Great Britain: Marks & Spencer offering employees individual pronoun badges

Employees at the UK supermarket chain, Marks & Spencer (M&S), can choose to wear a badge specifying the personal pronouns with which they wish to be identified. M&S that recently revealed this information in a LinkedIn post, said that employees can opt to wear “whichever combination of pronouns” they choose. In office settings where badges aren’t used, employees are encouraged to specify their preferred pronouns in their email signatures. David Parke, Food PR Manager in Croydon, UK, posted a picture of his new badge on social media. He says that the pronouns to be used in relation to him are ‘He/Him/His’. “Giving people the option to display their pronouns at work is really important as it encourages them to show allyship towards trans and non-binary colleagues,” said Mr. Parke. He said the badges “have already helped to start much needed conversations about gender identity and non-binary experiences”. The initiative, which has been welcomed by employees and the M&S internal LGBTQ+ network, came from M&S employee Morgen Kane, who used the company’s ‘Suggest to Steve’ scheme, which allows employees to make suggestions directly to Steve Rowe, Marks & Spencer’s chief executive, and the suggestion has subsequently become a reality.