Creating a Culture and Practice of Using Correct Pronouns and Chosen Names Is Part of Workplace Well-Being

June is Pride Month. A lot of organizations will post a rainbow logo and call it done. I want to talk about something more specific and more practical than that. I’ve been carrying around a screenshot in my phone for over a month now of a comment from someone who said it would greatly improve their wellbeing if they knew that their management would support them when they correct people who misgender them.

I am a CIS gender woman named Bobbi. Not Barbara or Roberta, but if I were, I’d expect to be called Bobbi because that is the name I have chosen to go by. Also, there has never been an E on the end of Bobbi, but the number of people who have added one is a point of frustration in my life. Adding pronouns to my email signature and in my bios significantly reduced the number of emails I receive addressed to “Mr. Newman”. I assure you that my dad’s only experience with workplace well-being is when the factory he worked at most of his life gave them free Gatorade when it was over 100 degrees inside. Although he probably has a lot to say about how to treat people right at work. But my points are one, practices that benefit one group also benefit others, and two, everyone wants to be named correctly. It’s not hard to do. But because this is a blog about creating flourishing workplace environments where staff thrive, let’s look at this through that lens.

Using someone’s chosen name and pronouns correctly is a workplace well-being issue. A well-being one, in the same way that supporting employees through menopause is a well-being issue, or designing for neurodiverse staff is a well-being issue, or getting rest, or professional development support. We are whole people, even at work. Research shows that these practices improve the wellbeing of staff, improve productivity, improve team interactions, and improve customer service.

It’s about treating our staff, our coworkers, and our patrons with respect. When someone’s name or pronouns are consistently gotten wrong, whether by accident, habit, or refusal, that’s a chronic stressor. Staff should feel confident and safe, correcting other staff members and patrons when they use an incorrect name or pronouns. Leadership, management, and policy should fully support correction when staff are addressed inappropriately.

Research on stress and the impact of overall health and wellbeing is pretty consistent on this – it does real damage. Each individual incident might seem small. Over time, it isn’t. We cannot expect staff to be productive, innovative, and provide excellent service when they are continually under stress and pressure at work.

When we frame it as a matter of individual courtesy, we put the burden on the person most affected to manage it, to decide whether to say something, how to say it, and whether it’s worth the cost. Instead, this is part of the policies that we have in place to ensure that patrons and colleagues treat staff with respect and consideration, and that there are consequences when they do not. This is about what the institution expects, models, and enforces.

Libraries that take this seriously do a few things. They have clear expectations in policy, not just in values statements. They make it easy for staff to update their names and pronouns in directories and systems without friction. Leadership uses correct names and pronouns consistently. And when mistakes happen, they’re acknowledged and corrected without drama. It is acceptable and expected to correct staff and patrons using incorrect names and pronouns. And there are consequences when they do not. Consider this no different than other name-calling.

Where to Start

If your library doesn’t have clear guidance on this yet, here are some straightforward places to begin:

• Add name and pronoun fields to staff directories and internal systems, and make them easy to update
• Include chosen name and pronoun practice in onboarding for new staff
• When leadership makes mistakes, acknowledge and correct them without making it a big production, modeling matters
• Build clear, written expectations into HR policy so staff know what is expected and what support looks like if those expectations aren’t met

The goal is a workplace where people don’t have to spend energy managing whether their colleagues and patrons will address them correctly. That frees up capacity for the work.

None of this requires anyone to take a political position. It requires the institution to decide that the people who work there deserve respect, to be treated with dignity, and to have their names used correctly. And acknowledging that the research shows that policies like this improve overall well-being, productivity, innovation, and customer service.

