Coles announces paid leave for trans staff

TRANS and gender-diverse staff at Coles will be entitled to up to 10 days of paid “gender affirmation” leave, the supermarket giant has announced.

Gender affirmation, or gender transition, involves a trans person taking steps to feel more socially or physically aligned with the gender they feel they are internally.

It often involves updating names, pronouns and physical presentation to better reflect their chosen gender.

Trans staff at Coles will be paid to undertake this process under changes the chain says are important steps to promoting LGBTIQI+ inclusion.

Coles legal and safety chief David Brewster said it was time to introduce trans-specific policy.

“We know that we have at least 900 team members who identify as transgender or gender diverse,” Mr Brewster said.

“We need to have proper policy and education in this area so there is clear guidance around taking leave for this important transition in their life.”

The announcement comes after insurer Allianz introduced four weeks of paid gender transition leave in March. Westpac has offered gender affirmation leave since 2019.