Should I Include Pronouns in My Email Signature?

The primary argument for including pronouns is workplace inclusion. When only people whose gender identity may not be immediately obvious from their name include their pronouns, it signals that pronoun disclosure is reserved for those who need it as a form of clarification. When it becomes a general professional practice — everyone includes their pronouns, regardless of whether they feel their gender identity is ambiguous — it reduces the social burden on transgender and nonbinary colleagues to be the only ones making this visible choice.

This normalization effect is meaningful in organizations that actively prioritize inclusion. Studies in organizational psychology and workplace communications research consistently show that inclusive small signals — like pronoun adoption by leadership and colleagues across the gender spectrum — have a measurable positive impact on the sense of belonging reported by LGBTQ+ employees. Many organizations now include pronouns in their signature standards documentation specifically because leadership wants to establish the norm company-wide.

The practical communication benefit is also real. In written correspondence where you have not met the recipient in person, first names can be ambiguous — Alex, Sam, Jordan, Jamie, and Morgan are used by people of multiple genders. Pronouns in the signature give the recipient immediate, unambiguous reference information, which reduces accidental misgendering in email threads, especially important in longer-running client relationships.

The case against is largely contextual rather than principled. In some traditional industries — certain segments of finance, law, medicine, or government contracting — pronouns in email signatures are still uncommon and may strike some recipients as unexpected. In international business contexts, the concept of pronouns in signatures varies significantly by culture and language. If you communicate frequently with contacts in regions where this practice is unfamiliar, your signature will be processed as unusual, though not unprofessional per se.

For individuals in conservative regions or industries, there can be a personal calculus about whether visibility serves them professionally. This is a personal decision — no one is obligated to include pronouns, and choosing not to is not a failure of inclusion. The point is that including them has become professionally appropriate, not that it is universally required.

Placement: pronouns work best directly after your name on the same line, or on the line immediately below your name before your title. The most readable format is parenthetical: 'Alex Johnson (they/them)' or on a new line 'Pronouns: she/her'. Both are in common use.

Font and size: match the font and size of your other contact details — 12–13px in the same color as your secondary information. Pronouns do not need to be bold or distinguished from other elements unless your design has a specific reason for emphasis.

Acronyms: the standard format is lowercase with a slash — she/her, he/him, they/them. Some people use she/her/hers to include the possessive form. Both are widely understood. Capitalizing — She/Her — is less common but acceptable.

If your organization provides guidance on pronoun format in signature standards, follow that format for consistency. Some Google Workspace organizations, Microsoft 365 environments, and Slack workspaces have built-in pronoun fields that can be reflected in auto-generated signatures.

SignatureFox includes a pronouns field in the signature generator. It places the pronouns in parentheses after your name, in a muted secondary color at a slightly smaller size, so they are present without dominating the visual hierarchy of the signature.