The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and the Alberta LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce is encouraging people to be inclusive by sharing their pronouns in their email signatures. For some people, the chambers of commerce said they might believe it is obvious they look like their genders and that is the point. When people use their privilege as those who look and identify as their gender, they said they make it OK for those it is less obvious for. “These visible acts of inclusion might seem minor to some, but they reflect your intentional desire to create a safe environment for your employees, future employees, and future customers,” said the chambers of commerce in a blog post. “Social media platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn are also adding options to include pronouns in personal profiles, further emphasizing the importance of this practice.”A survey conducted by Glassdoor found three-quarters of job seekers see an inclusive, diverse workforce as an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers. The chambers said employees who take offers from inclusive companies feel more respected and valued by their co-workers and are more likely to be engaged and remain with their employers for longer. For them, they said they want to see members who are committed to diversity and inclusion. They added they want Edmonton “to be a place where everyone’s identity is acknowledged and respected.”In today’s digital world, the chambers said many interactions happen over email and small gestures such as pronouns can make a large difference. “Let's continue taking these small but meaningful steps toward inclusivity and celebrating the diversity that strengthens us,” they said. This ordeal comes after the Federal Court of Canada amended its guidelines to promote pronoun usage in January. READ MORE: Federal Court announces new practices on preferred pronouns“For people dealing with the Court: Provide pronouns and pronunciation of names,” said the Federal Court. “Prerogative to make an indigenous land acknowledgement.”
