Awards, Ratings & Rankings

HPE Earns Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality; Earning Top Marks in 2017 Corporate Equality Index

by Amy Hanneman, Inclusion and Diversity at HPE
Feb 20, 2017 9:25 AM ET
Campaign: HPE | Our Company: Setting Bold Targets for Our Company and Leading the IT Sector in Developing Industry Standards

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I want to share a proud moment for me personally and for the great company I work for. HPE received a perfect score of 100 percent on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. This is our 15th year on the “Best Place to Work” list.

The 2017 CEI rated 1,043 businesses in the report, which evaluates LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender)-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBT community.

HPE satisfied all of the CEI’s criteria, which resulted in a 100 percent ranking and the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.

We are continually progressing our culture to be more and more inclusive each year, while also keeping up with the increasing requirements of the Human Rights Campaign index and meeting the needs of our valued employees. For example, in 2016 we successfully met new requirements for the survey, highlighting actions we’ve already taken such as:

  • Adding the terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity and expression” to our supplier code of conduct. By adding these terms we are providing critical non-discrimination protections for our communities.
  • Verifying that our charitable giving policies, as they have always been, only permit contributions to organizations that are inclusive and do not discriminate against any person or group of people.
  • Having a non-discrimination policy that is global (not just U.S. based), and a demonstration of the company’s efforts to support equality publically. Both of which we achieve easily through our global policies and our work to brand HPE as an employer of choice for all people.

Our founders, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started us down this path of inclusion and advocacy for equality. One of my favorite quotes from Dave is:

“It has always been important to Bill and me to create an environment in which people have a chance to be their best, to realize their potential, and to be recognized for their achievements.”

It’s a pleasure to see this continue as our CEO and executive committee continues to carry this forward to today.

Companies, especially global brands such as HPE, will continue to be expected to lead progressively. We believe that industry leads social change and I look forward to HPE being at the forefront.

For more information on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.

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.