The Top 10 Companies for GLBT Employees


By the Editors of DiversityInc
© 2006 DiversityInc.com®
June 04, 2006

To ascertain this Top 10, we examined questions in our survey relating to GLBT issues, including recruitment, domestic-partner and work/life benefits, employee-resource groups and supplier diversity. We also factored in the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index as well as a thorough review of each company's Web site to evaluate its stated commitment, through words and images, to the GLBT community.


Consider these statistics about the Top 10 for GLBT Employees:


All 10 of them have active programs to recruit for GLBT employees, compared with 69 percent of the Top 50 and 21 percent of the bottom quarter of survey respondents. There were 256 participants in the survey.
All 10 of them offer adoption assistance, compared with 88 percent of the Top 50 and 78 percent of the bottom quarter of respondents.
All 10 of them offer dependent-care benefits for childcare or eldercare, compared with 96 percent of the Top 50 and 84 percent of the bottom quarter of respondents.
All 10 of them offer domestic-partner benefits for same-sex partners, as do all the Top 50 and 80 percent of the bottom quarter of respondents. The Human Rights Campaign reports 49 percent of U.S. companies offer these benefits.
All 10 of them, as well as all the Top 50 and all the bottom quarter of respondents, have nondiscrimination policies that include sexual orientation. The Human Rights Campaign reports 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies and 63 percent of all companies offer this as well.
All 10 of them have employee-resource groups, compared with 94 percent of the Top 50 and 80 percent of the bottom quarter of respondents. All 10 of them use these groups for recruitment, compared with 96 percent of the Top 50 and 78 percent of the bottom quarter of respondents. A senior executive is a member of the group at nine out of these 10 companies, compared with 85 percent of the Top 50 and 70 percent of the bottom quarter of respondents.
Two of these top 10 (20 percent) track businesses owned by gays and lesbians in their supplier-diversity database, compared with 13 percent of the Top 50 and 5.7 percent of the bottom quarter of respondents.

Here are the Top 10 Companies for GLBT Employees:

No. 1: Xerox

Also No. 4 on the Top 10 Companies for African Americans list and one of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies.

A longtime national leader of GLBT issues, Xerox tracks gay-and-lesbian businesses in its supplier-diversity database, includes sexual orientation as well as gender identity in its published EEO statement and boasts of GLBT awards in the employment section of its Web site. The company has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 2: JPMorgan Chase

Also No. 11 on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list, No. 3 in the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, No. 6 in the Top 10 Companies for Latinos and No. 3 in the Top 10 Companies for Executive Women.

Also a long-time national leader, the bank's supplier-diversity page includes its certification by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. It has emphasized its desire to reach gay and lesbian borrowers and its nondiscrimination policy includes gender identity. The company has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 3: AT&T

Also No. 4 in the Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention, No. 4 in the Top 10 Companies for Executive Women, No. 4 in the Top 10 Companies for Latinos, No. 5 in the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, No. 2 on the Top 10 Companies for African Americans list and one of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies.

The company, formed by the merger of SBC Communications and AT&T, has a strong affinity group for GLBT employees and has made substantive philanthropic donations to the community. The company has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 4: Hewlett-Packard

Also No. 9 in the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, No. 1 on the Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans list, and No. 31 on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

This company has a strong Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Pride group and includes gender identity and expression on the nondiscrimination page of its Web site. The company has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 5: Bank of America

Also No. 25 on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list and No. 8 on the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity list.

With a strong GLBT-employee group, Bank of America has a long history of commitment to community. The bank has sponsored local events and the national Human Rights Campaign dinner for several years. It also has financially helped with Pride celebrations and LGBT expositions. A PRIDE credit card returns income to community organizations.

No. 6: Ernst & Young

Also No. 24 on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

The accounting giant has an active GLBT-affinity group and has made substantive philanthropic contributions to such groups as the LA Gay & Lesbian Center and Out & Equal. The firm has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 7: SunTrust Banks

Also No. 28 on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

The bank has sponsored Gay Pride events to show its community support and strongly emphasizes gender identity and no discrimination based on orientation. The bank has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 8: Deloitte

The accounting firm, which recently conducted a national survey of the GLBT community with Lambda Legal, long has been an advocate of equality in the workplace regardless of orientation or gender identity.

No. 9: Cingular Wireless

Also No. 15 on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list, No. 2 on the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities list, No. 1 on the Top 10 Companies for Latinos and No. 9 in the Top 10 Companies for Executive Women.

With a strong GLBT-employee group, GLBT-Pride, the company has been recognized by The Advocate and other gay-and-lesbian organizations for its support.

No. 10: Safeco