Nhi Huynh shared her comments with Canadian HR Reporter, warning that politicized anti-trans rhetoric after the Tumbler Ridge tragedy can seep into workplaces and create liability. She discusses the need for trauma-informed leadership and the importance of inclusivity and psychological safety.
See an excerpt below:
After Tumbler Ridge: guidance for Canadian HR on rising anti-trans rhetoric
Employment lawyers explain legal obligations of employers to maintain psychological safety, avoid poisoned work environment
As families and the wider community in Tumbler Ridge focus on grieving and recovery, the tragedy is already being politicized across Canada and beyond.
Transphobia is now a Canadian workplace issue that demands a proactive, trauma-informed response, with safety, dignity and belonging at the centre, say two Canadian lawyers.
The current wave of anti-trans rhetoric will create legal and cultural obligations for employers when it inevitably seeps into workplaces through conversations, social feeds and off-duty conduct connected to the job, according to Nhi Huynh with Williams HR Law in Ontario.
“These high-profile tragedies can unfortunately be used as an excuse to continue prejudicial thinking [and] harmful comments towards protected groups,” says Huynh – for employers, that means recognizing that “neutral” actions, such as liking a post that paints trans people as dangerous, can still be experienced as threatening or exclusionary by colleagues.