Marks & Spencer offers pronoun badges to staff

Badges are currently optional but have already proven popular among employees

(PA)

Marks & Spencer has given its staff the option of stating their preferred pronouns on their name badges.

The company badges feature the logo alongside the person’s first name, and a selection of pronouns, such as “He/Him/His”, “She/Her/Hers” and “They/Them/Their”.

The badges were launched a few months ago and members of staff have started wearing them proudly in-store.

David Parke, UK food public relations manager at Marks & Spencer, shared a photograph of his updated badge on LinkedIn last month to mark International Pronouns Day.

“I’m so grateful that Marks & Spencer actively encourages us to share our pronouns at work, whether on our name badges or in our email signatures,” he wrote.

David Parke has already stated his pronouns on his employee badge. (PA)

Parked added that the badges had “already helped start some very necessary conversations around gender identity and non-binary experiences,” reports The Times.

It’s not the first time a retailer has introduced pronoun badges.

Last year, Tesco gave its employees the chance to state their pronouns on badges.

“During 2020 one colleague suggested to the LGBTQ+ Network that pronouns were made part of the Tesco uniform [too],” the company states on its website.

“Taking this idea forward and working with our colleague experience team allowed the network to change our Tesco name badges to include a variety of pronouns available to all colleagues.

“For people from the LGBTQ+ community the use of the correct pronoun can make them feel welcomed by all. By listening to our colleagues and utilising their ideas the colleague networks have helped to ensure the correct change has been implemented.”