5 Ways to Ensure Your Benefits Support an LGBTQ-Friendly Workplace

Your company may believe in treating all employees equally, but do your policies match your principles? 

Making sure their benefits package has inclusive language and equal LGBTQ+ employee benefits is something many businesses don’t even think about. But it is one of many important ways you can make LGBTQ+ employees feel valued and included. It can even increase employee retention. 

A recent survey revealed that 56% of employees wouldn’t consider taking a job with a company that has values they disagree with. Therefore, it is more important than ever to make sure the fine print of your business matches your inclusive and positive beliefs.

Here are five ways you can ensure your benefits package considers LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace. 

1. Include Same-Sex Spouses on Insurance Policies 

Do you offer your employees family health insurance policies through your benefits package? Make sure the language on your policy document includes same-sex spouses. You can do this by adding this clarification to the definition of “spouse.” In order to promote inclusivity, we recommend that you require the same documentation for both same- and different-sex spouses. 

Technically, not all states require self-insured employers to offer the same benefits to same-sex married partners. However, doing so will not only ensure that you have an LGBTQ-friendly workplace but also be beneficial for employee productivity and loyalty. 

2. Provide Health Care Benefits to Domestic Partners

Same-sex married partners now mostly enjoy the same benefits as married heterosexual couples since gay marriage was legalized in 2015. However, only 10% of same-sex couples are married, and domestic partners do not always receive the same protections and benefits.

Including benefits that cover domestic partners, both same-sex and different-sex, can make your benefits package hugely competitive. But remember, health plan costs for domestic partners of employees are taxable.  

3. Apply Family Leave to Domestic Partners 

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) offers certain employees 12 weeks of paid leave to care for family members. 

Leave includes:

• Birth and newborn care
• Adoption and adoptive childcare
• Care of immediate family members with medical conditions, including spouses, children, and parents
• Their own medical leave if unable to work

However, family situations today do not all fit the traditional mold. If you want to keep your policies as inclusive as possible, make sure to include and specify same-sex spouses and domestic partners. You might also want to extend this leave to the children of domestic partners.

4. Include Domestic Partners in Bereavement Leave 

In the U.S., employees are entitled to use their limit of 13 days of annual sick leave as bereavement leave for the loss of a family member. This is typically used to make arrangements for, or attend, a funeral. 

Including a domestic partner and the partner’s immediate family for bereavement leave can make a huge difference in someone’s life. It ensures your company’s compassion for all employees and is not something your employees will forget.

5. Ensure Health Benefits Cover Transitioning/Gender-Affirming Services

What services do your health benefits cover? If they don’t include transitioning or gender-affirming services, you may want to revisit your health package. Ensuring support for transitioning individuals, and working with employees who need time off to obtain these services, is vital to create truly inclusive and nondiscriminatory policies. 

You may also choose to implement guidelines around the following:

• The expression of gender identity in the workplace
• Points of contact to inform within the workplace 
• Workplace support when transitioning

This will not only help the transitioning individual but will help inform all employees. It helps create an open and safe environment for anyone else who may want to transition in the future.

Final Thoughts

So, after reading this article, how LGBTQ+ inclusive are your workplace policies? Creating equal policies and ensuring inclusive language could be instrumental in securing and retaining top talent now and in the years to come. 

However, it can be tricky and time-consuming to identify and modify all your policies. There are protocols to follow as well as legal implications of making changes. iHire’s HR Services and Consulting can help you offer the most inclusive and competitive benefits packages possible. Get started with a free consultation and let us take care of the details for you, leaving you free to focus on what’s important: growing your business with happy, loyal employees.