CEI 2O12
how we obtain the information
If a business was found to have a connection with an anti-LGBT organization or activity, the HRC Foundation contacted the business and provided an opportunity to respond and ensure, to the best of its ability, that no such action would occur in the future. Businesses unwilling to do so are penalized 25 points from their overall rating through Criterion 5.
Non-Responders: Official and Unofficial Ratings
The HRC Foundation may rate businesses that have not submitted a survey this year if the business had submitted a survey in previous years and the information is determined to be accurate, or if the HRC Foundation has obtained sufficient information to provide an individual rating. In both cases, the HRC Foundation notifies the business of the rating and asks for any updates or clarification. A total of 1,737 received invitations to take part in the survey. zz Of that number, 481 submitted surveys, and 636 were officially rated. Last year,
a total of 1,567 businesses were sent invitations, 477 submitted surveys and 618 were rated. zz Thirty-six businesses participated for the first time this year, increasing the total number of rated businesses. The HRC Foundation has spotlighted those Fortune 500 companies that, after repeated invitations, have never responded to the annual CEI survey. These 214 Fortune 500 companies are noted in grey in Appendix B and C along with unofficial CEI ratings.
HRC Foundation commends those employers that have committed to work towards equality through the public and transparent process of the CEI survey and we invite these 214 companies to do the same. In total, the CEI 2012 officially rates 277 Fortune 500 businesses, 65 Fortune 1000 businesses, 134 AmLaw 200 firms and 160 additional major businesses. An additional 214 Fortune 500 businesses have unofficial ratings, bringing the total to 850 rated businesses. Findings in the following sections are based on the 636 officially rated businesses.
l Percentage of the 850 rated employers
participating in the CEI (636)
l Percentage of the 850 rated employers who are non-responders,
A Note About Ratings
18
with unofficial ratings (214)
This being the first year of the new criteria evaluation system, all ratings are listed as current without a listing of previous years’ rankings to better convey the progress achieved under the new standard rather than a comparison to former years’ activities.
c o r p o r at e e q ua l i t y i n d e x 2 O 1 2
www.hrc.org/cei