Google has announced something fairly controversial:  gay and lesbian employees are going to make more than their heterosexual counterparts, albeit in a backhanded way.  Google, being in California, covers the domestic partners of gay workers on their health insurance; however, the gay couple has to pay taxes on the extra health insurance, unlike a married heterosexual couple.  So Google is planning on paying gay employees more to make up the difference, or “grossing-up imputed taxes on health insurance benefits for all same-sex domestic partners in the United States” in HR-speak.

However, if you’re straight and you have your domestic partner on your health insurance?  You’re stuck paying for him or her, because according to Google, you have the option of avoiding the tax by getting married.  So, basically, Google is discriminating against heterosexual couples who don’t want to get married or who can’t afford to get married.

Two wrongs don’t make a right.  If you’re going to pay the taxes for employees who add their domestic partner to their health benefits, then you need to do it across the board and not discriminate against straight people.  Otherwise, you’re just going to get people mad.

Tags: Google, human resources, Google pays gay and lesbian employees more, discrimination, reverse discrimination, Google to reimburse gay employees for taxes paid on health benefits,  domestic partner health benefits, taxes

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