{"id":3610,"date":"2021-09-06T15:27:24","date_gmt":"2021-09-06T20:27:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.employco.com\/blog\/?p=3610"},"modified":"2021-10-07T15:38:21","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T20:38:21","slug":"transgender-rights-in-the-workplace-what-employers-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.employco.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/06\/transgender-rights-in-the-workplace-what-employers-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Transgender Rights in the Workplace: What Employers Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Employment trends expert discusses Hobby Lobby ruling and what employers can learn from their costly mistake <\/em><\/p>\n

\"TransgenderAn Illinois appeals court recently upheld a ruling deeming that Hobby Lobby\u2019s bathroom policies violated a transgender employee\u2019s human rights. Hobby Lobby now must pay the employee $220,000 in damages, along with potential additional damages and fees.<\/p>\n

\u201cDenying this transgender woman the right to use the women\u2019s bathroom has cost Hobby Lobby a great deal of money, but as a large corporation, they can easily absorb the damages,\u201d says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and employment trends expert. \u201cHowever, other mid-size and small businesses could be decimated by such a ruling.\u201d<\/p>\n

No wonder many employers are wondering what they can do to avoid similar fines. There are many new regulations that companies need to adhere to if they don\u2019t want to wind up facing civil suits like Hobby Lobby.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2020, the Supreme Court enacted a landmark decision to extend new protections to LGBTQ+ workers,\u201d says Wilson. \u201cThe Supreme Court made changes to federal civil rights law to include additional protections to gay, lesbian and transgender workers, providing pushback to previous attempts that sought to limit the scope of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, Wilson says that every time a new judgment is handed down, such as the Illinois appellate ruling in the Hobby Lobby case, it only strengthens workers\u2019 rights and creates a firmer legal precedent.<\/p>\n

\u201cLGBTQ+ rights are on everyone\u2019s minds right now,\u201d says Wilson. \u201cIf your company isn\u2019t being proactive about these changing expectations, you could find yourself in hot water. Whether you currently have transgender, nonbinary, bigender, or agender employees, you need to be sure that you\u2019re covering all the bases when it comes to respecting your employees\u2019 gender identities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here is what employers need to do to ensure that their workplace is diverse and inclusive:<\/p>\n