Transgender employment benefits?
Discussion
I have a transgender niece. A very bright woman who has a well paid graduate job in London. Over the weekend at a family gathering I was talking to her about her job - having made the assumption in my head that she had basically committed career suicide. It turns out I couldn't be more wrong ( well maybe not in the provinces) but in London she's had no shortage of job offers and and has been working for her current employer for just under year.
However she admitted that she doesn't turn up to work much before 10am, but leaves at around 6pm ( which when pressed was more often 5.30pm) as well as taking her full 45 mins for lunch. She also refuses to work for clients that she believes are not ethical and this seems to be ok with her manager. She is of the opinion that this is ok because she does a good job. Which I am sure that she does. ( she works for a management consultancy but not a big 4, doing data analysis and programming).
Is this typical London working practices nowadays? all 'nicey nicey and lets not pressure our young', or is it that, I suspect that her being transgender ticks a lot of HR diversity boxes, and if they challenge her they are scared of the consequences? Any thoughts from the London massif?
However she admitted that she doesn't turn up to work much before 10am, but leaves at around 6pm ( which when pressed was more often 5.30pm) as well as taking her full 45 mins for lunch. She also refuses to work for clients that she believes are not ethical and this seems to be ok with her manager. She is of the opinion that this is ok because she does a good job. Which I am sure that she does. ( she works for a management consultancy but not a big 4, doing data analysis and programming).
Is this typical London working practices nowadays? all 'nicey nicey and lets not pressure our young', or is it that, I suspect that her being transgender ticks a lot of HR diversity boxes, and if they challenge her they are scared of the consequences? Any thoughts from the London massif?
She sounds like she could be "that type of person" from any generation. Any company has its share of plodders as well as grafters, it sounds like she is the former. I've come across just-out-of-uni people like that as well as plenty in their 30's, 40's and beyond. Likewise plenty of hard working people grafting all hours... it's character, not age. Could she hold more cards being transgender? Possibly, but it's something that could quickly get you a reputation in consulting and see you struggling to get an interview..
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
I have a transgender niece. A very bright woman who has a well paid graduate job in London. Over the weekend at a family gathering I was talking to her about her job - having made the assumption in my head that she had basically committed career suicide. It turns out I couldn't be more wrong ( well maybe not in the provinces) but in London she's had no shortage of job offers and and has been working for her current employer for just under year.
However she admitted that she doesn't turn up to work much before 10am, but leaves at around 6pm ( which when pressed was more often 5.30pm) as well as taking her full 45 mins for lunch. She also refuses to work for clients that she believes are not ethical and this seems to be ok with her manager. She is of the opinion that this is ok because she does a good job. Which I am sure that she does. ( she works for a management consultancy but not a big 4, doing data analysis and programming).
Is this typical London working practices nowadays? all 'nicey nicey and lets not pressure our young', or is it that, I suspect that her being transgender ticks a lot of HR diversity boxes, and if they challenge her they are scared of the consequences? Any thoughts from the London massif?
So still does a 7 hour work day? Sounds fine to me assuming it's in line with her contract. TBH you've just described typical millennial behaviour and attitude to work; nothing more to it really. However she admitted that she doesn't turn up to work much before 10am, but leaves at around 6pm ( which when pressed was more often 5.30pm) as well as taking her full 45 mins for lunch. She also refuses to work for clients that she believes are not ethical and this seems to be ok with her manager. She is of the opinion that this is ok because she does a good job. Which I am sure that she does. ( she works for a management consultancy but not a big 4, doing data analysis and programming).
Is this typical London working practices nowadays? all 'nicey nicey and lets not pressure our young', or is it that, I suspect that her being transgender ticks a lot of HR diversity boxes, and if they challenge her they are scared of the consequences? Any thoughts from the London massif?
Sounds typical for consulting houses that want to attract good people who don't want to work for the Big 4 - they focus a lot more on work/life balance and soft benefits.
Being trans/female in an IT industry does definitely not hurt your prospects, esp when some employers are running with official and unofficial quotas.
Being trans/female in an IT industry does definitely not hurt your prospects, esp when some employers are running with official and unofficial quotas.
