Work HR: Preferred Pronouns are mandatory

[MoreThanAFeline]

Name changed for this. I wanted to update my address on the HR system at work. The instructions on how to do this say that something simple like updating an address can be done easily and that each section can be independently accessed.

When I try to click to the address part of the form, I get the attached error message.
Preferred Pronouns are apparently mandatory. My 'gender identity' is mandatory. My 'trans status' is mandatory. Sex is not asked for anywhere.

My workplace is supposed to be run by grown ups. How depressing.

Further info: I could click to choose my 'preferred pronouns' but there's no option for 'I do not believe in the whole premise of gender ideology; use the third person pronouns you normally would do for someone of my sex'

Same for gender identity. I do not "prefer not to say" what my gender identity is. I DO NOT HAVE a gender identity because I do not believe in the weird ideology that underpins the question.

I'd like to ask my employer why they are asking all this weird stuff which is not part of the Equality Act 2010, and whether the resulting data is GDPR compliant.

I’m surprised they believe they can require disclosure of marital status and caring responsibilities as a contractual condition of employment.

Sex Matters might be good place for advice

https://sex-matters.org/where-sex-matters/the-workplace/

Hopefully someone with good data knowledge will advise. But it would seem they're asking for information that has no legal basis (gender ID and preferred pronouns), and therefore processing data they don't need.

Be it: storing, deleting, sending from one person to another, they're probably processing data in an unlawful way because it's got no legal basis.

No organisation is meant to have more personal data than it needs. And it doesn't need what yours purports to be "mandatory" because...none of it's anchored in the law.

I suspect various GDPR breaches in what they are making compulsory.

I have this at my workplace. Can't update bank details without giving gender identity question an answer. Don't have to indicate pronouns..

I'd like to ask my employer why they are asking all this weird stuff which is not part of the Equality Act 2010, and whether the resulting data is GDPR compliant.

Someone should, for sure.

https://sex-matters.org/posts/category/publications/guidance/for-employers-and-employees/

https://sex-matters.org/posts/publications/pronouns-guide/

You shouldn't have to research this stuff, they shouldn't be asking for more than they are entitled in the first place. It is maddening.

The Free Speech Union might also be interested since you are being compelled to fill out forms as if you believe in an ideology when you do not. https://freespeechunion.org/

It is maddening, yes. And just so tedious that this sort of thing keeps happening (ample evidence on this forum for a start). I guess I'll actually be brave and send them an email 😒

Nope preferred pronouns is mandatory. It's the same system/ interface as yours OP.

Good point.

Do you work in higher education? No idea whether this is bespoke to my workplace or an off-the-shelf HR system that is used all over the place.

I sent a brief email to the head of HR indicating that I didn't believe in gender identity and only see myself in terms of biological sex. Never got a response.

With a system like that Op I'd just put in random shit and see if anyone dares to challenge me on it. I'd tell them I'm a trans woman and give them some crazy neo pronouns to chew over 😂

Maybe I've misunderstood, but I was under the impression that work places were expressly NOT supposed to essentially force their workers to "out" themselves? So even from an activists PoV surely this would be problematic?

Depending on how you want to approach this, you can also go down the route of saying it is a breach of the yogykarta (is that it?) principles to force someone to declare their gender identity as they may not want others to know.

Stupid questions here but why do they want to know if you are married or not, and if you have children? They can't ask for that information at interviews (last time I checked) so why is it suddenly acceptable to ask now? Actually scrub that, not ask but insist.

OP send your HR team this guidance. It says that pronouns should not be mandatory.

https://www.cipd.org/globalassets/media/knowledge/knowledge-hub/guides/2023-pdfs/transgender-non-binary-edi-in-the-workplace-guide-2023.pdf

I would put I/ me … aren’t they pronouns ?

I'm intrigued by the ethnicity question too:
White- E, W, NI or British.

Where is Scotland? And when did English, Welsh and N Irish people not also be British?

And isn't British a nationality rather than an ethnicity?

I have selected male, just to see if anyone challenges me.
Disappointingly, no one has yet must bleach my moustache.

I would also put random shit in. I would be tempted to put “she/him/they/zer/zum” or something equally CrAzY

I read your post, clicked quote to type you have good data protection knowledge yourself, then saw the user name. And yes you do!

I would add to the OP - look up your employee Privacy Notice - it will state in there what data is being collected and what legal basis. If this data isn't listed - challenge hard.