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Corporate Equality Index: Rating Criteria 3.0 (2011-)

Launched in 2002, the HRC Foundation's Corporate Equality Index has become a roadmap and benchmarking tool for U.S. businesses in the evolving field of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in the workplace. The HRC Foundation is committed to keeping the criteria for the CEI rigorous, fair and transparent by identifying emerging best practices that improve the experiences of LGBT employees of participating businesses. Equally important, we are committed to providing the resources and consultation that enable each business to attain a 100 percent rating.

These pages explain the newest, third iteration of the criteria for the CEI — known as CEI 3.0 — as well as the resources the HRC Foundation currently provides or is developing to support participating businesses' efforts to meet the new criteria. The new criteria will go into effect for the Corporate Equality Index 2012 Survey and Report issued in calendar year 2011.

The CEI criteria apply to business operations throughout the United States, including wholly-owned subsidiaries. Most businesses are rated based on their responses to the CEI survey which must be accurate to the best of the employer's ability, requiring education and understanding by benefits, human resources, legal and other professionals. Supporting documentation is required for certain criteria, but only the first time an employer seeks credit for these criteria and not in subsequent surveys. However, HRC may request additional information or documentation at any time to clarify potential discrepancies with survey answers.

Rating Criteria 3.0

Underlined text indicates new or revised criteria.
  1. Equal employment opportunity policy includes:
    1. Gender identity or expression
    2. Sexual orientation
  2. Employment benefits
    1. Equivalent spousal and partner benefits –and–
      Spousal benefits encompass state-recognized same-sex spouses, partners and civil unions (more info)
    2. Transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage following WPATH Standards of Care (more info)
  3. Organizational LGBT competency
    1. Competency training, resources or accountability measures (more info)
    2. Employee group –or–
      Diversity council
    3. Engagement and diversity metrics (more info)
  4. Public commitment
    External LGBT-specific efforts, including at least three of the following: recruiting, supplier diversity, marketing or advertising, philanthropy or public support for legal LGBT equality (more info)
  5. Responsible citizenship
    No known activity that would undermine LGBT equality

Point Allocations

Businesses are rated on a scale from 0 to 100, with a certain number of points awarded for meeting each criterion. The HRC Foundation will continue to award partial credit to employers that have satisfied a portion of certain criterion. The point allocation will be announced by March 31, 2010.

Key Dates

Following the typical CEI schedule, the following timeline is expected to apply. With the exception of benefits deadlines, all dates are subject to modification:

2009

  • Mar. 31: CEI 2010 Survey released to participants (includes clearly marked questions that will count toward the current and/or the new criteria).
  • Sep. 1: CEI 2010 Report released to public with current criteria and additional "screens" indicating which businesses have met portions of the new criteria (the first screen, introduced in the CEI 2009 Report, indicated which employers had made transgender-inclusive insurance available).

2010

  • Mar. 31: CEI 2011 Survey released to participants (includes clearly marked questions that will count toward the current and/or the new criteria).
    Point allocations for new criteria will be announced. Participants will receive preliminary rating evaluations under the current and new criteria upon survey submission.
  • Sep. 1: CEI 2011 Report released to public with current criteria and additional "screens" indicating which businesses have met portions of the new criteria.

2011

  • Mar.31: CEI 2012 Survey released to participants (includes clearly marked questions that will count toward the new criteria only).
    Participants will receive preliminary rating evaluations using new criteria only.
  • Jun. 30: CEI 2012 Survey must be submitted to HRC Foundation by the end of June.
  • Jul. 29: Participants must demonstrate that all new non-benefits criteria have been met and that all new benefits criteria will be met by Jan. 1, 2012. (Benefits must be announced to employees before report is released.)
  • Sep. 1: CEI 2012 Report released to public with new criteria only.

2012

  • Jan. 1: Because benefits typically operate on an annual cycle, all benefits changes must be effective by Jan. 1, 2012.

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Corporate Equality Index
About Benefits
About Transgender-Inclusive Health Insurance
About Domestic Partner Benefits