Hannah Schwab, Global Co-Chair of Gender Expansive Council at JPMorgan Chase, joins ChedHER to discuss the goal of the Gender Expansive Council and what kind of resources organizations can offer to support the LGBT+ community.

chedHER

How JPMorgan Chase is Supporting Trans and Non-Binary Communities

joining us now is Hannah Schwab Global co chair of gender Expansive council. Jpmorgan Chase Hannah. What does your role consist of? And what is the goal of this council? Thank you. Thanks for having me. So our gender expansive council here at Jpmorgan Chase. We exist to be the collective voice of our transgender and gender nonconforming employees as well as provide guidance and collaborate with different organizations within the bank to provide guidance on gender identity and gender expression. You also worked closely with with the office of LGBT Plus Affairs. What kind of work does the firm do for the trans and non binary community? Yeah, great question. Um so within Jpmorgan Chase, our gender expansive council and collaboration with our Office of LGBT Plus Affairs work on a lot of different things. We have several different areas. We try to expand transgender benefits. Uplift our software applications to make sure that they highlight chosen name versus legal name of our employees. Um We conduct different trainings and awareness sessions to try to kind of educate the rest of the employee population on the trans and gender Nonconforming community. We also focus on trying to recruit more transgender talent as well as foster career development for our existing trans and gender nonconforming employees in terms of resources. What kind of resources are most valuable for organizations to offer the LGBT Plus community, especially in the workplace. Yeah, so there's quite a bit, there's there's quite a few different things that are incredibly helpful and and really valuable for the L. G. B. T. Q. Plus community. Um I would say starting with L G B T Q plus inclusive benefits are a big part of that transgender benefits expected, especially um focusing on like w path benefits and making sure all of those are provided to those employees, but also looking at same sex benefits for same sex partners. So like fertility benefits that are available for same sex partners and a lot of different other things to um a few other pieces would be the training and awareness as well, so we conduct different trainings um as I mentioned, the trans uh kind of trans and gender nonconforming experience. Um and then I would say lastly would be employee networks are employee network groups, so things like business resource groups, employee resource groups or even diversity councils, things like that that allow employees of different, diverse backgrounds to kind of come together and discuss what their needs are in the workplace and be part of discussion of what resources truly would have the most significant impact. I think it's such a smart reality. Yeah. Exactly. Right. Right. It should be by us for us. Right. Exactly. As opposed to someone deciding that and maybe having the best intentions but truly not having the impact for for workers in the LGBT Plus community within the workplace in terms of fostering a more inclusive environment, way environment workplace. What are some ways that that can be done? Yeah, great question. And again, there's there's there's a lot of different things that can be done to kind of foster that inclusive work environment. Um I would say some easy ways would be pronouns. Um so making pronouns visible as much as possible, so put your pronouns in your signature line if you have a company directory, put them there if possible. Uh if you're joining zoom for your meetings or whatever platform you're using for meetings at your at your pronouns to your your name and those in those meetings or even introduce yourself with your pronouns, you know? Hi, my name is Hannah swallowed my pronouns, are she her? Um so I would say pronouns are a really big piece that's actually pretty simple to do. Uh and we all use pronouns, right? We all have pronouns not just the trans community. I would also say that um senior leadership exposure is a really big part of that. So the trans and gender nonconforming community, we can't grow unless we get that exposure to senior leaders. Um and that kind of goes hand in hand with another piece which would be just career development as well. So what kind of role based trainings, but also leadership trainings and things like that, that help not just trans people, but also the larger L. G B. T. Q. Plus community grow within their career and be able to, you know, progress that way tangible kind of little bits of little bits of advice that really can go a long way or at least start to kind of foster a more inclusive environment for those in the LGBT plus community in the workplace in terms of what is in store for the gender Expansive counsel throughout pride in the months and the months beyond what is that exactly. Too many to name entirely. But we have we have a lot planned for for Pride and throughout the rest of the year and beyond for Pride month. Our Gender Expansive council plans on doing several of our trans 101 and trans 102 trainings as well as looking at doing a non binary one oh one training. Um and then later in the month we're also gonna be doing a name and gender marker. Change training as well to kind of help people understand the ins and outs of changing some of their documentation within, you know, different states or different counties in the U. S. As well as at a federal level, looking at changing some federal documents as well. Um and then later in the year for trans awareness week in november. We'll be focusing on our families, so our family members of trans kids as well as our trans employees who have kids themselves and doing some events around that as well as uh spending some time to recognize transgender day of reckoning of remembrance. Excuse me. So many great events, Hannah really appreciate your time and your insight, Hannah Schwab Global, co chair of G E C. Jpmorgan Chase