They. Them. Theirs.

These pronouns are becoming increasingly important in the workplace. Somemembers of the LGBTQ+ community who identify as non-binary, gender non-conforming or genderqueer prefer "they/them" pronouns to reflect their identity and gender expression, rather than "he/him" or "she/her" pronouns that designate a person as male or female.

"This is emerging territory for workplaces," says Beck Bailey, deputy director of workplace equality at the Human Rights Campaign. "Non-binary people have always existed, but the idea of openly discussing and making space for welcoming non-binary people is something that's really happening only the last couple of years."

And for many workplaces, making space for non-binary people is tricky, because some people may prefer certain pronouns but present themselves in a more masculine or more feminine way (think wearing a tie versus wearing lipstick). Coworkers can misidentify them without even realizing their mistake.

They, them, theirs? The push for going gender-neutral in the workplace
by Julia Carpenter