Keeping up with the human in HRM: Exploration of transgender rights in public sector human resource management

ABSTRACT

Transgender (trans) rights are human rights; however, human resource management (HRM) policies often do not consider implications for non-binary gender equity. Instead, trans employees often face adverse working conditions, including discrimination, harassment, and marginalization—a critical HRM issue. As the workforce diversifies, HRM professionals must increase their understanding of identity categories, such as sex and gender. Moreover, HRM professionals must be equipped to critically analyze and uphold or amend workplace policies and practices to protect the rights and address the unique challenges faced by non-gender binary employees. This teaching case study facilitates a discussion on transgender rights and the role of HRM by analyzing issues of access, fairness, safety, and inclusivity in the public sector workplace. Students are challenged to consider how different groups are affected by HRM policy (or lack thereof) and how to balance policies with the needs and safety concerns of various stakeholders.

KEYWORDS:

• Bathroom rights
• human resources management
• inclusion
• transgender rights

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Kareem Willis for the insight he provided on developing this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. We use DEIJBA as criteria specific to the issues addressed in the case focusing solely on diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, belonging, and accessibility. Issues of equity, equality, diversity, inclusion, belonging, dignity, justice, accessibility, accountability, and decolonization are individual concepts used to engage with problematic social situations of marginalized groups (Wolbring & Nguyen, 2023, p. 168).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Del M. N. Bharath

Dr. Del M. N. Bharath (she, her, hers) is an independent researcher. Her research seeks approaches to a more humanistic public administration, both in pedagogy and practice.

Karen D. Sweeting

Dr. Karen D. Sweeting is an Assistant Professor at the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Sweeting strives to examine how public service can be more equitable, inclusive, and just—focusing on interrogating assumptions, systems, values, language, policies, and practices as they relate to identity, equity, inclusion, and justice for those working within public sector organizations and for those who benefit from and interact with public programs, specifically vulnerable, minoritized and marginalized populations.

Chevanese Samms Brown

Chevanese Samms Brown, Ph.D., is a Professor of Management in the College of Business Administration at Savannah State University. Dr. Samms Brown has conducted and published research in the areas of creative problem-solving, management education, and human resource management.