A record-breaking 767 companies achieved the top score for LGBTQ-inclusive workplace policies that’s required to be rated as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality in 2021.
Despite the difficult climate, companies have continued to advance vital workplace protections for LGBTQ employees around the world, according to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation; the educational arm of America’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organisation. All 767 businesses met the full criteria of earning a 100% score required to be rated as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality, required by the HRC’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI); the US benchmarking survey and report measuring company policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality.
Top-rated CEI employers this year come from nearly every industry and region of the United States, confirmed HRC. To earn top ratings, these employers took concrete steps to establish and implement comprehensive policies, benefits and practices that ensure greater equity for LGBTQ workers and their families.
CHAMPIONING LGBTQ EQUALITY
“From the previously unimaginable impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, to a long overdue reckoning with racial injustice, 2020 was an unprecedented year. Yet, many businesses across the nation stepped up and continued to prioritise and champion LGBTQ equality,” stated Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign President.
“The progress made since the CEI’s inception is truly astounding and proves these initiatives have a deep impact on the day-to-day lives of LGBTQ workers. This year has shown us that tools like the CEI are crucial in the work to increase equity and inclusion in the workplace, but also that companies must breathe life into these policies and practices in real and tangible ways,” David added. “Thank you to the companies that understand protecting their LGBTQ employees and consumers from discrimination is not just the right thing to do, but the best business decision.”
This year’s record breaking 767 companies that earned the CEI’s top score of 100 increased from 686 last year; that’s a single-year increase of almost 12%. Back in 2002 – the first year of the CEI – only 13 companies achieved a top-score, demonstrating the incredible impact the CEI has had on the business world since its inception 19 years ago. This year’s CEI reflects growth across every measurement category, from the adoption of inclusive non-discrimination policies, to equitable healthcare benefits for transgender employees.
TRANSGENDER-INCLUSIVE INITIATIVES
The most considerable progress measured over the 19 year history of the CEI, and continuing in 2021, has been has been the wide-scale adoption of transgender-inclusive initiatives across businesses. In fact, 94% of the Fortune 500 and 99.7% of all CEI rated businesses have gender identity protections in their non-discrimination policies – up from 3% and 5% respectively since the launch of the CEI in 2002. In addition, 71% of the Fortune 500 and 91% of all CEI-rated businesses offer transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage; up from 0 in 2002, and 22 times as many businesses as 10 years ago. Around 97% new employers offer this coverage, according to the 2021 report.
Other key findings revealed in the 2021 CEI found that:
- The 767 companies who earned a 100 on the CEI represent over 13 million employees nationally, and another 13 million globally.
- Of all Fortune 500 companies, 458 have sexual orientation in their US non-discrimination policy, and 448 have gender identity.
- The average CEI score for all Fortune 500 companies increased from 73 to 76 in the past year; with actively participating Fortune 500 companies having an average score of 91%, up from 89% last year.
Click here to see the list of the 767 Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality 2021.
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