Help with HR conversation please

[Geekat]

I work for a massive multinational company, headquartered in the US. There is nothing remotely related to safeguarding in our business, think engineering services

We have ID&E employee groups to educate/inform and celebrate all employees. An example of activity undertaken by these groups is employee communications around major religious holy days, how they originated, how they are observed, what the meaning is. All well and good.

We have a form to complete to get more involved in these employee groups, it is literally name, email, business division, a little bit about yourself PLUS this question in the image

The person who wrote this form is promoting their own personal agenda. I don’t believe most senior mgmt are aware of this content.

2 things…

1. They aren’t asking for religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, why then is this question included?

1. "Gender assigned at birth"!!

I am considering flagging this up to HR on the basis of point no. 1 but also want to highlight the absolute bollocks of no. 2

Can anyone help with some wording that is neutral/corporate and will not come across as anti-trans/non-binary bigotry

Thanks

Noticed the bit where it says "This question is completely optional!"?

It may be optional, but it's still incorrect!

yes, optional but why is it even being asked? Plus I find the language extremely problematic

Well, Alph, that was a short stay away….

But you could have some fun with it.

These stupid made up words for pronouns - they have no basis in grammar or linguistic development; they are someone's invention. Therefore you can play as you wish with them.

Why not mix 'n' match - 've/xem' for instance? You could add in a nice reflexive pronoun, too, like 'faerself'.

And then cry when your colleagues get it wrong & run to management.

I’m so glad I’ve retired and haven’t got to put up with this (literal) bollocks in the workplace.

But I’d quite like to attend one of those EDI DEI IDE EID DIE training days, sit at the back swinging off the back legs of my chair, flicking spitballs and laughing at the ludicrous bits.

What on earth is Xe/Xem and Ve/Ver..??

If you're in the UK I would assume they need to follow the UK law on data gathering, so you could approach it from a GDPR point of view. Ask them what the purpose of the data collection is and what it might be used for. I would then reference the Equality Act, and ask if this is in relation to gender reassignment as a protected characteristic. If so, why are no other protected characteristics being asked for, if this is about EDI and getting more involved in relevant groups.

You could also point out that "gender assigned at birth" is a tenet of a belief system that not everyone agrees with. It is essentially a political statement, and that it's not appropriate in a data gathering exercise. I suppose, a little like saying that everyone is assigned a religion at birth and then asking you what your religion is. There's no option to say none. Just Other or "not advising them" by leaving the question blank.

@fedupandstuck is right using GDPR is a pragmatic way to approach this. I would also check out your organisations privacy policy which you may be able to use to illustrate why this is a risk to the business.

Thanks for all replies

@fedupandstuck Thank you, both replies are great. They will really help me keep on track in a tricksy conversation

If it's optional, by definition it's completely irrelevant.

I would just check, are you employed under US law or UK law? What is the jurisdiction governing your contract? I ask because gender critical beliefs are protected under UK law but there is no corresponding protection in US law where it can be a lot easier for an employer to fire you for political reasons (depending on the state).

If you're employed under US law, I'd consider only raising this if you can do it safely and ideally anonymously. I got stung quite badly working for a US employer a few years ago because I didn't realise the employment protections we have in the UK are not universal to developed nations.

IANAL, but I thought if you were a U.K. resident and performing your work in the U.K. and paid in U.K. pounds, it doesn’t matter where your employer is based, your employment conditions must comply with UK law. Is that not correct?

Yes, I think that formed part of MayaForstater case ie the US employees were told/had it explained to them that Equality Act was relevant to employees working in their UK offices ie MF

I always wonder what large corporations want people to do with this information. If I would have to go verify everyone's preferred pronouns when writing meeting minutes, it is going to take me massive more time than if I can just use the sex based ones. And I am sure I am not the only one. Do they really want to lose productivity for this?

Thanks, Good point. I am definitely employed by a UK registered sub division of the US parent company

Have a look at Sex Matters - there was a recent seminar on data and they clarified how and why info can/should be collected. I think there is seldom a good reason to collect this information.

Given that it's optional, I wouldn't engage tbh.

The absolute bullshit rubric for the question is hard to take, for sure.

Maybe thank them for making this question optional and ask that they consider making it clear in future questionnaires when they are referring to sex and when they are referring to gender?

That's the very most I would do.

IANAL but a relative who is tells me that UK employees of US companies are governed by UK law, but that they tend to find that the US companies just behave as if you are subject to US law anyway and then it's up to you to sue them, at which point they will unleash their corporate law rottweilers on you. So I'd go very carefully.

All this optional business feels like the the thin end of the wedge stuff, just putting a sly toe in through the door, then in a few months time you wont realise I'm there.
Stop wasting our precious time neo Stonewall and your handmaidens.

It may say that it's optional, but is it really? I did a stint an a shipyard and Saturdays were voluntary overtime.

Or a we called it, voluntary compulsory overtime, because if you didn't turn up, you were off the list.

That was a general comment. As regards your way forward Op, I'd proceed with care as advised by pp, with regards working in the U.S.
Softly softly, but do what you can where you can.
Good Luck.

Not sure if this is helpful (it’s part of a larger article) but I think it’s a reasonable explanation of why ‘assignment’ is the wrong terminology.

A load of wank.