The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released the 2012 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) and, because of more stringent ranking criteria, 148 fewer companies than last year scored 100 percent, according to Advocate.com .
The index uses more rigorous criteria that considers philanthropic support and health care coverage for transgender employees alongside longtime factors such as equal employment benefits.
According to a press release, among this year's report's findings are that:
—While the inclusion of sexual orientation in non-discrimination policies has become a standard since 2002, the addition of gender identity is now part of the policies of 50 percent of Fortune 500 companies for the first time, a growth rate of 1567 percent since 2002;
—The number of Fortune 500 companies offering domestic-partnership benefits has increased by 76 percent since 2002; and
—The greatest strides have come in area of transgender-inclusive healthcare coverage. As a result of new criteria instituted by HRC this year that is a requisite to a perfect score, the number of companies offering comprehensive healthcare coverage to their transgender workers has increased to 207 (from 85 last year and 49 in 2009).
Among the local companies that scored 100 are A.T. Kearney Inc., Aon Corp., Baker & McKenzie LLP, BMO Bankcorp Inc., Chapman and Cutler LLP, Exelon Corp., Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Hyatt Hotels Corp., Jenner & Block LLP, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Kraft Foods Inc., McErmott Will & Emery LLP, MillerCoors LLC, Navigant Consulting Inc., Northern Trust Corp., Orbitz Worldwide Inc., Schiff Hardin LLP, Sears Holdings Corp., Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Sidley Austin LLP, United Continental Holdings Inc. and Winston & Strawn LLP.
Other national businesses that achieved a perfect score include Xerox Corp., Yahoo! Inc., Best Buy Co., eBay Inc. and Gap Inc.
A total of 850 businesses have been rated in the 2012 CEI, including the entire Fortune 500. Two-hundred seventy-seven Fortune 500 companies voluntarily submitted surveys; the remaining 214 were rated based upon publicly available data.
The report is at www.hrc.org .
