Tag Archives: Gates

If you think Google is a future Big Brother, maybe Big Brother isn't so dystopic after all–because Google is showing the world how corporate responsibility is done. Our wonderful federal government mandates that employer-provided health benefits for employees in domestic partnerships–benefits which are tax free for fully married couples–count as taxable income if the partner isn't considered a dependent. Congress noticed and tried to do something about it, eliminating the tax in the health care overhaul legislation passed by the House last November–but the provision didn't make it into the version that was signed by President Obama in March. So what do you expect to happen when a gay employee at Google brings up that GLBT employees will pay an average of $1,069 more per year than their straight married coworkers? At many companies, this might get you in trouble, but Google has proven once again that they are not the typical company. Starting Thursday, Google will begin compensating employees whose domestic partners (and those dependent on them) receive health benefits–for the extra taxes which married couples do not have to pay, retroactively to January 1st. The extra compensation will only cover domestic partnerships of the same sex, because opposite-sex couples can get married and avoid the added tax. The company also eliminated gay couples' one-year waiting period for infertility benefits and added domestic partners to its family leave policy. “If you were to add it all up, it’s not like we are talking hundreds of thousands per employee,” said Laszlo Bock, Google's vice president for human resources. “It will cost some money, but it was more about doing the right thing.” Experts say other companies might follow Google's lead, especially Google's Silicon Valley competitors, and offer similar benefits. 36 percent of large companies that offer health benefits provide coverage for same-sex domestic partners, and more than half of Fortune 500 companies provide domestic partner coverage. Very few (such as Cisco, Kimpton Hotels and the Gates Foundation) compensate for the extra taxes, though. So if Google is the next Big Brother… can I get in on that? “Google supports its LGBT employees in many ways: raising its voice in matters of policy, taking a moment to remember the plight of transgender people around the world and going the extra mile to ensure that its employees are treated fairly.” http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/celebrating-pride-2010.html http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/your-money/01benefits.html?_r=2 added by: Pawper