Today Symantec joins a consortium of 12 major businesses with 1.4 million employees across more than 190 countries committing to uphold LGBT workplace protections abroad.
The inaugural members of the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) global corporate coalition collectively employ nearly 1.4 million people across more than 190 countries and have a combined annual revenue of nearly $550 billion. Together, they have committed to safeguarding workplace fairness and equality for LGBT employees across their global operations.
“We are proud to bring together some of the world's largest companies to advance LGBT equality around the globe,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “These corporate leaders, which employ 1.4 million employees worldwide, understand that equality, inclusion, and engagement are pivotal to business success. Today, they are sending a resounding message that LGBT people are valued, they are equal, and they deserve a fair chance to earn a living and provide for their families no matter where they live."
The twelve founding members of the coalition are: Accenture, AT&T, CA Technologies, The Coca-Cola Company, Destination Weddings Travel Group, Google, IBM, Microsoft Corp., Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, Procter & Gamble, Replacements, Ltd., and Symantec Corp.
The business case for LGBT inclusion has strong momentum, spurred by U.S.-based multinationals across the Fortune 500, a majority of which afford explicit protections on the basis of sexual orientation (89%) and gender identity (66%). The trend toward LGBT-inclusive corporate policies is growing in the Americas, East Asia, Australia, and in Europe.
Yet the global landscape for the social and economic inclusion of the LGBT community remains a patchwork of extremes-- from progressive countries leading on matters of equality to nations implementing laws rolling back basic LGBT rights.
In addition to implementing LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination statements and codes of conduct for their global operations, these founding members--as well as those who join the coalition in the coming months and years--will have the opportunity to work with HRC and advance LGBT equality in the workplace in a number of ways. This includes hosting LGBT workplace inclusion summits in international markets, forming LGBT employee resource groups (ERGs), and amplifying the powerful business case for LGBT equality around the world. Some companies may also engage in public policy advocacy on LGBT issues, and work collaboratively with NGO and civil society groups to bolster in-country efforts to make progress on LGBT rights.
“This is a matter of fundamental fairness. As the world’s largest cybersecurity company, Symantec unequivocally supports everyone’s right to feel safe and secure, including full and equal rights for the global LGBT community. We won't stop developing ways to foster an open and safe environment for all of our employees around the world, and we look forward to the day when we can celebrate genuine inclusion for all.” – Symantec Corp.
Read the full announcement here:
Cecily Joseph is Symantec's VP, Corporate Responsibility and Chief Diversity Officer