Small Actions – Big Impact: Adding Your Pronouns to Your Email Signature.  

Every June you see businesses changing their logo to a rainbow logo for Pride Month. While this gesture is nice, sometimes it’s filled with empty promises. Today, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and the Alberta LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce wanted to share a small but significant step that you can take as a business professional to create an inclusive work environment during this Pride Month.  

We are encouraging you to show your commitment to inclusivity by asking you to share your pronouns in your email signatures. For some people, you might say, “well it’s obvious I am a woman and I look like one”, and that’s exactly the point. When you use your privilege, as someone who looks and identifies as a woman (or a man), you make it okay for those who it isn’t so obvious for to do so. 

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. 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 that over three-in-four job seekers see an inclusive and diverse workforce as an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers. Employees who take offers from companies who make intentional efforts to be an inclusive space feel more respected and valued by their peers and are, therefore, more likely to be engaged and remain with their employer longer. Retention and improving customer relationships are key in today’s business environment. 

For both the Alberta LGBTQ+ Chamber and the Edmonton Chamber, we want to see members who are strongly committed to diversity and inclusion. We want our city to be a place where everyone’s identity is acknowledged and respected. In today's digital world, many interactions happen over email, and this small gesture can make a big difference. 

Here are some additional resources that might help you:  

• The Equality Project: Why you should include your pronouns in your email signature?  

• Forbes: Should You Put Pronouns In Email Signatures And Social Media Bios? 

• University of Alberta Students’ Union: Pronoun Resource 

Let's continue taking these small but meaningful steps toward inclusivity and celebrating the diversity that strengthens us. Happy Pride Month!