good suggested @Beamur

I'll tell him to do that. If she questions the pronouns, I'll leave that to him to decide if he wants to bother continue putting up a fight.

*suggestion

The issue with this is that it will reflect badly on your company and all of your customers will think you're absolute twats.

Agree with PP: she should be given an email template and told to stick to it, and not to add emojis, rainbows, fluffy unicorns or pictures of her chihuahua.

I would guess he could ask her not to add her pronouns, but I don't think he could enforce it. Isn't that the current state of play when the situation is reversed? No one can be coerced either way.

One of my lovely jobs is to police the comma that goes out. Woe betide anyone who messes with the email footers (let alone company social media).

I wouldn’t let people add bits on, just as I wouldn’t let them add on their football team or dietary requirements (or use pink comic sans...)

I think so @Marguerite2000

Thats my understanding of it. It's bizarre though because if you did add unicorns, football teams and comic sans as others have pointed out, you'd be well within your rights to ask them to remove those things.

He doesn't sound very nice. Why does he care so much?

@Orf1abc

Why would he have a problem with this? What harm does it do to anyone?

Stop creating issues where they don't exist. The employee is just as entitled to her inclusive views, as her boss is to his less inclusive views.

Could quite easily be damaging for the company. With a "traditional" client base quite a lot of clients are likely to think what a stupid numpty and may well think if that's the sort of employee who represents the company they will take their business elsewhere.

I think the official company email signature policy is the way forward, don't signal the pronouns out as an issue. Just say anything other than the status quo is to be removed.

@Markesmithh

He doesn't sound very nice. Why does he care so much?

Pronouns in email signatures are unprofessional, politically motivated and inappropriate.

I've already explained @Markesmithh

It would negatively affect his business. That's a good reason to ask an employee to stop doing something.

Feelings don't pay the bills.

And btw, he is nice actually.

He should show her how he wants all emails to read and if she doesn't comply or kicks up a fuss he can let her go. She's still under probation, correct?

Why would being gender critical make you object to people including their pronouns in an email if they want to?
Because it makes you and your company look like woke twats and creates a bad impression for customers. I think it’s sufficient to say this is the company email footer, please refrain from adding any extras.

“ Pronouns in email signatures are unprofessional, politically motivated and inappropriate “

This statement is completely out of step with the real world of work right now.

It seems very wrong to see so many posters actively encouraging bias against anyone using a pronoun in their email sig.

It’s a thing, and lots and lots of companies and individuals are happy with it, and welcome it.

Get over it, or go complain about it on the sex and gender board (at time of posting this thread is in feminism chat).