Nine Entertainment gives staff advice on how to avoid misgendering people and use pronouns correctly

The media company has given staff a step-by-step guide on how to use inclusive language and avoid misgendering a person by using the wrong pronouns.

Nine Entertainment has issued staff with a step-by-step guide on how to avoid misgendering people and use inclusive language whenever possible, for instance when they open a meeting.

Employees at the media company, which includes the publishing arm comprising The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review, were last week given a guide on using inclusive language in their conversations, which advised, “you cannot tell what pronouns people use by looking at them”.

“Don’t question or make assumptions about someone’s gender, sexuality or relationship,” the guidance said. “Accept and respect how people define their gender and sexuality.”

It also explains how to open meetings without offending anyone. “You can easily include everyone and every gender by saying things like, ‘welcome everyone’ or ‘good morning folks’,” the document explained.

“These broader terms can be useful when sending emails to large groups of departments.”

The guide, called “Misgendering and Pronouns”, was sent to all employees ahead of the “wear it purple” day on Friday, when Australians can show their support for LGBTQI youth.

The importance of using pronouns and neopronouns was explained to Nine staff in email correspondence. Neopronouns are pronouns that can be used to replace he, she or they when referring to a person.

Examples include xe/xem (pronounced zee), explained as “a popular gender neutral pronoun commonly used by non-binary or trans people” and ey/em (pronounced aye/eh), “a common gender-neutral pronoun often used by non-binary people”.

The misgendering and pronouns guide.

“Using the right pronouns for someone is super important because it affirms the way that person sees themselves,” the guidance said.

It also warns staff, “don’t question or make assumptions about someone’s gender, sexuality or relationship. Accept and respect how people define their gender and sexuality”.

The guide also instructs staff what to do if they happen to misgender a person.

“If you make a mistake, apologise promptly and move on,” the guide says.

“Don’t dwell on it and don’t give up – keep trying to get it right. Repeated mistakes indicate a lack of respect and can be very distressing.

“If it continues or is deliberate, it could constitute bullying or discrimination which is unlawful.”

At Nine Entertainment’s annual results on Thursday, chief executive officer Mike Sneesby said the company had provided extra support for “internal communities”, including those who belong to the LGBTQIA+ and First Nations communities. He said it was important to “foster an awareness and understanding of inclusion across the business”.

A Nine spokesman said the company provided a short guide for “anyone interested in learning more about pronouns”.