The VP of HR sent me a quick reply today, congratulating me and saying he looked forward to talking to me about it — actually his words were “I would LOVE to talk to you about this.” (FWIW, he’s a femmy gay man and a bit on the emotionally expressive side. Kind of a reminds me of Mr. Rodgers with an adventurous wardrobe.)

He asked me to set up an hour-long meeting for when he’s back, as well as to bring to bring a sample transition plan.

Had a quick cry — both happy and freaking out that it’s actually happening.

Obviously we’ll see how it goes once we get into the actual transition planning, not to mention the actual Avalanche Day itself. But I’m heartened by this part of our employee handbook:

We do not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, legally protected medical condition, family care status, marital status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law. Repeat: We do not discriminate. Ever. We have zero tolerance for any kind of discrimination. This policy governs all aspects of your employment, including selection, job assignment, compensation, performance management, how you treat your fellow employees and termination. We have no tolerance for discrimination. None. For us, this is the only way to do business. Do you think we made it clear that We don’t discriminate and don’t tolerate others discriminating?

Any employee found to be engaging in any type of discrimination will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and possibly including termination of employment (yes, this one is really, really serious, too)

If you have questions about this policy or about behaviors that might violate this policy, bring your questions or comments to the attention of your supervisor or to HR. You know that you can ask questions, raise concerns or make reports in good faith without fear of reprisal or retaliation.

People managers are required to report anything that might be understood or misunderstood as discriminatory conduct – even if they don’t think it’s discriminatory. Always.

Now we’ll see how well they walk the talk.