10 minute impulse talk on why HR should care on hiring (and promoting) trans* and gender-nonconforming people - and why companies would benefit from this. See a list of resources on the last slide. If you want a better quality copy of this talk or want me to give this talk at your company / conference, get in touch with me.

1. Trans* Leadership
- a 10 minute impulse talk
The HR Club - Berlin, May 22nd 2019
“How diversity can impact employer branding”
Chris Philipps
Co-Founder / Managing Partner

2. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
• Chris Philipps, Co-Founder / MD
at PHILIPPS & BYRNE
• Tech advisor, Interim CTO for startups
• Tech Due Diligence for VCs
• 120+ Tech DDs, 150+ startups
worldwide
• 20 years in Tech
• Transgender human being
Chris (he/him or they/them)

3. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
Why should employers care?

4. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
Why should employers care?
Because trans* employees are a
highly under-utilised human resource

5. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
• Prevalence of transgender and gender-nonconforming people is not entirely
clear, but numbers have grown dramatically: more awareness, less stigma,
changes in measurement. (see also historical prevalence of homosexuality)
• Around 1,4 million trans* adults in the US
(of 250M adults = prevalence rate of 0,56%)
• A prevalence of 0,56% in Germany means 460.000 trans* individuals
(instead of more conservatively estimated 30-80.000 people)
• More progressive estimations assume a prevalence up to 4,5%
The situation

6. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
The situation
Hint:
Many of us
work in Tech!
• Prevalence of transgender and gender-nonconforming people is not entirely
clear, but numbers have grown dramatically: more awareness, less stigma,
changes in measurement. (see also historical prevalence of homosexuality)
• Around 1,4 million trans* adults in the US
(of 250M adults = prevalence rate of 0,56%)
• A prevalence of 0,56% in Germany means 460.000 trans* individuals
(instead of more conservatively estimated 30-80.000 people)
• More progressive sources assume a prevalence of up to 4,5%

7. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
Did you know?
You probably do not even know who of your employees are trans*
Only 5 to 32%
are generally
open
30 to 70%
are generally
closed

8. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
Did you know?
Inclusion starts with hiring

9. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
Did you know?
Source: https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra-2014-being-trans-eu-comparative-0_en.pdf
High education - low income
53% have higher education 74% have lower income

10. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
Conclusion
Being a trans*-friendly employer
can make a big difference
Recruiting
Loyalty

11. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
Trans* Leadership?
Again:
trans* employees are a highly under-utilised human resource

12. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
Trans* Leadership?
Leadership qualities
• Honesty and Integrity
• Inspire Others
• Commitment and Passion
• Good Communicator
• Decision-Making Capabilities
• Accountability
• Creativity and Innovation
• Empathy
• Resilience
Transition qualities
• Honesty and Integrity
• Inspire Others
• Commitment and Passion
• Good Communicator
• Decision-Making Capabilities
• Accountability
• Creativity and Innovation
• Empathy
• Resilience
A transition teaches us
those qualities

13. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
What can employers do?

14. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
A few insights from my own journey

15. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
A few insights from my own journey
Affects you in many aspects:
• Psychologically
• Physically
• Emotionally
• Socially
• Family
• Spouses
• Friends
• Colleagues
• Customers
• Strangers
A transition can be both scary and exciting
“Will I lose my customers / jobs?”
“Can I be so vulnerable
and still be in a leadership position?”
“How the … do I manage this?”

16. Generally:
• Be knowledgeable
• Have a LGBTI / trans*-
supportive policy in place to
make your position clear
Later:
• Be aware whether a trans*
person has the desire to “blend
in” and return to normal
• Never disclose a trans* person’s
past if they are “stealth”
Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
What can employers do?
Coming-Out / Transition:
• Be knowledgeable
• Understand that the person has to go
through a personally challenging time
• Ask trans person how you can support them
• Offer help with communication / coming-out
to other colleagues
• Ask for new name / pronouns and use them
consistently
• Ask whether the trans* person would be fine
with questions / talking about being trans*
• Show solidarity and support from leadership
team
• Offer support for sick days planning in case
of medical interventions such as surgeries
• Consider team workshop (if necessary)

17. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
We are happy to introduce you to
details and discuss further
opportunities to collaborate
Chris Philipps
Havelberger Str. 12
10559 Berlin
Germany
+49-171-6432002
chris@philipps-byrne.com
http://www.philipps-byrne.com
Get in touch

18. Images:
Photos by The Gender Spectrum Collection, Zackary Drucker, https://broadlygenderphotos.vice.com/
Photos of Chris: Jonas Friedrich, Johann Camut, Lukas Soboda
Thank you!

19. Chris Philipps
Trans* Leadership
Studies:
https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra-2014-being-trans-eu-comparative-0_en.pdf (EN)
http://www.transinterqueer.org/download/Publikationen/
benachteiligung_von_trans_personen_insbesondere_im_arbeitsleben.pdf (DE, but with many cross-references to international
studies)
Initiatives and institutions:
Bundesverband Trans* http://bv-trans.de/ (DE)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Transidentität und Intersexualität DGTI https://dgti.org (DE)
Charta der Vielfalt https://www.charta-der-vielfalt.de (DE)
Transgender Europe TGEU https://tgeu.org
Guidelines:
GLAAD Media Reference Guide - Transgender https://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender (EN)
SAP internal trans* guidelines: https://www.charta-der-vielfalt.de/uploads/tx_dreipccdvdiversity/
Richtlinien%20zur%20Geschlechtsangleichung.pdf (DE)
Resources