L’Oréal USA has scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI).
Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organisation, compiles the index annually as a “national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees”.
The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under five broad categories:
- Non-discrimination policies
- Employment benefits
- Demonstrated organisational competency and accountability around LGBTQ diversity and inclusion
- Public commitment to LGBTQ equality
- Responsible citizenship
This year, a record-breaking 609 businesses earned the CEI’s top score of 100, an 18 percent increase from 517 last year.
L’Oréal Luxe USA president Xavier Vey said the company is proud to promote diversity in all forms, “as creative self-expression and acceptance” are the core of its business.
“The unique perspectives, voices and contributions of our workforce are what distinguish L’Oréal and drive some of our most innovative products and ideas,” he said.
“We are committed to making beauty accessible to everyone and will continue to make progress on this issue and be a leader in the industry.”
In addition to receiving its perfect score on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, L’Oréal USA has taken additional steps to support the LGBTQ community in recent years, including:
- Launching several employee-driven Think Tanks focused on various dimensions of workforce diversity, including OUT@L’Oréal, which advances initiatives that protect LGBTQ rights and promote wellbeing across the company.
- Partnering with the Ali Forney Centre (an organisation that protects LGBTQ youth from the harms of homelessness) for an LGBTQ Career and Education Panel engaging employees during L’Oréal USA’s annual Volunteer Day.
- Achieving a Top 20 ranking in the 2016 Thompson Reuters Diversity & Inclusion Index, an index measuring the corporate performance of 5000 companies worldwide against multiple factors that define diverse and inclusive workplaces.
Angela Guy, senior vice president of diversity & inclusion at L’Oréal USA, said the company is focused on highlighting the value of all forms of beauty “while respecting and reflecting the differences of our evolving society”.
“In celebration of our customers and workforce, we prioritise inclusion and engagement efforts with people from diverse backgrounds and communities, both internally and externally,” she said.
“We are making great strides in our efforts to champion the LGBTQ community and we are honoured that HRC has recognised the magnitude of the work we have done thus far.”
Launched in 2002, the CEI assesses LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices at Fortune 500 companies.
According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’, CEI-rated companies have dramatically expanded their support for transgender workers in recent years.
“When the CEI launched, just three percent of Fortune 500 companies had non-discrimination protections that included gender identity. Today, that number is 83 percent.”