The 2008 DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees
By the Editors of DiversityInc.
May 19, 2008
The 2008 DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees
With the California Supreme Court decision to allow same-sex marriage, LGBT issues are in the news, so the timing is perfect for the release of The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees list.
This list is calculated differently from the other specialty lists since companies do not have accurate representation numbers of LGBT employees in the workplace or in management.
To obtain this list, we factored in the LGBT-related questions we ask on the Top 50 survey, including whether a company has an employee-resource group for LGBT employees, whether the company actively recruits for LGBT employees, whether there is content on the corporate web site that reflects the LGBT community, and whether benefits are offered to same-sex domestic partners of employees. To be eligible for the Top 50, companies must offer domestic-partner health benefits, but these companies go a step further, offering partners such benefits as relocation assistance, adoption assistance and bereavement leave. We also count whether a company has a specific supplier-diversity plan aimed at LGBT employees.
In addition, we factor in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)'s Corporate Equality Index score on these companies, with the HRC's permission, since that is a nationally recognized empirical assessment of support for LGBT employees.
Here's the list and a key factor about why each company was named:
No. 1: IBM, No. 9 on The 2008 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list. Also No. 2 on The Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans, and on The Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities and The Top Global Diversity Companies.
IBM is a longtime advocate of LGBT rights and has made a global stand to refuse to do business in countries that don't support human rights for everyone. The company has one of the strongest supplier-diversity efforts for LGBT vendors. IBM has mandatory diversity training on orientation and gender identity/expression for all employees.
No. 2: Johnson & Johnson, No. 8 on the Top 50. Also No. 1 on The Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans and No. 1 on The Top 10 Companies for Executive Women.
The company offers same-sex partners of its employees bereavement leave, relocation assistance, family medical leave and adoption assistance.
No. 3: Wachovia, No. 14 on the Top 50. Also No. 4 on The Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention, No. 4 on The Top 10 Companies for African Americans and No. 9 on The Top 10 Companies for Executive Women.
Wachovia has a specific program to recruit for LGBT employees. The bank's philanthropic contributions include The San Francisco LGBT Community Center, The Gay Men's Health Crisis, Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center, AIDS Walk Los Angeles, the Human Rights Campaign and the Equality Forum.
No. 4: PepsiCo, No. 28 on the Top 50. Also on The Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities and The Top Global Diversity Companies.
PepsiCo has strong LGBT employee-resource groups and contributes to PFLAG and the Human Rights Campaign. The company's written nondiscrimination policy covers gender identity.
No. 5: Toyota Motor North America, No. 48 on the Top 50
The auto company offers same-sex partners of its employees many benefits, including bereavement leave, COBRA-like benefits, supplemental life insurance, relocation assistance, retiree health benefits and employee discounts.
No. 6: Eastman Kodak Co., one of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies. Also on The Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities.
Kodak has been a longtime leader in benefits for LGBT employees, having included orientation in its nondiscrimination policy since 1992 and gender identity since 2002. The company has mandatory diversity training for all employees, including orientation and gender identity/expression. Kodak also offers health benefits for transgender treatments.
No. 7: Deloitte, No. 16 on the Top 50. Also No. 4 on The Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans and on the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities.
Deloitte's health benefits cover transgender treatments. The firm also provides many benefits for same-sex partners of employees, including bereavement leave, adoption assistance, employee discounts, employee-assistance programs and retiree healthcare benefits.
No. 8: PricewaterhouseCoopers, No. 4 on the Top 50. Also one of The Top Global Diversity Companies, No. 10 on The Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention and No. 6 on The Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans.
The firm's diversity training includes GLBT Awareness Training. PwC also has an intranet with microsites dedicated to LGBT issues.
No. 9: Merrill Lynch & Co., No. 7 on the Top 50. Also No. 3 on The Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans.
Merrill Lynch requires employees to attend diversity training dealing with orientation and gender identity/expression. The company has offered healthcare benefits to same-sex partners of employees since 1999.
No. 10: Ernst & Young, No. 17 on the Top 50. Also No. 9 on The Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans.
The firm, which has a strong LGBT-employee group, has made inclusiveness one of its top ten global priorities.
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