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Sprint reverses, offers partner benefits
Sprint is the second company to change its policies after being criticized by the HRC. Home Depot changed its policies a day after the HRC criticism.
Sprint reverses, offers partner benefits
by Christopher Curtis
PlanetOut Network
Published 2004/09/30
Beginning in 2005, Sprint Corp. will offer benefits to employees in same-sex domestic partnerships.
Employees of the Overland Park, Kan., telecommunications company learned about the change this week.
Sprint spokeswoman Jennifer Bosshardt dismissed the notion that this development was in response to criticism from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). At the beginning of September, HRC pointed out that while Sprint did not provide insurance to domestic partners, it did provide insurance to employee's pets. Sprint was one of four Fortune 500 companies named in the HRC report.
"We've been evaluating this for years, but this year, we took a broader look at it," Bosshardt told reporters. "We have a larger diversity and inclusion strategy. We believe it attracts, retains and motivates employees."
Kim Mills, HRC's education director, disagreed. "I think that the pet insurance [data] kind of goosed things along," she said in a quote published by the Kansas City Business Journal.
Mills said the benefits are only for same-sex, not unmarried, partners. She added the scenario usually raises a company's costs by 1 percent.
Sprint is the second company to change its policies after being criticized by the HRC. Home Depot changed its policies a day after the HRC criticism.
On Tuesday, the HRC Foundation published its third annual report card on corporate America's treatment of LGBT employees.
Called the Corporate Equality Index, the report card rates Fortune 500 and other major companies on a scale from 0 to 100 percent on seven key indicators of fair treatment. These include policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and health care benefits for employees' partners.
Telecommunications company ALLTEL Corp., based in Little Rock, Ark., was the only company to receive a score of zero this year.
The number of companies that scored 100 percent doubled in one year to 56, the report found.
Posted September 30, 2004
by Christopher Curtis
PlanetOut Network
Published 2004/09/30
Beginning in 2005, Sprint Corp. will offer benefits to employees in same-sex domestic partnerships.
Employees of the Overland Park, Kan., telecommunications company learned about the change this week.
Sprint spokeswoman Jennifer Bosshardt dismissed the notion that this development was in response to criticism from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). At the beginning of September, HRC pointed out that while Sprint did not provide insurance to domestic partners, it did provide insurance to employee's pets. Sprint was one of four Fortune 500 companies named in the HRC report.
"We've been evaluating this for years, but this year, we took a broader look at it," Bosshardt told reporters. "We have a larger diversity and inclusion strategy. We believe it attracts, retains and motivates employees."
Kim Mills, HRC's education director, disagreed. "I think that the pet insurance [data] kind of goosed things along," she said in a quote published by the Kansas City Business Journal.
Mills said the benefits are only for same-sex, not unmarried, partners. She added the scenario usually raises a company's costs by 1 percent.
Sprint is the second company to change its policies after being criticized by the HRC. Home Depot changed its policies a day after the HRC criticism.
On Tuesday, the HRC Foundation published its third annual report card on corporate America's treatment of LGBT employees.
Called the Corporate Equality Index, the report card rates Fortune 500 and other major companies on a scale from 0 to 100 percent on seven key indicators of fair treatment. These include policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and health care benefits for employees' partners.
Telecommunications company ALLTEL Corp., based in Little Rock, Ark., was the only company to receive a score of zero this year.
The number of companies that scored 100 percent doubled in one year to 56, the report found.
Posted September 30, 2004
For more information:
http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2004/...
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