Importance Of Gender-Neutral Speech And Practices In The Workplace

Creating an inclusive and welcoming culture is a fundamental aspect of becoming an employer of choice for diverse talent. At Amazon India, we are deeply committed to fostering a work environment that promotes equity, empathy, and respect for all individuals, while ensuring equal opportunities for personal and professional growth. 

At Amazon, each individual has a larger role to play and such is with our LGBTQIA+ employees who are playing pivotal roles across various departments within Amazon, including Operations Network, Corporate, and more.

For any organisation, a large part of being inclusive is embedded in daily practices and initiatives that make everyone feel equal. Just like the use of Gender-neutral language – a language that does not reinforce or perpetuate gender stereotypes or biases. It aims to be inclusive of all genders and recognises that individuals may not identify within the traditional gender binary. Deepti Varma, Vice President of People Experience Technology for India, and emerging markets is here to dive deep into this aspect, laying emphasis on the dire need of Gender-Neutral Speech And Practices In The Workplace

1. How does gender-neutral speech contribute to a more inclusive and diverse workplace?

Inclusive language is a powerful vehicle not only for individuals to express their gender but also to validate or invalidate other people’s genders. Using inclusive language communicates with people in a way that is respectful and brings everyone into the conversation and helps build an equitable workplace offering a level playing field for everyone.

At Amazon, building inclusive language starts at the hiring stage itself, where the organization regularly inspects job descriptions to ensure the language and details do not inadvertently imply preference to a particular gender or demographic over another. We indulge in teaching by action, where we conduct role plays where people try communicating about things that make them uncomfortable. We also build interactive dialogue-based sessions between 2 or more employees engaging with one another to impart lessons on usage of inclusive language.

Amazon ensures that all managers undergo inclusive leadership training to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to create and sustain an inclusive environment. Our leaders are encouraged to lead by example and promote inclusive practices within their teams and across the organisation.

2. What are some examples of gender-neutral language that can be used in the workplace?

Much of our everyday language has an implicit bias toward two genders (male and female), dismissing or outright erasing employees who identify as non-binary or part of the LGBTQ+ community. By embracing pronouns such as "they," "them," and "their" as alternatives to gendered pronouns, we demonstrate our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected. Using phrases such as "everyone," "team," or "folks" instead of gender-specific greetings, such as "ladies and gentlemen" or "boys and girls" when addressing a group of people ensures that individuals of all gender identities feel included and respected. Phrases such as ‘’diversity hiring’’ can be used only as recruiting strategies but not when it comes to people, in which case, the phrase could simply be ‘’hiring’’. Furthermore, it is good practice to use gender-neutral terms rather than the gender-specific versions, even if we know the preferred gender of the person concerned, for example, a neutral phrase, such as ‘’leader’’ covers all genders instead of gender specific versions, such as ‘’female leader’’.

Inclusive language should permeate every facet of workplace communication from job postings to performance evaluations, team meetings, and corporate policies. Historically, many jobs were traditionally for either men or women and titled accordingly –chairman, spokesman, deliveryman etc. However, that these jobs can be performed by a varied group of individuals, for this reason, gender-neutral alternatives can be used –chairperson, spokesperson, delivery person etc. This may seem simple, but in fact it can help anyone envision themselves in these roles, rather than it being stuck with a stigma.

At Amazon, we place a strong emphasis on inclusive language and practices within our workplace, recognizing the importance of creating an inclusive environment where individuals feel respected and valued, regardless of their gender identity. This includes instances when we are communicating directly with a colleague and when describing someone who isn't present. We encourage the use of inclusive language as well as the use of including pronouns and respecting individuals' preferred pronouns when known.

Inclusive language is embedded in how we communicate everything and remains a key enabler of our commitment to equality for all.

3. Why is it important for organizations to promote gender-neutral practices and policies in the workplace? How have you been incorporating the same within Amazon India?

It’s imperative that organizations have an inclusive and equitable approach to designing and implementing workplace processes and practices, to cater to the specific needs of each individual. Inclusive and equitable workplace practices help strengthen the commitment that an organization is focused on the personal and professional success of all individuals. When employees are offered a level playing field with equitable opportunities to excel, organizations can benefit from the diverse perspectives and experiences of their workforce.

At Amazon, we are dedicated to fostering a workplace culture that prioritizes equal opportunities for a diverse workforce. By bringing individuals from different backgrounds into our teams, we aim to build an inclusive environment that reflects and understands the needs of our diverse customer base.

For the LGBTQIA+ employees, Amazon offers a Same Gender Partner Coverage Program, which helps employees enroll their same gender partner in their health insurance program. Employees also have the option to choose a Gender reassignment surgery or sign up for Infertility treatment, both of which are provided as part of the health insurance benefit. We focus on conducting sensitization workshops for our leaders and all employees to eliminate the usage of non-inclusive terms and behaviour, which in turn helps build a more positive and inclusive workplace environment. We came up with a concept called ‘Human Library’ through which we actually asked senior leaders to have conversations with people from the LGBTQIA+ community where they simply shared their stories which acted as an awareness exercise, as people had no idea about the challenges this community was facing. It resulted in an immersive learning experience for them, and built increased awareness around the life experienced of the LGBTQIA+ community. The exercise helped our leaders in leading with a lot more empathy and build more practices in teams to foster inclusion towards the community.

