IKEA U.S. Earns 100% in the HRC Corporate Equality Index for 6th Consecutive Year
IKEA Retail U.S. earns a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s annual assessment of LGBTQ workplace equality
January 29, 2021 – IKEA Retail U.S. proudly announced that it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. IKEA.U.S. joins the ranks of 767 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year.
“We are honored to receive this recognition for the sixth consecutive year and remain committed to creating an inclusive and equitable experience for our LGBT+ co-workers,” said Rafael Fantauzzi, Country Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Officer, IKEA Retail U.S. “As a humanistic and values-driven company, we work hard every day to ensure that IKEA is a workplace where all our co-workers feel valued, respected and supported through comprehensive employment benefits and engagement activities. We are proud to extend our efforts externally through our advocacy efforts as an ally to the LGBT+ community.”
“From the previously unimaginable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to a long overdue reckoning with racial injustice, 2020 was an unprecedented year. Yet, many businesses across the nation stepped up and continued to prioritize and champion LGBTQ equality,” said Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign President. “This year has shown us that tools like the CEI are crucial in the work to increase equity and inclusion in the workplace, but also that companies must breathe life into these policies and practices in real and tangible ways. Thank you to the companies that understand protecting their LGBTQ employees and consumers from discrimination is not just the right thing to do—but the best business decision.”
The results of the 2021 CEI showcase not only how 1,142 U.S.-based companies are promoting LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies in the U.S., but also how 57% of CEI-rated companies with global operations are helping advance the cause of LGBTQ inclusion in workplaces abroad. The efforts made by IKEA in the U.S. earned a 100 percent ranking and the designation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.
The CEI rates employers providing these crucial protections to over 18 million U.S. workers and an additional 17 million abroad. Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms (AmLaw 200) and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.
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 is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.