VMLY&R Receives Perfect Score in Human Rights Campaign’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index

VMLY&R proudly announced it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the largest LGBTQ civil rights organization in the U.S. HRC’s annual Corporate Equality Index is a rigorous examination of an organization and its practices. To achieve a perfect score, companies must have fully inclusive equal employment opportunity policies, provide equal employment benefits, demonstrate their commitment to equality publicly and exercise responsible citizenship.

“Equality and inclusion are critical cornerstones of our business,” said Jon Cook, Global CEO of VMLY&R. “We are incredibly honored to receive a 100 percent score on the Human Right Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index – it represents a celebration of the values we work to engrain in every aspect of our agency, from how we operate to how we behave. Additionally, we are committed to collaborating with our brand partners to create authentic and inclusive work.”

“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 how 1,142 U.S.-based companies are not only promoting LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies 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. VMLY&R’s efforts in satisfying all of the CEI’s criteria 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.

About The 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.