.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} The policies and benefits Norwest Bank – now Wells Fargo – had in place for its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered employees led Marie Harris to move to Iowa from California. With a photo of her partner on her desk and the freedom to talk to co-workers about her relationship, Harris says she has no desire to work anywhere else.

“It makes me feel valuable as an individual that my company accepts me for who I am and not what society thinks I should be,” said Harris, who is the president of Iowa Pride, Wells Fargo’s resource group for LGBT employees.

As Central Iowa companies have faced increased competition in recruiting talented workers, several large corporations have been proactive in adding policies and benefits for their LGBT employees. These companies recognized such steps as an important recruiting tool long before Iowa added sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under its civil rights laws last week.

“We really work to build a culture where everyone is accepted,” said Shelly Johnson, who is the human resources liaison for Iowa Pride, “and individual differences are respected among our team members and customers. … We really are committed to hiring and retaining a diverse work force, so we have to plan for increasing diversity at all levels.”

By creating that environment, you allow the employees to be really good productive employees because they know they don’t have to hide their sexual orientation and the only measure of their worth at the company is going to be their performance.
– Sharon Malheiro president, LGBT Community Center of Central Iowa

According to the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization, more large U.S. companies are expanding benefits and protection for LGBT employees. After looking at the policies and benefits of 446 major companies, the organization awarded 138 of them its top rating of 100 percent on the corporate equality index, up from 101 companies in 2005.

Paying attention to this issue has become important in Iowa, which had a 58 percent increase in self-identified same-sex couples from 2000 to 2005. Nationally, the number of same-sex couples increased 30 percent, according to a study by the Williams Institute at UCLA.

“By creating that environment,” said attorney Sharon Malheiro, who is president of the LGBT Community Center of Central Iowa, “you allow the employees to be really good productive employees because they know they don’t have to hide their sexual orientation and the only measure of their worth at the company is going to be their performance.”

Civil rights law

On May 25, Iowa became the 19th state to expand its civil rights protections to include gender identity and sexual orientation in addition to race, sex, age, national origin and disability status. Gov. Chet Culver signed the bill (Senate File 427) into law at Principal Financial Group Inc., which strongly supported passing the bill. “Principal Financial Group believes this new bill sends a strong message to Iowans and, perhaps even more importantly, to nonresidents considering a move to Iowa,” said Larry Zimpleman, Principal’s president and chief operating officer, at the signing ceremony. “We believe the new law will help ensure Iowa’s ability to attract and retain a diverse work force made up of hard-working and creative individuals.”

Advocates for the LGBT community have supported such legislation for more than 20 years. This year, several large corporations, including Principal and Meredith Corp., lobbied for it, in the belief that it would help attract more workers to Iowa.

“It sets the tone that you don’t have to leave Iowa to find a more welcoming community,” said Kyl James, a reporting consultant at Principal and gay employee, who attended the event.

However, John Gilliland, senior vice president for government relations at the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, said several of his organization’s members opposed the legislation, because “creating additional protected classes doesn’t reflect a workplace that is based on performance.” Though the ABI is not against companies adding such policies, it is against adding new protected classes in the law.

Moreover some business owners are concerned about potential litigation, Gilliland said. Because other protected classes, such as those defined by age and race, are easily recognized, employers and co-workers are “able to be cautious and respectful of those particular characteristics,” he said. However, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered may not be as recognizable.

ABI also believes that smaller businesses could have a hard time adapting to the new law, because they don’t have a dedicated human resources department to handle new policies or issues.

Efforts under way

When handling employment law cases as an attorney for the Davis, Brown, Koehn, Shors & Roberts law firm, Malheiro often talks with employers about LGBT issues. She says there are a few basic things employers can offer that are not an additional expense to the company but make a big difference in attracting LGBT workers.

The most important step is making sure employees feel safe and comfortable being open about their sexual orientation in the workplace. This includes using language that encompasses both spouses and domestic partners in invitations to events or announcements, as well as supporting an environment where an employee feels comfortable displaying a picture of a same-sex partner. It also involves including sexual orientation and gender identity in its anti-discrimination policies, Malheiro said.

I think in the long term, the companies who are going to survive are companies that value people based on their talent and what they bring to an organization.
– Kyl James Reporting consultant, Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal, Meredith and Wells Fargo are three major companies that have had equal employment opportunity and affirmative action policies pertaining to sexual orientation since the 1990s. Gender identity has often been added later; Principal just added it to its policy this year.

Companies are also offering benefits to employees’ domestic partners including medical and dental coverage and life insurance.

“A lot of employers and businesses think it’s going to cost them money, and most of the time it costs them nothing to add that ability,” Malheiro said. The other problem, she said, is that employers don’t know that they can extend the benefits.

Malheiro realized her firm didn’t offer them when she was talking to another company about that option, so she spoke with Davis Brown’s human resources director and the firm offered it the next day.

The third area Malheiro said companies are focusing on is showing public support for the LGBT community through events such as gay pride days.

“The companies that are out there giving away things and talking about what their company sends a huge message that we are diverse and that we include the LGBT community in our community,” she said.

Along with other diversity groups, both Wells Fargo and Principal have resource groups for LGBT employees and advocates, which provide support as well as an opportunity to volunteer for events on behalf of the company. Both companies are sponsoring the Capital City Pride event this month. They also provide educational opportunities about LGBT issues, such as lunch and learn sessions, which are open to the entire company.

Benefits like these, James said, “are part of why I’m here. … It sets the tone working for an organization that wants to bring people in different backgrounds, skill sets and ideas.”

The bigger battle

The bigger issue for the LGBT community lies not with companies, James said, but rather legislation at the federal level.

For example, though health premiums for employees’ spouses are tax-deductible, domestic partners’ benefits are taxed, causing them to pay more for health coverage. Many larger companies say that they offer benefits to the extent that they are allowed to do so by law.

However, the LGBT community could bring about more change in and out of the workplace as more people become open about their sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace, Malheiro said.

“I think in the long term,” James said, “the companies who are going to survive are companies that value people based on their talent and what they bring to an organization.”