University employees have the option to self-identify for several categories like veteran or disability status and now gender identity.

The university recognizes that a person’s gender identity is not always limited to or congruent with the categories that are classified as legal sex (female/male). Following updates from the University of Illinois System, the Office for Access & Equity began collecting data on gender identity in 2022 and educating employees on their options to self-identify.

New gender codes include Female/Woman, Male/Man, Transgender, Trans Female/Woman, Trans Male/Man, Genderqueer/Gender Non-Conforming, Agender, Questioning/Unsure. The full list of options and descriptions is available on the University of Illinois System Website. This field may also be left blank.

Higher rates of self-identification provide the university with a greater understanding of the demographics of the workforce and allows officials to be more targeted in equal employment opportunity efforts, said Affirmative Action Data Analysts Zaheeda Darvesh and Brandon Araujo.

“This information allows the UIUC campus, colleges, and stakeholders to implement, manage, and monitor workforce development and diversity programs,” Darvesh said. “It provides our leadership an in-depth understanding of our employee landscape, and in doing so, helps devise strategies and programs that ensure inclusiveness and diversity.”

Individual employees’ gender designation (if selected) will be available only to staff responsible for maintaining employee data for the University of Illinois and will not be made public. Aggregate information (percentages and category totals) may be made available to colleges and units.

“This data is confidential and highly protected,” Araujo said. “It is primarily used to assess efforts to provide equal employment opportunities regardless of gender, race, disability, or veteran status.”

In addition, some individuals use pronouns other than he/him or she/her, such as they/them or ze/hir. The University of Illinois seeks to maintain a workplace climate that respects these preferences, and therefore offers options for employees to voluntarily specify their pronouns. This field is not required and may be left blank.

Individual employees’ personal pronouns may be shared with departments or units to verify how an individual would like to be addressed or for use in public-facing directories.

To learn more regarding these options, visit the Data Collection for Employees FAQs from the University of Illinois System.

Steps:

• Visit My Profile on the System HR website.
• Select Access My Profile and login with your NetID and password. Remember, you will be asked to authenticate using 2FA to access your profile.
• Select the edit button for each section if you need to make changes.
• Be sure to select submit when you are finished to save your changes.
• Questions? Please contact the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885 or accessandequity@illinois.edu.