Does it matter….

… what you are called?  Increasingly So.

At one time, Mr, Mrs, Miss, Sir, Ma’am were the accept  norms of address to most of us. The term Gender Pronoun wasn’t in the mix.

Today, it is all different. One’s choice of gender pronoun is increasingly important to many in all walks of society and at work, including of course, Domestic and Household positions.

HSBC and NatWest are the latest major employers to allow staff to display their preferred gender pronouns as businesses seek to prove their diversity credentials to current and prospective employees.

Branch staff at HSBC have been told they can add their preferred pronoun — he/him/his, she/her/hers or they/them/theirs — so people know how to refer to them. The bank said that the move was intended to ensure that “everyone feels they can be themselves in the workplace”.

The badges displaying preferred gender pronouns are optional. Staff can also add their preferred pronouns to their email signatures and business cards.

Virgin Money is also said to be considering its position on gender pronouns.

Marks & Spencer began giving its staff name badges with their preferred pronouns last year. It said at the time that the move was the result of representations from staff. David Parke, its food PR manager, said that the tags had helped employees to speak openly about gender identity.

The private sector appears to be catching up with the public sector on the issue. As long ago as four years ago, NHS managers were trained to refer to staff and patients as “they” rather than “he” or “she” to avoid offending transgender or non-binary people.

Maya Forstater, a tax expert won an appeal tribunal last year in an employment row over gender self-identification. The case established that gender-critical views — which state that someone’s sex is biological and immutable — are protected.

The Graham Agency, keeping you informed.