M&S ‘diversity managers’ give staff pronoun badges so that customers know how to address them

• David Parke shared that Marks & Spencer has started giving out pronoun badges 
• The store’s Food PR manager said he’s ‘grateful’ for the retailer’s inclusivity drive 
• The new tags include the person’s name and now feature their chosen pronouns 

Marks & Spencer has started giving its staff pronoun badges as part of a diversity and inclusivity initiative. 

The new tags can now  include the person’s name, and their chosen pronouns, options of which include: ‘He/Him/His’, ‘She/Her/Hers’, and ‘They/Them/Their’.

The brand’s Food PR manager David Parke shared a photo of his badge in a LinkedIn post where he said they have already ‘helped start some very necessary conversations around gender identity and non-binary experiences’.

David Parke shared a photo of his badge in a LinkedIn post and said he was ‘grateful’ for the initiative from M&S

Mr Parke said the inclusivity drive already ‘helped start some very necessary conversations around gender identity and non-binary experiences’

Sasha Misra, associate director of communications and campaigns at Stonewall, told The Sun: ‘Having pronouns on badges is a simple yet impactful way to make sure LGBTQ+ identities are respected — for employees and customers alike.’

M&S said the move is a result of staff asking for the option to include gender pronouns on their name tags.

Mr Parke’s post was shared two weeks ago, on International Pronouns Day. 

In it he said: ‘I’m so grateful that Marks and Spencer actively encourages us to share our pronouns at work, whether on our name badges or in our email signatures.

‘We introduced these new badges a few months ago (a brilliant idea from a colleague that was then implemented by Cleo and our LGBTQ+ Network).’ 

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