GT earns top marks in 2022 Corporate Equality Index

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

CHICAGO — For the sixth straight year, Grant Thornton LLP received a score of 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 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 840 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year.

“Receiving a perfect Corporate Equality Index rating for the sixth year in a row is both an honor and affirmation that we are moving in the right direction,” said Rashada Whitehead, Grant Thornton’s national managing director of culture, immersion & inclusion. “At Grant Thornton, we are committed to fostering an environment in which inclusion is a way of life. This requires consistency, tenacious care, and the courage to evaluate and do things differently, when needed. Every person deserves to feel safe, respected and included. Our professionals play an instrumental role in influencing the policies and procedures that ensure we continue to cultivate a community where they feel valued and know they belong.”

The results of the 2022 CEI showcase how 1,271 U.S.-based companies are not only promoting LGBTQ+-friendly workplace policies in the U.S., but also for the 56% 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 20 million U.S. workers and an additional 18 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

“When the Human Rights Campaign Foundation created the Corporate Equality Index 20 years ago, we dreamed that LGBTQ+ workers — from the factory floor to corporate headquarters, in big cities and small towns — could have access to the policies and benefits needed to thrive and live life authentically,” said Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign senior vice president of Programs, Research and Training. “We are proud that the Corporate Equality Index paved the way to that reality for countless LGBTQ+ workers in America and abroad. But there is still more to do, which is why we are raising the bar yet again to create more equitable workplaces and a better tomorrow for LGBTQ+ workers everywhere. Congratulations to Grant Thornton for achieving the title of ‘best places to work for LGBTQ+ equality’ and working to advance inclusion in the workplace.”

As part of its ongoing commitment to inclusion, Grant Thornton has also signed on to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act — the largest business coalition of more than 500 U.S. corporations to come together in support of legal LGBTQ+ equality.

For more information on the 2022 Corporate Equality Index, visit www.hrc.org/cei. To learn more about Grant Thornton’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, visit www.grantthornton.com/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion.

About Human Rights Campaign Foundation

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Through its programs, the HRC Foundation seeks to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people, shedding light on inequity and deepening the public’s understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, with a clear focus on advancing transgender and racial justice. Its work has transformed the landscape for more than 15 million workers, 11 million students, 1 million clients in the adoption and foster care system and so much more. The HRC Foundation provides direct consultation and technical assistance to institutions and communities, driving the advancement of inclusive policies and practices; it builds the capacity of future leaders and allies through fellowship and training programs; and, with the firm belief that we are stronger working together, it forges partnerships with advocates in the U.S. and around the globe to increase our impact and shape the future of our work.

About Grant Thornton LLP

Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is one of America’s largest providers of audit and assurance, tax and advisory services — and the U.S. member firm of the Grant Thornton International Ltd global network. We go beyond the expected to make business more personal and build trust into every result. With revenues of $2.4 billion for the fiscal year that ended July 31, 2023, and almost 50 offices nationwide, Grant Thornton is a community of more than 9,000 problem solvers who value relationships and are ready to help organizations of all sizes and industries create more confident futures. Because, for us, how we serve matters as much as what we do.

“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.