Grant Thornton earns top marks in 2021 Corporate Equality Index

Grant Thornton earns 100% on Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s annual assessment of LGBTQ+ workplace equality

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the fifth straight year, Grant Thornton LLP received a score of 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Grant Thornton joins the ranks of more than 760 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year.

“It’s an honor to receive a perfect Corporate Equality Index rating for the fifth consecutive year,” said Rashada Whitehead, Grant Thornton’s head of culture, diversity, equity and inclusion. “Grant Thornton recognizes the power of honoring our collective human experience and the attributes that make us who we are, including gender identity and sexual orientation. Our firm is committed to cultivating an environment where our professionals feel a true sense of belonging. This is part of our pledge to our broader community.”

The results of the 2021 CEI showcase how more than 1,100 U.S.-based companies are not only promoting workplace policies friendly to LGBTQ+ interests in the U.S., but also for the 57% of CEI-rated companies with global operations who are helping advance the cause of LGBTQ+ inclusion in workplaces abroad. Grant Thornton’s efforts in satisfying all of the CEI’s criteria earned a 100% ranking and the designation as one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.”

The CEI rates employers providing these crucial protections to more than 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
• Corporate social responsibility

“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.”

For more information on the 2021 Corporate Equality Index, visit www.hrc.org/cei. To learn more about Grant Thornton’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, read the firm’s 2020 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report.

About Human Rights Campaign Foundation
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.

About Grant Thornton LLP
Founded in Chicago in 1924, Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd, one of the world’s leading organizations of independent audit, tax and advisory firms. Grant Thornton, which has revenues of $1.92 billion and operates more than 50 offices, works with a broad range of dynamic publicly and privately held companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and civic and religious organizations.

“Grant Thornton” refers to Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL). GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one another’s acts or omissions. Please see grantthornton.com for further details.