Aramark Receives Equality 100 Award from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Company Scores 100 on Annual LGBTQ+ Workplace Equality Scorecard

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), a global leader in hospitality and facilities services, proudly announced it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the premiere benchmarking tool for U.S. businesses in the evolving field of LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace. This is the ninth consecutive year Aramark has been recognized by the HRC.

“Aramark is honored to once again be recognized by the Human Rights Campaign for achieving a score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index,” said Fenimore Fisher, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Aramark. “We are proud of the options that now exists for our LGBTQ+ employees to self-identify. We maintain our commitment to create equity by increasing access to opportunities for all our employees, inclusive of their sexual/romantic orientation and gender identity. We are enabling a culture of inclusion, where everyone can feel safe to bring their whole self to work.”

“For well over two decades, businesses have played an important role in furthering LGBTQ+ equality by centering employee needs and voices when it comes to workplace inclusion,” said RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, Human Rights Campaign Sr Director of Workplace Equality. “While there is much more work to be done, year-over-year growth in CEI participation is evidence of a business community that recognizes the responsibility and value in upholding equity and inclusion.”

The results of the 2023-2024 CEI showcase how U.S.-based companies are promoting LGBTQ+ friendly workplace policies in the U.S. and abroad. The first year of the CEI included 319 participants, and the 2023-2024 CEI now includes 1,384 participants; further demonstrating the tremendous trajectory of the CEI, a record-breaking 1,340 businesses have non-discrimination protections specific to gender identity, up from just 17 in 2002. These critical non-discrimination protections cover 21 million employees in the U.S. and around the globe. Aramark’s efforts in satisfying all the CEI’s criteria earned a score of 100 and the designation as recipient of the Equality 100 Award: Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion.

Aramark’s commitment to people is a core part of the company’s environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) platform, Be Well. Do Well., focused on positively impacting people and the planet. Aramark’s DEI-focused workplace goal is to create a culture of community and inclusion through the work and continued global expansion of its employee resource groups and allyship network, capability building, and meaningful management engagement with employees.

In June, Aramark launched its first campaign to encourage all employees to voluntarily self-identify internally. The campaign goals included helping the company better understand its LGBTQ+ population, inform DEI strategy and continue to measure veterans and employees with disabilities in the company’s workforce. Aramark also continues to highlight its “Pronouns Matter” training, to educate employees on inclusive language and its importance in gender identity and expression. To date, more than 2,500 employees have utilized the resources or updated their pronouns in e-signature and business cards. These achievements support the work done year-round by Aramark Pride, the company’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group, that aims to create a more supportive, inclusive, and equitable space for employees, clients, customers, colleagues, friends, and family members.

Aramark’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts have also been recognized by many notable organizations including BLACK ENTERPRISE, CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine, the Civic 50, the Disability Equality Index, Fair360 (formerly known as DiversityInc), FORTUNE, and Newsweek.

About Aramark 
Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) proudly serves the world’s leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, prominent healthcare providers, iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous municipalities in 15 countries around the world with food and facilities management. Because of our hospitality culture, our employees strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and the planet. Aramark has been recognized on FORTUNE’s list of “World’s Most Admired Companies,” DiversityInc’s “Top 50 Companies for Diversity” and “Top Companies for Supplier Diversity,” Newsweek’s list of “America’s Most Responsible Companies 2023,” the HRC’s “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality,” and scored 100% on the Disability Equality Index. Learn more at www.aramark.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Instagram.