Converging the Legal, People and Cultural Considerations for Gender Expression in the Workplace
'I am transitioning gender, is there a policy in place to support me and my co-workers?', 'How do I elect benefits if I identify as non-binary? Have you or your supervisors received these questions? Do you know how to respond? Is your culture supportive, with a sense of belonging and respect? It is vitally important for HR professionals to train individuals on how to handle these and other sensitive situations and requests related to expression of gender identity in the workplace. Let's explore various federal and state laws and regulations related to expression of gender identity in the workplace, with a hyper focus on workplace gender identity etiquette and the importance of culture and supportive policies. We'll dissect current interpretations of the law and how these precedents weigh into the equation when discussing gender expression in the workplace. Finally, we'll look at current trends related to gender expression in the workplace.
Learning Objectives:
Learn the EEOC's & OSHA's respective positions with respect to expression of gender identity in the workplace.
Explore various state-level and local jurisdictional laws related to gender identity in the workplace.
Understand how to support an employee expressing a gender identity concern in the workplace, including the impact to benefits.
Understand how to support all employees in the workforce with a focus on safety and physical and emotional wellbeing, this includes use of restrooms and transitioning in the workforce
Jason Nathaniel Sheffield
Jason Sheffield is BRPs National Director of Compliance for the Baldwin Regulatory Compliance Collaborative. He oversees the ongoing evolution of our firm's national compliance operations. Jason develops, designs and implements educational programming and compliance assuredness services by creating timely and relevant solutions designed for the benefit of our clients and colleagues, our industry partners, and the general benefits community. Jason has practiced employee benefits law and consulting for nearly two decades, representing individual, corporate, and tribal interests at the local, state, and federal levels. He has advised clients and provided representative services before administrative agencies such as the DOL, the IRS, CMS, OCR, several state-level treasury authorities, and others. He has experience with both qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, executive compensation matters, and extensive experience respecting health and welfare plan matters. Jason received his undergraduate degree from Georgia State University (magna cum laude) and his Juris Doctor from Western New England College School of Law. He is admitted to the State Bar of Georgia.
Rachael McCann
Rachael is a Senior Director in the Willis Towers Watson (WTW) Philadelphia office with over 20 years of experience supporting clients in benefit strategy, innovation and modernization.
As the leader of the North American Inclusion & Diversity practice for Health & Benefits (H&B), Rachael is a strong advocate for promoting and advancing the role of benefits in Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) and coordinating with talent and sustainability strategies and commitments. Rachael is a member of the H&B Thought Leadership team and continues to serve as a senior H&B strategist for employers as they evolve their health & welfare programs.
Until recently, Rachael led the North American H&B Compliance team focused on related plan design and strategy, including I&D.
Professional expertise includes
- Advising clients on the interplay of I&D with talent and total rewards, and how employers can optimize their benefit offerings based on the diverse characteristics of their current and future workforce
- Supporting clients in linking their benefit and people strategies to sustainability and ESG commitments and related external metrics, reporting and measurement, and investor and regulator expectations
- Supporting clients in their health and welfare strategy, benchmarking, design, vendor management, compliance, due diligence and implementation. Rachael’s audit strategy and compliance consulting has focused on compliance requirements and best practices with respect to government regulations as well as management priorities around I&D
Publications and Podcasts
- On the WTW site: blogs on the Insight’s page, several podcast sessions. Externally contributions to articles on I&D and Caregiving,
Education and Credentials
- Rachael received a B.A. in Psychology from Stonehill College