Inclusivity has been a groundbreaking development on the federal and state levels, and now in the workplace. (Illustration: Lincoln Agnew)

A seismic judicial and legislative shift regarding same-sex partnerships continues to send aftershocks through the employee benefits industry, providing forward-thinking benefits advisors with an opportunity to help clients provide more inclusive benefits packages and grow their own businesses.

“Employers are increasingly recognizing the importance of LGBT benefits,” says Julie Stich, associate vice president, content, for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans in Brookfield, Wisconsin. “The growing awareness of LGBT rights has made its way into the workplace, and organizations are adjusting the design of their benefits programs and the language of their diversity policies to be inclusive of LGBT employees and their families.”

This trend is not simply anecdotal. Each year, the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C., surveys Fortune 500 companies about workplace inclusion practices.