The latest
edition of an annual study of corporate America's outreach
to LGBT employees and consumers shows that a record
number of major U.S. companies now offer fair benefits
and protections. In the Human Rights Campaign's new
Corporate Equality Index, released Tuesday, 138
businesses earned the top rating of 100%, up from 101 firms
in 2005--and executives' awareness of their
ratings is also apparently up.
"I am incredibly encouraged and optimistic about
the findings in this report," Joe Solmonese, HRC
president, said in a statement. "Companies are not
only working to improve their scores, they are
actively competing to be ranked the most inclusive and
fair-minded in their industry. Leading companies,
which years ago instituted basic equal employment
policies, are accelerating their efforts to expand the
range of benefits. This competition sends a clear message
that corporate America is rapidly becoming a place of
fairness for GLBT Americans."
The report shows that Raytheon Co., for example,
was the only aerospace company to earn a perfect score
last year. This year, however, three more members of
the industry achieved a perfect score. Likewise, four major
auto companies earned the top rating this year, up from two
last year.
"CEOs are very much aware of their score and its
impact on their business," Solmonese said. "They know
that a top score means a healthier work environment,
greater productivity, and the ability to recruit top
talent. They also know that a bad score will hurt their
bottom line."
This year's Corporate Equality Index also shows
that 75% more companies than in 2005 officially banned
discrimination against transgender employees in
employment practices, and 35% more companies extended
COBRA, vision, dental, and dependent medical coverage to
employees' same-sex domestic partners.
The report, which tracks factors ranging from
nondiscrimination protections to diversity training,
includes 446 companies this year. (The Advocate)
