Chief Exec of my NHS Trust has declared his pronouns in his email

[samsalmon]

So…this happened today. Weekly newsletter and he says he’ll be including his pronouns henceforward so that his gender is not assumed and this is to show solidarity etc. He asks us all to consider doing the same re the pronouns.

Has anyone else got this in their trust, the senior execs including pronouns? Is it very common and am I just being super naive? It seems like a massively political statement to me.

I’m tempted to reply, as follows:

Hi Chief Exec
Following on from your pronoun declaration, some questions:
What is gender?
Why is it of such primary significance in the workplace that it is one of only 3 indicators in your signature, along with your name and job title?
What plans are there to show solidarity with any other groups of colleagues within the email signatures of senior execs of this trust? I refer specifically to the other 8 protected characteristics within the EA, but anyone else really.
Best,
Sam.

I couldn’t get worked up about this to be honest. Let him declare away and just ignore it.

His gender is not assumed... What a pillock.

Or you could just ignore it

Why should she?

I’d just ignore. Maybe just his personal preference to include it.

You’re right, I could. It’s just that on some days, I get sick of the creep into all our spheres of this one issue. Plus the fact, I would quite like those questions answered by the chap, who as our ultimate boss, is encouraging us all to do the same as him.

If your brave you could point out that by pressuring people to take his ideological political position on pronouns that he is creating a hostile working environment for people with gender critical beliefs (which are protected under equality act) and is showing a potential political bias against all gc people ie staff and patients

How about doing his bloody and improving the NHS? Fgs.

I forgot to add job! Im fuming atm. Wasted nearly 4 hrs at the a&e and still hadn't been seen

Very good point and I could take that approach but the truth is I’m not that easily offended or threatened so I wouldn’t want to imply that that is my main objection.

What I really want him to do is to examine the action he’s chosen to take and why. He’s one of the many many people who basically risk acting as foot soldiers in the gender ideology movement….taking what they’re told at a very superficial level and not really giving it too much thought, because it’s an easy win when everyone is trying to #bekind

So I suspect he’s not really thought about it too much, what with being a CE of a fair sized Trust and a few other things to worry about. Which is my point. Don’t make potentially huge political statements without giving them too much thought. Because it might not end well. As we’ve seen in the AB tribunal and others.

Pretty much this.

He’s making a controversial political statement - can he please point out the policy (with page and paragraph numbers) that allows him to do this?

I work closely with the nhs and every single email sig has pronouns in it (apart from the chief nurse god bloody bless her) as do most of the people from the LA - well the women anyway :/

I doubt any of them have given it a second thought beyond “I went to a stonewall training & they told me too”. No one uses pronouns in meetings. I think they probably wouldn’t be able to articulate why they are doing it beyond “mumble mumble inclusion”

if you want to write to him I’d probably go down the “requiring pronoun declaration goes against the Yogyakarta principle of allowing trans people to come out as trans only when they feel ready”

We've had new email signatures released about a week ago with a pronouns section and so far by my reckoning about 80% of people have just quietly deleted that line from the signature and ignored it.

@Theeyeballsinthefuckingsky thanks. They are not requiring anyone to declare so I’m not sure the Yogyakarta point would apply.

I’m just trying to get to the more fundamental notion of why this action has been taken, what thought is behind it. You’re 100% right when you say it probably amounts to ‘mumble mumble inclusion’ and that’s the bit I want to examine.

In my Trust, the inclusion of pronouns is still very much not the norm, which in my view is as it should be. He’s just made a stand that this should change.

@SpindleSheWrote I agree it’s a political statement, masquerading otherwise. I’m not at all sure that he realises that, although you’d hope he would, given his elevated position.

And do make clear gender is not a protected characteristic so it is not a respectful request and certainly strays over into political.

Correct me if I am incorrect, the Courts agreed that being gender critical (or not) is following/having a belief system

Would he just asked everybody to include an line
"Mary, mother of God pray for us sinners."
in their emails?

If not, why not?

Ignore unless you don't want to work in the NHS anymore.

Especially don't reply 'why would it be a surprise that a Man is the Chief Executive when 63% of all senior NHS roles are occupied by men whilst 74% of all Band 1 positions are held by women?'.

He asks us all to consider doing the same re the pronouns

Massively overstepping the mark. He shouldn't be pressuring staff in this way on such a personal and political issue.

Ignore it. Don't talk about why you haven't added pronouns - it's none of their bloody business anyway and to me it's almost asking staff to declare their sexuality. What a dickhead.

TBH I would quietly ignore, but raise at opportune moments such as E&D training sessions in terms of conflicting protected characteristics.
I certainly wouldn't follow suit on the strength of a request in an all-staff message.

All of the recent tribunals have been around being too outspoken. The best weapon of choice comes from the silent majority who refuse to add pronouns to their email signatures. Then it's up to others to make an issue out of people refusing to do it.

Thanks all for your calm advice. I don’t think we are anywhere near being asked or compelled into this at my workplace yet but perhaps that day will come. Great advice to bring it up in any E&D training to contrast with other protected characteristics. I was just incensed on Friday because it felt like yet another (probably) thoughtless intervention that takes us one step further along an ideological road that I’d rather not be compelled to be on….and coming from the very top of my org too…..grrrr.

Anyway, thanks again, the support on this board is amazing.

I think it's great you've sent this, OP. As the chief exec of an NHS Trust, he's probably got plenty of time on his hands to write a considered reply.

That’s brilliant. Love it.