Achieves 100 percent on the 2021 Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s annual assessment of LGBTQ workplace equality
Originally published on TIAA.org.
TIAA (No. 9 on the 2020 Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list), a leading provider of financial services, received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI). This is the 10th consecutive year that TIAA has earned this honor for its inclusive workplace culture.
The CEI is the nation’s premiere benchmarking survey and report which measures corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality.
In 2020, TIAA launched transgender and gender non-conforming workplace standards with the goal of ensuring the safety, comfort and healthy development of transgender or gender non-conforming employees while maximizing workplace integration and minimizing stigmatization. With the growth of the transgender community, this policy supports emerging workforce needs for future generations including Millennials, Gen Z’s and Gen Alphas.
“Our nation has experienced discrimination and injustices for far too long, but at the root of our company we have prioritized and championed for respect, safety and belonging,” said Corie Pauling, Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at TIAA. “We’re committed to fostering an environment where our associates can be their full selves and are supported to share differing views and perspectives.”
TIAA’s policy outlines the company’s position on associate protections, as well as its respect for their privacy, gender pronoun of choice, restroom accessibility and work attire for the gender of their choosing.
TIAA joins the ranks of 767 U.S. businesses that earned top marks this year for fulfilling all of the index’s criteria. The results of the 2021 CEI reveal that these U.S.-based companies are promoting LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies in the U.S. Additionally, more than half of the CEI-rated companies with global operations are helping advance the cause of LGBTQ inclusion in workplaces abroad.
The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars:
- Non-discrimination policies across business entities;
- Equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers and their families;
- Supporting an inclusive culture; and,
- Corporate social responsibility.
The full report and list of companies designated are available online here.