Announcing Domestic Partner Benefits to Your Organization
When announcing benefits for domestic partners, it is important to state clearly that the policies are designed to foster an atmosphere of fairness and professional respect at work, and not to change personal values. Domestic partner benefits are a business imperative, a tool for attracting and keeping the best employees and a means of improving employee productivity. If a GLBT employee resource or affinity group exists at your organization, make sure to utilize the group to inform your employees that the benefits exist.
Be straightforward about the tax implications so as to avoid confusion, and if there are any major discrepancies in benefits between opposite-sex spouses and same-sex partners, be clear about why the disparity exists and how that might change in the future. The most important aspect of this process is for the employee to feel valued and that they can trust that the employer will do the right thing.
