A successful diversity and inclusion campaign creates a welcoming space for everyone. While data suggests the corporate and academic landscape is improving, more needs to be done for the LGBTQ community. 

It’s estimated that up to half of transgender and non-binary employees feel forced to hide their identity at work. A wide-scale study in the UK found that up to a third of LGBTQ+ scientists have considered quitting their jobs due to discrimination.

It can be hard to discern a company’s true commitment to inclusion — but a new online tool hopes to eliminate the guesswork.

It’s called the LGBTQ100 ESG Index. On Wednesday, it unveiled a list of 100 U.S.-based companies that are committed to LGBTQ inclusion.

“By announcing the 100 corporations included in the LGBTQ100 ESG Index, investors and consumers can embrace transparent insight into the corporations that implement diversity and inclusion best practices at the highest level, which are not only doing well but are outperforming the marketplace,” Bobby Blair, CEO of LBGTQ Loyalty, said in a statement.

VIDEO: Supporting LGBTQ colleagues

The Index is run by LGBTQ Loyalty Holdings Inc., described on its website as a “financial methodology and media company that quantifies corporate equality alignment with the LGBTQ community and its supporters.”

The company says its index can be used as a tool to help the public invest in companies that advance LGBTQ rights.

“The … LGBTQ100 ESG Index is an environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) Index, offering an added perspective for those seeking to align with equality-driven ESG responsible corporations,” the company says on its website.

“LGBTQ Loyalty’s leadership includes seasoned authorities in the financial industry and the LGBTQ community.”

The top ten

The full list can be found here, but the top ten companies on the index include:

  • NortonLifeLock, Inc.
  • Amazon.com, Inc.
  •  Apple, Inc.
  • Microsoft Corporation
  •  Visa Inc. 
  •  JP Morgan Chase & Co.
  •  Mastercard Incorporated 
  • The Coca-Cola Company
  •  Salesforce.com, Inc.
  • Alphabet Inc. 

“This is a monumental Index milestone for the advancement of equality in Corporate America,” said Kevin Hopper, Chief Product Officer at LGBTQ Loyalty.

“The LGTBQ100 ESG Index is the first to incorporate direct input from the LGBTQ community into its Index methodology and constituent selection process, and we extend our congratulations to all of the companies included.”

Diversity trackers can be a useful tool

Job-hunting can be a stressful process, and it can be even more difficult for minority workers who also have to consider harassment, exclusion, and other forms of discrimination when choosing where to work.

More and more, online trackers are popping up to guide employees in the right direction.

Recent examples include the LCDA Tracker, an online database launched on February 20 by the Latino Corporate Directors Association. It lists U.S.-based Fortune 1000 companies and provides a star-based rating for each one, based on the number of Latino/as serving on the organization’s board.

The Valuable 500 is a tool aimed at disabled workers. Launched in January 2019 at the World Economic Forum assembly in Davos, Switzerland, the initiative is asking the CEOs of 500 companies to add disability inclusion to their agendas.

So far, more than 250 companies have signed on — all of which are tracked on the Valuable website.