Guidance on Policy Creation

ALA Affirms the Rights of Transgender People. (2020, June 24). American Libraries Magazine. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/ala-affirms-the-rights-of-transgender-people/

Jennifer S Kiesewetter. (2021, June 7). Best Practices for Using Pronouns in the Workplace and Everyplace! SPARK. https://www.adp.com/spark/articles/2021/06/best-practices-for-using-pronouns-in-the-workplace-and-everyplace.aspx

Kleiman, E. (2024, May 9). Trans Staff and Patrons – a Reflection. Public Libraries Online – A Publication of the Public Library Association. https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2024/05/trans-staff-and-patrons-a-reflection/

States Are Banning Preferred Pronouns at Work, but Federal Guidelines Promote Inclusion. What Should HR Do? (2023, October 25). https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/inclusion-diversity/states-are-banning-preferred-pronouns-at-work-but-federal-guidelines-promote-inclusion

Talking About Pronouns in the Workplace. (n.d.-a). Pfizer. https://www.pfizer.com/pronouns

Talking About Pronouns in the Workplace. (n.d.-b). HRC Foundation. https://www.thehrcfoundation.org/professional-resources/talking-about-pronouns-in-the-workplace

Tighe, J. H. (n.d.). Using Employees’ Requested Pronouns: It’s About Dignity, Respect and Workplace Compliance. Fisher Phillips. Retrieved May 27, 2026, from https://www.fisherphillips.com/en/insights/insights/using-employees-requested-pronouns-its-about-dignity-respect-and-workplace-compliance

References and Recommended Reading

Beyond Inclusion: Pronoun Use for Health and Well-Being. (n.d.). Community Commons. https://www.communitycommons.org/collections/Pronouns-and-Well-Being

Charette, E., Nemanick, S., Keim, P., Ledoux, S., Goolsby, L., & Lloyd, E. (2024). Gender diversity in the workplace: Pronouns, gender-stereotyped job listings, and perceptions of hireability. University of Denver Undergraduate Research Journal, 5. https://www.duurjportal.com/index.php/duurj/article/view/227

Cullen, K. (2017, October 12). Why Are Suicide Rates Higher Among LGBTQ Youth? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-truth-about-exercise-addiction/201710/why-are-suicide-rates-higher-among-lgbtq-youth

Dali, S., Atasuntseva, A., Shankar, M., Ayeroff, E., Holmes, M., Johnson, C., Terkawi, A. S., Beadle, B., Chang, J., & Boyd, K. (2022). Say my name: Understanding the power of names, correct pronunciation, and personal narratives. MedEdPORTAL, 18, 11284.

Editor, J. (2017, November 14). Universal Design for Belonging: Living and Working with Diverse Personal Names. Journal of Belonging, Identity, Language, and Diversity (J-BILD). https://bild-lida.ca/journal/volume-1_1-2017/universal-design-for-belonging-living-and-working-with-diverse-personal-names/

Facts About Suicide Among LGBTQ+ Young People. (2021, December 15). The Trevor Project. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/facts-about-lgbtq-youth-suicide/

Huffman, A. H., Mills, M. J., Howes, S. S., & Albritton, M. D. (2021). Workplace support and affirming behaviors: Moving toward a transgender, gender diverse, and non-binary friendly workplace. International Journal of Transgender Health, 22(3), 225–242.

Kinitz, D. J., Tran, N. K., Shahidi, F. V., Maslak, J. T., Flentje, A., Lubensky, M. E., Obedin-Maliver, J., & Lunn, M. R. (2025). Associations of minority stress and employment discrimination with job quality among sexual- and gender-minority workers. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 51(3), 214–225. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4221

Mai, D. (2022, August 1). Sharing Pronouns Matters, and It Can Help Save Lives. AAP Voices Blog. https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/aap-voices/sharing-pronouns-matters-and-it-can-help-save-lives/

Marketing and Communication. (2020, December 7). That’s Not My Name. University of Utah Health. https://uofuhealth.utah.edu/workforce-excellence/news/2020/12/thats-not-my-name

Naomi Torres-Mackie. (2019, September 29). Understanding Name-Based Microaggressions. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/underdog-psychology/201909/understanding-name-based-microaggressions

Perales, F., Ablaza, C., Tomaszewski, W., & Emsen-Hough, D. (2022). You, Me, and Them: Understanding Employees’ Use of Trans-Affirming Language within the Workplace. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 19(2), 760–776. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-021-00592-9

