For the second consecutive year, the BAT Group’s U.S. subsidiary Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) and its operating companies scored 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a prominent benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality.
“Across every aspect of our business, we boldly embrace diversity as a key pillar of our ethos,” Our organization is rich with talent, and everyone is encouraged to be their authentic selves as we work to build ‘A Better Tomorrow,’” said Guy Meldrum, RAI president and CEO, in a statement.
Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms, and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid-sized 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.
“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.”