Amazon also supports LGBTQIA+ employees with resources and access to counsellors through its Employee Assistance Programme. The programme provides them with resources, counselling, support and guidance in their journey should they want to open up about their sexuality with their family, friends, or colleagues. Our commitment to equality has continued to grow through our Glamazon affinity group that exists to provide support to the LGBTQIA+ community at Amazon and to provide a space for the community to network, socialize and develop. It acts as a vital resource for the community within Amazon India, as well as the broader LGBTQIA+ community where our chapters exist. In addition, we have also invested in infrastructure facilities, such as ‘Everyone Washrooms’, for the benefit and comfort of employees from the community.

We continue to look for ways to scale our impact by providing opportunities to diverse cohorts in our workforce.

4. How can gender-neutral speech and practices help to reduce gender bias and discrimination?

Promoting and practicing inclusive language in the workplace is crucial for workplace leaders, and organizations as a whole, because it fosters a culture of diversity, equality, and respect. Inclusive language cultivates collaboration, improves employee morale, and reduces biases and discrimination. By using inclusive language, we create an environment where all employees feel valued, included, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives.

At Amazon India, we work towards providing fair opportunities for everyone and have mechanisms in place to ensure that we hire for the skill and capability without any bias and prejudice offering parity of opportunities for all talent. There are also detailed trainings, mandatory for all hiring members, which covers aspects of removing unconscious biases, using inclusive language, and focusing on candidate experience while raising bar of hiring.

5. What are the potential benefits of implementing gender-neutral language and practices in terms of employee morale and productivity?

Embracing inclusive language ensures that all LGBTIQA+ employees are not excluded in our conversations or our work. It creates an open and respectful environment that helps break down prejudice, stigma and stereotypes.

Promoting inclusive language also has a positive impact on employee morale and productivity. When employees feel valued and respected for who they are and what they bring to the table, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to bring their most authentic self at work and perform to their best potential.

6. What challenges or obstacles might organizations face when trying to implement gender-neutral speech and practices in the workplace? Do share across any such anecdote from Amazon and how did you DEl with the same?

Barriers to implement gender-neutral speech and practices in the workplace stems from many sources, including societal norms, lack of awareness, unconscious biases, assigning gender when gender is unknown, and stereotyping, for example, the assumption that all company directors are men and all secretaries are women.

At Amazon, we have a continuous listening mechanism to seek employee feedback on processes, policies, and culture from all employee cohorts and build actions basis feedback. This helps us in ensuring that the practices for inclusion we are implementing with good intent are being followed across. We follow a close loop mechanism with clear success measures to see needle movement on overall sentiment for the team and ensure to regularly review and update policies and practices to eliminate any bias.

Additionally, we regularly review and update our policies and practices to ensure equitable opportunities for all employees. This includes measures, such as implementing inclusive hiring practices, ensuring fair compensation, and providing equal opportunities for career advancement. By taking these steps and maintaining an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Amazon aims to overcome the challenges in implementing an inclusive environment. We understand that creating a truly inclusive workplace requires continuous effort, and we are dedicated to fostering an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.

And as mentioned above, our Glamazon affinity group, an employee body is committed to foster an inclusive environment for the LGBTQIA+ community and raises awareness. Also, our leaders and people managers play an active role and lead by example to promote inclusive practices.

7. What strategies or initiatives can organizations employ to raise awareness and educate employees about the importance of gender-neutral speech and practices?

To create a truly inclusive culture, it’s critical that we take a hard look at how people in all areas of organizations are using language and build practices to help them understand, and imbibe the usage of inclusive language to help eradicate alienation of specific cohorts at workplace. It’s also important to have senior leaders actively endorse and support LGBTQIA+ initiatives and promote a culture of respect and inclusion.

At Amazon, we consider building an inclusive work culture with gender-neutral speech and practices as not just a business goal or a check in the box, but simply as the right thing to do. It is a year-round investment and an ongoing commitment to foster an inclusive culture every day.

8. How can gender-neutral language and practices positively impact recruitment and talent acquisition efforts?

At Amazon, we work towards providing fair opportunities for everyone and have mechanisms in place to ensure that we hire for the skill and capability without any bias and prejudice offering parity of opportunities for all talent. Our hiring process provides an equitable ground for all to share about their skills demonstrated in different scenarios. The panels are designed to ensure a healthy mix of tenure, background, and gender who are trained for inclusive hiring. Our business leaders and recruiters undergo trainings intended to guide them on an adoptive approach on inclusive interviewing practice. Even our internal transfer policies are transparent and robust, allowing employees from across all cohorts apply for open jobs across job families and locations globally. By taking these steps and maintaining an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Amazon aims to overcome the challenges in implementing an inclusive environment right from the recruitment stage.