When it comes to pronouns at work, there are two main things workplaces and individuals can do to support inclusion:
- make pronoun sharing a normal part of day-to-day work
- use correct pronouns for others.
What are pronouns?
Personal pronouns are the words we use in place of a person’s name. In English, personal pronouns can be associated with gender (she/her, he/him) or be gender-neutral (they/them).
Commonly used pronouns
Gendered Pronouns
- She/her/hers
- He/him/his
Gender-neutral pronouns
- They/them/theirs: these are common gender-neutral pronouns when used in the singular form (e.g. ‘Sam is a teacher. They work at the local high school.’)
- Ze/zir/zirs: Neopronouns are often used as an alternative to the singular ‘they’. ‘Ze’ is commonly used, but there are lots of different neopronouns (see Pride in Diversity, Member Pronoun Guide).
Some individuals use multiple sets of pronouns such as she/they or he/they to convey the complexity of their gender experience (see Them, How To Affirm the People in Your Life Who Use Multiple Sets of Pronouns).
Although often referred to as “gender pronouns”, a person’s pronouns and their gender identity are two different things. You can’t tell someone’s gender identity based on their pronouns, and you can’t assume their pronouns from their gender. For example, someone may use the gender-neutral pronouns “they/them” and still identify as a woman. When someone shares their pronouns with you, it is simply guidance on how to refer to them, it is not an invitation to ask about their gender identity.1
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- Pronouns.org, “What are Personal Pronouns and Why Do They Matter?”, https://pronouns.org/what-and-why.
- Sky Corby et al., “Burned out by the Binary: How Misgendering of Nonbinary Employees Contributes to Workplace Burnout,” The International Journal of Human Resource Management 36, no. 7 (2025): 1129–63, https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2024.2374892.
- Corby et al., “Burned out by the Binary.”
- Corby et al., “Burned out by the BinaryPronouns.org, “Asking”, https://pronouns.org/asking.
- Pronouns.org, “Mistakes”, https://pronouns.org/mistakes.