Deena Fidas
In what was a historic year of progress for the equal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans, corporate America stood out as a true leader in the fight for basic fairness and dignity.
That commitment is measured, in part, by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI). This national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality found that 304 major businesses — including Sodexo — earned a top score of 100 percent and the coveted distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.”
At Sodexo – focusing on quality of life services and placing a high value on diversity and inclusion – equality is a critical part of the equation for getting business done.
Through meeting the CEI’s benchmarks – and putting these policies into everyday practice, Sodexo is ensuring all employees have access to the same benefits and protections in the workplace. And the CEI top scorers are leading the way – updating policies and benefits well ahead of federal mandates to support LGBT employees and our families.
More Fortune 500 companies implemented inclusive workplace non-discrimination policies than ever before — 91 percent provide explicit protections on the basis of sexual orientation and 61 percent on the basis of gender identity, a historic high. Sixty-seven percent offer same-sex partner benefits, another record.
In just four years, the number of major employers covering medically necessary sex reassignment surgery for employees has gone from 49 to 340, including 28 percent of the Fortune 500. In addition, over 260 major employers – including Sodexo – have implemented more robust and supportive inclusion guidelines for their transitioning employees.
Corporate America has long recognized the imperative of LGBT inclusion by implementing their own LGBT-friendly policies ahead of lawmakers. We are at the front of a new era in which major businesses are not only meeting ever-higher new bars for workplace fairness, they are exceeding them by becoming social and public policy change agents in the process. And companies like Sodexo are leading the way.
View the full report at www.hrc.org/cei.
Deena Fidas is the Director of the Workplace Equality Program at the Human Rights Campaign.