Marriage Equality and Total Compensation: The Real Cost of Unclaimed Benefits
Marriage equality opened the door to long-denied workplace benefits for LGBTQIA+ professionals -- but many still aren’t claiming them. If you have a partner or family, you may be missing out on spousal coverage and protections that were previously denied. It’s now on you to review your benefits and claim what’s yours.
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Benefits Matter More Than You Think
So, get this: On average, your employment benefits will account for about 30% of your overall compensation. This means the cost of health, vision, dental, retirement, life insurance, disability, spousal… all of these things add up and have value beyond just your salary. Chances are you already knew that, but take a second to think really about it: kickass work benefits are a godsend, and for many people, a serious lifesaver. Let’s jump in to how LGBTQIA+ marriage equality is impacting workplace benefits for you, and your family.
The Hidden Pay Gap for Queer Professionals
Consider that queer people from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum have only obtained full, federally recognized equality for these benefits… four years ago, as of today in 2019. That means for queer professionals with long-term partners or families, the absence of spousal benefits could represent a significant portion of the compensation they missed out on compared to their straight counterparts. Now, there are a ton of other factors that come into play when talking about queer compensation, and I am definitely oversimplifying, but let’s spell some things out.
If you’re a gay or queer professional who has been in the biz a long time… life partner and all… and you’ve still been kicking ass for the past several years… I applaud you. Really. Let’s just take a second to acknowledge that, and to acknowledge what bullshit it’s been up to this point.
What Changed: Marriage Equality and Federal Recognition
But things have changed, at least in the United States. As a quick summary: the Obergefell v. Hodges decision was a US Supreme Court ruling handed down on June 26th, 2015 that is known best for officially recognizing same-sex marriage. Not civil unions; not partnerships. Marriage – the same functional, economic unit that straight people have been enjoying for… literally ever. But that’s not all it did. In recognizing marriage, the ruling has also entitled same-sex couples to all of the economic benefits of marriage. This means financial, tax, and estate-planning benefits like sharing your healthcare plan with your partner, filing taxes jointly, and obtaining family tax deductions.
The Awareness Gap
This is all well and good, so what’s the problem? Well, a large portion of queer people are still unaware of how this decision has changed their opportunity for benefits. I recently read an article, published in 2016 by Leader’s Edge magazine, which found that even after these rulings, between 40-and-50% of all LGBT professionals still did not know how the decision affected them. Many of the professionals surveyed were either married or in domestic partnerships, which exemplifies an unbelievable gap that severely sets back our community for no good reason.
Now, as one caveat, the population overall – straight and gay – does seem to be evenly split in terms of being confused by employment benefits, so these statistics for LGBT couples are just about in step with the norm. However, one key differentiator is in the dissemination of information. Leader’s Edge found that only about 21% of employed LGBT Americans reported their employer as being proactive in helping employees understand their benefits. This is a glaring problem, given that such a monumental change in policy is something that everyone should be made aware of. Given that these are benefits straight couples have always had, it may not be worth the time or effort for some organizations to begin actively informing their LGBT employees of the changes – so what do you need to know?
What You’re Now Entitled To
Well, to start: the court decision has made it your right to spousal benefits coverage for health, medical, vision, and more should your company extend them. This alone makes it easier for your partner to access healthcare that he/she/they may not have had before. In addition, this recognition now enables you to make your partner the beneficiary of any life, retirement, and disability insurance policies. These may seem like just a couple of things that are obvious, but if you’re someone that has been in a queer relationship for years before this decision, it’s easy to become complacent and let things fall by the wayside. This is money on the table, and a right that queer activists have fought for on your behalf. Take advantage of it!
With the extension of spousal benefits, for example, some organizational structures may be useful for transgendered beneficiaries in transition-related expenses as a part of health coverage. These are incredible benefits worth looking into. Part of the responsibility, however, is also on us as members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Your Role as a Queer Professional
In a world of corporate bureaucracy, paperwork, and just plain forgetfulness… it’s very easy for organizations to just do the bare minimum, and a business is only as proactive and versatile as its employees. It’s for that reason I urge you, if you are a queer professional, take a second look at your benefit options at work. There may be some things you weren’t entitled to before that could be lifechanging.
Shaping Inclusive Workplaces from the Inside
With such progress made within the political and business landscapes, organizations both large and small now need time and effort to adapt to the new environment – and who better to help shape the queer-positive policies of a company than queer-positive members of the community? Published in 2017, Bloomberg Law found that roughly 30% of organizations responding to a survey had no plans to implement policies specific to LGBT employees even after the court decision (apart from their legal requirements.) Part of this is because of a lack of expertise on the subject, and now more than ever, organizations need to be considerate and representative of their talent if they want to keep them. This means that top organizations are in need top LGBT talent to lead the charge in transforming a “good place to work” into a GREAT place to work for everyone.
Take healthcare, for example. The Human Rights Campaign’s Healthcare Equality Index finds that, above all, healthcare companies maintaining high visibility to LGBTQ employees, results in a higher degree of LGBTQ patient-centered care. This is because such visibility allows LGBTQ employees to serve as resident “experts” that can informally educate their counterparts about how to address LGBTQ patient concerns, provide feedback on policies aimed at them, and further attract more diverse talent by serving as ambassadors on the organization’s inclusivity.
This is something I want everyone listening to this episode to take home. Being queer is a key differentiator. Queer professionals can and should leverage their unique experiences to make their workplaces safer, more inclusive, and more attractive to diverse talent. This is something organizations critically need and cannot obtain by simply hiring a consulting agency – it’s something that must grow organically through a commitment to policy
Final Thoughts
That’s about it for now, but I hope this episode has motivated you to re-examine your workplace benefits. Don’t leave money on the table, and CHASE YOUR BAG. Thanks SO much for listening, and if you haven’t already, PLEASE make sure to follow me on Instagram @TheGayPro, for more behind-the-scenes content related to everything I do that’s gay-and-business. I am also on Twitter @TheGayProFM, and Facebook @TheGayPro. Thanks again, and we’ll chat next time.
Some ways that LGBTQIA+ professionals can foster this kind of a movement from the inside is by impacting employee resource groups, ERGs. Many large organizations use these are tools for recruitment; however I believe that the ERG is a tool for disruption.