Two of Chattanooga’s biggest companies are among only seven businesses in Tennessee to earn top grades for promoting inclusive policies and practices for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) workers.
Unum Corp., the world’s biggest disability insurer, and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, the state’s biggest health insurer, each earned top scores of 100 from the Human Right Campaign Foundation in the group’s annual assessment of U.S. businesses.
In the most rigorous assessment of LGBTQ-inclusive workplace policies and practices to date, a record 680 companies have been designated a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the HRC Foundation for their efforts in satisfying all of the criteria studied, earning them a 100% rating. Both Unum and BlueCross have established employee resource groups to aid minorities, women, gay workers and others at their work sites.
“The HRC benchmark evolves annually, which helps us measure our efforts against national best practices,” said Lee Reece, promotions and events consultant and the U.S. lead for Unum’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group. “We’re on an important journey to make sure our workforce is inclusive and supportive of all, and represents the diversity of our customers.”
In addition to the employee support groups, Unum also has added domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples and health care coverage for procedures related to gender transition and established equal opportunity employment and anti-harassment policies, company spokeswoman Kelly Spencer said.