A recent BBC survey conducted at the instruction of director of diversity Tunde Ogungbesan found that the company has 417 trans employees, or approximately 2 percent of its workforce. The number of transgender BBC workers is actually “very, very high” compared to the general UK population, which is measured at only around 1 percent trans.
Speaking with Pink News, Ogungbesan notes that this statistic places certain expectations on the company to accommodate its transgender employees and become a model for other companies to follow: “If you have a figure like that you have to think how you make the BBC inclusive – because people have trusted you.”
To do so, BBC has introduced a number of policies designed to improve workplace inclusion, including by moving away from enforcing an official dress code, and taking steps to recognize each employee’s preferred pronouns.
The study also revealed that the BBC’s organizational structure does not include sufficient trans and lesbian people in leadership positions, leading Ogungbesan to announce plans to improve leadership diversity during a June conference.
Read more at Pink News