Most companies in London have flexible working these days. With the trains and buses tube etc it's very hard for everyone to be in on time every day. I'm looking at going to work back in London but I want flexibility and some home working and most companies are fine with it. Get the odd dinosaur who doesnt like it.
On the other hand the OPs neice could be a nice box ticked for a company and also an HR handgrenade if challenged.
On the other hand the OPs neice could be a nice box ticked for a company and also an HR handgrenade if challenged.
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
ok so it would appear then that working practices have changed a bit and that the millennials have forced corporates to change the wage slave behaviour so loved by any one born before 1970.
When will I get to see a change so that I too can slack off a bit?
There's got to be a joke there about slacking off your bits, but I'm struggling to stay PC...When will I get to see a change so that I too can slack off a bit?
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
ok so it would appear then that working practices have changed a bit and that the millennials have forced corporates to change the wage slave behaviour so loved by any one born before 1970.
When will I get to see a change so that I too can slack off a bit?
Why do you see it as “slacking off a bit” ?When will I get to see a change so that I too can slack off a bit?
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
When will I get to see a change so that I too can slack off a bit?
Find a modern employer? I'm no millennial but my employer is excellent for work from home, flex working, parental leave, etc. I haven't had a desk or office at work since 2006. My boss isn't even in the same timezone... so we work based on trust and outcomes, rather than clocking in and out of a physical office. He gets >40hrs a week of my time, it's just spread over times that work better for us both, allowing me to do school drops, pickups, etc and giving time for us to interact based on his timezone.Vaud said:
Find a modern employer? I'm no millennial but my employer is excellent for work from home, flex working, parental leave, etc. I haven't had a desk or office at work since 2006. My boss isn't even in the same timezone... so we work based on trust and outcomes, rather than clocking in and out of a physical office. He gets >40hrs a week of my time, it's just spread over times that work better for us both, allowing me to do school drops, pickups, etc and giving time for us to interact based on his timezone.
I don't have that kind of working environment, but my reaction to others having it is an irritation that more businesses/bosses don't recognise it as a workable system, rather than some kind of crab bucket routine wanting everyone else to have to be chained to a desk where their manager can keep an eye on them.
My partner works for a large international retail cosmetics company who offer similar work conditions to their head office staff. He works from home whenever he needs to, has flexible hours as required, their annual leave works on trust rather than counting days, and they get a say in which projects they work on and who they work with. It's definitely a good thing.
It sounds like a bit more flexibility than I'm used to, but I do get some say in which customers I deal with. I've rejected a couple as too hard to deal with, so others in my team have to put up with them, but I also take on all sorts that no-one else will so it all balances out.
My assumption from the information given is that she's good at her job, and there's enough work that there isn't a problem with her having some restrictions on what clients she'll work with. That sounds very grown-up of her employer.
My assumption from the information given is that she's good at her job, and there's enough work that there isn't a problem with her having some restrictions on what clients she'll work with. That sounds very grown-up of her employer.
Vaud said:
Find a modern employer? I'm no millennial but my employer is excellent for work from home, flex working, parental leave, etc. I haven't had a desk or office at work since 2006. My boss isn't even in the same timezone... so we work based on trust and outcomes, rather than clocking in and out of a physical office. He gets >40hrs a week of my time, it's just spread over times that work better for us both, allowing me to do school drops, pickups, etc and giving time for us to interact based on his timezone.
I work in the motor industry, and whilst there are lots of good things about it, it is as backward as it comes when it gets to presenteeism, especially where I work. It's why I work from home as it's the only way I can get close to a reasonable work life balance. I've also grown up with the 'if you want to get on you've got to put the hours in ' bulls
t mentality that `I still think prevails in 99% of businesses and that I've never subscribed to. That's why I was surprised by my nieces comments. I hope the millennials at least in this instance will change working practices but it might arrive too late for me.mattnovak said:
I really don't mean to cause offence, I am genuinely ill-educated on the subject.
Is a transgender woman a man who is transitioning to a woman or vice-versa?
If someone is described as "transgender [gender]", you'd normally take that to be the gender they are now, having transitioned to it.Is a transgender woman a man who is transitioning to a woman or vice-versa?
So in this case you'd assume born a man and now a woman.
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