Halifax tells customers who don't like staff pronoun badges they can close their accounts

A bank has doubled down on including pronouns on staff name badges, telling customers to close their accounts if they're not happy with it.

Halifax has been accused of "virtue signalling" by customers after deciding to have pronouns on staff badges.

The company has said the move was "a very simple solution to accidental misgendering", and told customers if they dislike their "values" they can close their accounts.

It came to light when a picture was shared on Twitter with the name Gemma and "she/her/hers" on it.

A number of other companies have also adopted similar policies to be more inclusive in the workplace.

TUI recently ditched its "Ladies and Gentlemen" greeting for a more gender-neutral term.

Halifax was prasied for their inclusive policy by Stonewall (Getty Images)

Despite the negative responses from some users, Halifax was also praised for its inclusivity.

The charity Stonewall said: "It’s great to see workplaces like @HalifaxBank offering staff the option of including their pronouns on badges, "Having pronouns on badges is a simple yet impactful way to make sure LGBTQ+ identities are respected – for employees and customers alike “make sure LGBTQ+ identities are respected."

Users online were quick to pass judgement on the name badges, but Halifax has openly hit back and offered its opinion on the matter.

One said: “If a person is wearing a NAME badge, wouldn’t it be more polite to use that NAME, isn’t that the point of a NAME badge, otherwise, why put the NAME on the NAME badge in the first place?”

Halifax replied to Jamie: “Hi Jamie. We want to create a safe and accepting environment that opens the conversation around gender identity. We care about our customers' and colleagues' individual preferences. For us, it’s a very simple solution to accidental misgendering. ^Lee”

Another added: “What if a Halifax employee doesn’t want to put pronouns on their lapel, perhaps because they reject the cult of gender ideology? Will they be disadvantaged in any way? Barred from promotion? Fired?”

To one critical user who accused the bank of “alienating” people, Halifax tweeted: “We strive for inclusion, equality and quite simply, in doing what’s right. If you disagree with our values, you’re welcome to close your account.”

A spokesperson for Halifax told The Mirror: "We want to create a safe and accepting environment that opens the conversation around gender identity.

"We care about our customers’ and colleagues’ individual preferences so, for us, it’s a very simple solution to accidental misgendering.”