• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechGlobal 500

SAP Announces New Benefits for Transgender Employees

Michal Lev-Ram
By
Michal Lev-Ram
Michal Lev-Ram
Special Correspondent
Down Arrow Button Icon
Michal Lev-Ram
By
Michal Lev-Ram
Michal Lev-Ram
Special Correspondent
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 1, 2016, 2:44 PM ET
A sign protesting a recent North Carolina law restricting transgender bathroom access in Durham, North Carolina
A sign protesting a recent North Carolina law restricting transgender bathroom access is seen in the bathroom stalls at the 21C Museum Hotel in Durham, North Carolina May 3, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/File Photo - RTX2EDSNJonathan Drake — Reuters

A very small percentage of SAP employees are about to get some big, new perks. Starting in 2017, the enterprise software giant will offer its North America-based workers extended “transgender benefits.”

What exactly does that mean? Well, SAP already offered several basic medical benefits to transgender employees, including mental health counseling for those in transition and coverage for sex reassignment surgery.

Now, the company is adding more benefits, extending its medical coverage plan to include facial reconstructive surgery and something called “puberty suppression”—medication that staves off the effects of puberty, sometimes given to minors who can’t yet undergo sex reassignment. To that end, all extended benefits will now cover not just employees but also their dependents.

“It is a very small subset of our workforce,” admits Jewell Parkinson, SAP North America’s head of human resources. “But it is aligned with our commitment to try to offer benefits that are inclusive for those who need it.”

 

 

That subset is small indeed. According to Parkinson, statistics on gender dysphoria suggest that if you factored in SAP’s entire global workforce of more than 82,000, less than 10 people would have a reason to be eligible for these new benefits. But there is a growing movement towards more support for LGBTQ employees in many companies—in particular in the tech industry—and SAP is just one example.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Others tech biggies—like Netflix (NFLX), Facebook (FB), and Tesla (TSLA)—also offer coverage for transgender employees, though it is not always as wide-ranging as SAP’s (SAP) new plan. The software company, headquartered in Germany, had some help in devising its new benefits: A health management consultant from global consultancy Mercer.

“What we’ve typically found is that these companies focused on mental health and upper and bottom surgery and hormone therapy,” says Diego Ramirez, the Mercer consultant retained by SAP. “But they weren’t really providing the comprehensive support.”

The cynical view is that SAP’s attempt to be more inclusive is a cheap way for the company to get some good public relations buzz. But for those few employees who are in need of such benefits, the new plan is probably a welcome addition.

About the Author
Michal Lev-Ram
By Michal Lev-RamSpecial Correspondent
Twitter icon

Michal Lev-Ram is a special correspondent covering the technology and entertainment sectors for Fortune, writing analysis and longform reporting.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Sam Altman holds hands in the air with Narendra Modi on his left. Altman and Dario Amodei do not hold hands.
AIOpenAI
Illinois is OpenAI and Anthropic’s latest battleground as the state tries to assess liability for catastrophes caused by AI
By Jacqueline MunisApril 17, 2026
38 minutes ago
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Block
SuccessLayoffs
Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey breaks down his thought process when he laid off 40% of his Block staff because of AI
By Emma BurleighApril 17, 2026
50 minutes ago
Yoshua Bengio seated on a stage.
AIcyber
Anthropic’s Mythos cybersecurity capabilities require urgent international cooperation, ‘AI Godfather’ Yoshua Bengio says
By Beatrice NolanApril 17, 2026
1 hour ago
broker
CommentarySoftware
The 3 forces quietly dismantling the business model that made enterprise software fabulously profitable
By Michael Jacobides and Stefano PuntoniApril 17, 2026
4 hours ago
Exclusive: Senator presses DOJ and Treasury over status of Binance monitors after $1.7 billion in Iran-linked crypto flows
CryptoIran
Exclusive: Senator presses DOJ and Treasury over status of Binance monitors after $1.7 billion in Iran-linked crypto flows
By Ben WeissApril 17, 2026
5 hours ago
The world holds its breath: Trump says Iran war will end ‘pretty soon’ as uranium deal is in sight
EconomyMarkets
The world holds its breath: Trump says Iran war will end ‘pretty soon’ as uranium deal is in sight
By Jim EdwardsApril 17, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
Economy
A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
By Nick LichtenbergApril 16, 2026
21 hours ago
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeApril 15, 2026
2 days ago
Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
Success
Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
By Preston ForeApril 17, 2026
7 hours ago
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
Success
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
By Orianna Rosa RoyleApril 16, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott is bypassing the Ivy League and rewriting the $79 billion higher ed playbook by giving to HBCUs and community colleges
Politics
MacKenzie Scott is bypassing the Ivy League and rewriting the $79 billion higher ed playbook by giving to HBCUs and community colleges
By Sydney LakeApril 16, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of April 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerApril 16, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.