NatWest ‘will pay for transgender staff to get privately-funded hormone treatment from next month to make taxpayer-backed lender more inclusive’

• More than 6,500 UK branch staff will be able to claim private hormone treatment
• Formerly RBS, NatWest is 48 per cent state-owned – and LGBT+ inclusive, it says
• The reforms to ‘challenge the status quo’ will come in from September
• Other provided services will include gender ID support and counselling

NatWest will reportedly fund private non-surgical hormone treatment for its transgender members of staff in a bid to make the bank a more inclusive employer.

The 48 per cent taxpayer-owned institution will also pay for gender identity support, hormone treatment and counselling for its 6,500-strong branch workforce in the UK.

NatWest, formerly the Royal Bank of Scotland, is also reviewing its employment policies to ‘ensure language and scenarios are LGBT+ inclusive’, it stated.

NatWest is set to offer thousands of UK workers privately-funded hormone treatment (stock)

The reforms to ‘challenge the status quo’ will come into place from September, The Telegraph reported. 

A spokesperson for NatWest told MailOnline: ‘We value all our LGBT+ colleagues and customers and we want to have a truly open and diverse culture, with acceptance for all.’

They added that the company’s shared parental leave now includes same-sex couples. 

And the firm’s absence and sick leave policy includes time off for those transitioning.

Earlier this year NatWest began issuing its staff with optional pronoun badges, prompting competitors to follow suit.

It claimed the move would make its staff more ‘comfortable and respected’. 

Halifax courted controversy by telling customers offended by the idea that they could simply close their accounts.

Halifax said its pronoun move was designed to avoid ‘accidental misgendering’.

On its website, Halifax say any customers they deem to be ‘transphobic’ could have their accounts closed.

Underneath a page titled ‘what we stand for’, they say: ‘We stand against discrimination and inappropriate behaviour in all forms, whether racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or ableist, regardless of whether this happens in our branches, offices, over the phone or online on our social media channels.

‘Such action may include account closure or contacting the police if necessary.’

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