IBM Extending Benefits

When it comes to being committed to diversity then there are few companies that can match IBM.  There's a long track record in the company of acceptance and inclusion.  IBM had an equal pay policy for men and women back in the 1930s.  There was an equal opportunity policy at IBM 11 years before the Civil Rights Act became law.  It was one of the first companies to include sexual orientation as part of the Equation Opportunity policy and IBM extended domestic partner benefits in the USA almost 20 years ago.  It makes me proud to be an IBMer.

Now IBM is one of the first companies in Czech Republic to recognise registered partnerships in the area of paid time off.  So for example, under Czech labour law, an employee is entitled to paid time off if a spouse's parent dies.  This sort of benefit doesn't exist for same-sex couples because Czechland doesn't have gay marriage.  So even though there is no gay marriage here, IBM will still provide this type of benefit to those employees who have a registered domestic partnership.  There's still more to do but I'm proud of the progress that is being made in Central Europe.