Carlisle, Pa.-based The Giant Co. received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index.
The benchmarking survey and report measures corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality, according to a news release. LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or sometimes questioning) and others. The “plus” is for gender identities and sexual orientations not covered by the other five initials, such as asexual and non-binary, according to VeryWellMind, a wellness online publication.
This is the fourth year The Giant Co. earned a top score. The company joins more than 840 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year.
“Each and every team member makes us the brand that we are, and this distinction again highlights our ongoing commitment to creating a workplace culture of inclusion and belonging,” Matt Lutcavage, The Giant Co. vice president of team experience, said in the release. “We are real people serving real people, which is why at The Giant Co., everyone is respected, valued, heard and welcomed just the way we are.”
Part of the Ahold Delhaize USA, The Giant Co. has 190 stores and more than150 online pickup hubs and grocery delivery service in hundreds of zip codes across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and New Jersey. Banners include Giant, Martin’s, Giant Heirloom Market, Giant Direct and Martin’s Direct.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation created the Corporate Equality Index 20 years ago.
“… we dreamed that LGBTQ+ workers—from the factory floor to corporate headquarters, in big cities and small towns—could have access to the policies and benefits needed to thrive and live life authentically,” Jay Brown, the campaign’s senior vice president of programs, research and training, said in the release.
Brown congratulated The Giant Co. for achieving the title of “best places to work for LGBTQ+ equality” and working to advance inclusion in the workplace.”
The results of the 2022 CEI showcase how 1,271 U.S.-based companies are not only promoting LGBTQ+-friendly workplace policies in the U.S., but also for the 56% of CEI-rated companies with global operations who are helping advance the cause of LGBTQ+ inclusion in workplaces abroad. The GIANTCompany’s efforts in satisfying all the CEI’s criteria earned a 100% ranking and the designation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality.
In 2002, the first year of the Corporate Equality Index, 13 companies achieved a top score. This year’s index reflects growth across every measurement category, from the adoption of inclusive non-discrimination policies to equitable health care benefits for transgender employees.
Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.
The index rates companies with criteria using 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 is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.
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