Pronoun Usage and Mental Health Impacts of Pronoun Respect in TGNB Young People. (2025, December 10). The Trevor Project. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/pronoun-usage-and-mental-health-impacts-of-pronoun-respect-in-tgnb-young-people/

Ross, L. E., Kinitz, D. J., & Kia, H. (2022). Pronouns Are a Public Health Issue. American Journal of Public Health, 112(3), 360–362. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306678

Russell, S. T., Pollitt, A. M., Li, G., & Grossman, A. H. (2018). Chosen Name Use is Linked to Reduced Depressive Symptoms, Suicidal Ideation and Behavior among Transgender Youth. The Journal of Adolescent Health : Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 63(4), 503–505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.02.003

Zhang, Z., & Du, S. (2024). The Effects of Nicknaming in the Workplace on Perceived Supervisor Communality and Employee Well-being (SSRN Scholarly Paper No. 4929259). Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4929259

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 – 𝟮𝟴 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹

Every year on 28 April, we observe the International Day for Safety and Health at Work to raise awareness about the importance of preventing workplace accidents and diseases. Since 2003, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has highlighted the need to create safer work environments worldwide.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:
Every worker deserves a safe and healthy workplace.
Governments must enforce laws and policies to protect workers.
Employers are responsible for maintaining safe working conditions.
Workers should follow safety practices and participate in prevention efforts.

𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀: New technologies, changing work conditions, and emerging job types bring new challenges, including psychosocial risks that impact mental health and well-being at work.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲:
“Let's ensure a healthy psychosocial working environment”
This means focusing on how work is organized and managed, ensuring fairness, support, clear roles, and manageable workloads to protect mental health.

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿:
Safety is everyone’s responsibility. Together, we can stop workplace injuries and illnesses.

#InternationalDayForSafetyAndHealth #WorkplaceSafety #OccupationalHealth #SafeWork #HealthAtWork #PsychosocialSafety #WorkplaceWellbeing #PreventAccidents #SafetyCulture #SCABPharmacy

Even though this program originated in Philadelphia, it's a great way for job seekers, employers, educators, and service providers to connect with the goal of gaining meaningful employment.

https://neurodiversityemploymentnetwork.org/job-opportunities/

#WorkplaceWellbeing
#Neurodiversity
#Neurodiverse
#JobSearch

70% of employees report experiencing burnout at least sometimes — and workload plus unclear priorities are major drivers.

When everything feels urgent, nothing is strategic.
When you say yes to everything, you dilute your impact.

#Burnout #WorkplaceWellbeing #Leadership

An empty chair can speak louder than any briefing. NHS staff face pressure, job insecurity and ignored cries for help. We need leaders who listen and act. #NHS #WorkplaceWellbeing #SuicidePrevention

https://thetrainingnet.com/say-so/

Burnout in Women: Signs, Causes, and Prevention Strategies

https://health4everyday.store/burnout-in-women-signs-causes-prevention/

“Our tenants say it is the most unusual and memorable workplace perk they have experienced – and our queen bee has developed something of a cult following in the building."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/08/uk-employers-beehives-office-workplace-mental-health-community-nature

#workplacewellbeing #officewellbeing

Does anyone ACTUALLY like open offices? I sure didn't... When I was working in the software development industry, I always felt like I was bothering my coworkers when I had to talk to my clients!

Read here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/positively-different/202411/why-open-offices-dont-work

#WorkplaceWellbeing
#Neurodivergent
#MentalHealth
#OpenOffice

Half of employees in the UK say they feel more engaged and productive when their organisation offers mental health support, whether that’s counselling, wellbeing programmes or early-help tools. It’s a reminder that the right resources don’t just reduce distress; they help people thrive. When support is visible and easy to access, everyone benefits.

Source: https://mhfaengland.org/mhfa-centre/blog/Key-workplace-mental-health-statistics-for-2024

#Galea #Mentalhealth #WorkplaceWellbeing