Majority of companies measured by the index score well in treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation released Wednesday its 2016 Corporate Equality Index, which measures policies of LGBT inclusion of major companies in the US.
The majority of Oregon companies measured scored well as Adidas North America, Nike and Portland General Electric all received perfect ratings.
“Corporate America has long been a leader on LGBT equality, from advocating for marriage equality to expanding essential benefits to transgender employees,” said HRC President Chad Griffin in a news release. “But this year, many leading U.S. companies have broken new ground by expanding explicit non-discrimination protections to their LGBT workers around the globe. They’ve shown the world that LGBT equality isn’t an issue that stops at our own borders, but extends internationally.”
Other Oregon companies’ ratings in the study.
- Stoel Rives LLP — 95
- Cambia Health Solutions — 90
- Standard Insurance Company — 90
- PacifiCorp — 50
- Harry & David Holdings — 40
From the release:
Key national findings contained in the 2016 CEI:
- 407 companies earned a 100 percent in the 2015 CEI, up from 366 in the 2015 report.
- 511 companies participating in this year’s CEI now offer transgender workers at least one health care plan that has transgender-inclusive coverage. That’s a 150 percent increase since 2012, when the CEI first included trans-inclusive health care as a requisite for companies to receive a perfect score;
- Gender identity is now part of non-discrimination policies at 75 percent of Fortune 500 companies, up from just 3 percent in 2002;
- More than 330 major employers have adopted supportive inclusion guidelines for transgender workers who are transitioning.
- And 176 Fortune 500 companies were given unofficial scores based on publicly available information
“While support for LGBT workers is growing in the U.S. and around the world, too many companies still fail to guarantee basic, vital workplace protections that allow employees to bring their full selves to work,” Griffin said. “That continues to create barriers for LGBT people, especially for transgender people, who face high rates of unemployment and discrimination in hiring. These companies should look to the example set by global corporate leaders as a path forward to achieving LGBT equality for all workers, no matter where they live.”
Find the full study here.
Businesses and law firms were ranked according to the follow criteria:
- Non-discrimination policies
- Employment benefits
- Demonstrated organizational competency and accountability around LGBT diversity and inclusion
- Public commitment to LGBT equality
- Responsible citizenship
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