RTÉ has been widely praised for its support of staffer Jonathan Rachel Clynch, formerly Jonathan Clynch, after he recently revealed he identifies as gender fluid. But Clynch is in a stable job, at an organisation with a culture of openess and understanding. How can other workplaces establish a supportive environment for gender fluid individuals?

Jonathan Rachel Clynch has yet to speak to the media about going public, but a wave of support for the reporter is sure to have helped ease the transition after shock revelations last week that one tabloid was planning an expose.

Gender fluidity is where an individual does not clearly identify as either male or female, but sometimes feels more female than male, and vice versa.

Only about 1% of the Irish population falls into the trans category, which might include a tiny number of gender fluid people. So gender fluidity is not an issue that most workplaces will ever have to deal with, but for those that do there are clear steps that they can take.

Newstalk.com spoke to Davin Roche, Director of Workplace Diversity at GLEN (Gay and Lesbian Equality Network) about equality in the workplace.

Employer's role

Roche says gender fluidity is very much a personal issue, and coming out in the workplace is something that must be led by the individual's needs even though it is happening in the wider context of an entire workplace.

"I think the reality is that gender fluidity is a very very new and unknown term for the vast majority of people in the workplace. And I think it's completely understandable that people need some time to be informed about what gender fluidity is, and indeed what broader transgender experiences are, and specifically what that means in the workplace."

"It is really important that there is a conversation between the employee and employer. We encourage employers to work through a HR person, if they have one."

"...the very best staff come in all shapes and sizes, as do customers"

This discussion, Roche says, should help pinpoint the employees' needs and expectations. It can be used to deal with practicalities like when the employee would like to change their identity.

"Employers we work with understand that it is very important they attract and retain the very best staff, which come in all shapes and sizes, as do customers. If as an organisation you can't attract the very best and a whole range of people then that is a real problem."

However, there are no particular legal protections for gender fluid individuals, though there are for people who identify as transgender.  

He or she?

Roche says issues such as how a person should be referred to ought to be addressed by the individual themselves. Colleagues should take their lead from the person in question, or just ask a direct question - how would you like to be referred to?

"They may seek to be referred to by one specific pronoun, or gender fluid people may take a different approach, they may wish to be referred to differently."

Orange is the New Black actor Ruby Rose has said she identifies sometimes more strongly as a woman, sometimes she feels closer to her male characteristics. Photo: Ruby Rose on Twitter

You are valued

One of the most important things an employer can do is to make sure an employee who comes out feels valued. What they want to avoid is a negative experience that will be detrimental to a career.

"The employer's responsibility to someone planning to come out is that they can do so safely."

The workplace must clearly show how they will support the worker from a legal and good practice perspective.

If an employer feels the workforce might be hostile to the change, they need to work to create a more supportive environment. 

GLEN points to its own research that shows the vast majority of LGB people who come out at work indicate no negative response from their colleagues. 

An authentic life

Roche says the decision will usually come down to how important a person feels their identity is to them.

"It will depend to what extent they want to be authentic, or feel apart from who they are in the workplace. There are others who have decided that they will not be taking that part of their private life into work."

Disney star and pop star Miley Cyrus has indicated she might be gender fluid

Impressive rolecall

GLEN works with 35 of the country's major employers, employing over 80,000 people between them.

Those who have sought advice on workplace diversity include Dublin Bus, IBM, EY and Vodafone. They are working with GLEN through its Champions and Index programmes.

Positive workplaces will be recognised at the upcoming Workplace Equality Index awards on September 22nd.

Roche says GLEN's ultimate goal is that peoples' identity as LGBT or trans will be unremarkable. That will come, he says, "when there is understanding that we are all just people along the spectrum".

Fighting discrimination

Trans employees and people in the workforce report high levels of unemployment and discrimination at job interviews.

Some people may just decide the time is not right for them to come out.

But a workplace can help by making sure their culture is generally respectful, open, tolerant and inclusive - which it should be anyway.

Roche says: "That is hugely important in terms of setting the mood for support of diverse employees."

Some companies will have named gender identity in their equality policy but never really developed it any further.

"Others are being proactive in terms of reaching out to their LGBTs and identifying role models and communicating the fact that LGBT people are in the organisation and succeeding in the organisation" offers Roche.

Finally, Roche says: "Pride this year had the largest number of employers taking part, showing their employees and customers that they value diversity."