Xylem Earns Top Marks For Equality From Human Rights Campaign

Xylem has announced it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index, the U.S. benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Xylem is one of 767 U.S. businesses that earned top marks this year.

“At Xylem, our values of respect, responsibility, integrity, and creativity provide the foundation for our company and go to the heart of how we conduct ourselves each day," said Claudia Toussaint, Xylem’s chief sustainability officer and general counsel in the press release. "We view diversity, equity and inclusion as powerful enablers in our mission to solve water, fostering the vibrant exchange of ideas that fuels our culture of innovation and unites our global team."

The results of the 2021 CEI showcase how U.S.-based companies are not only promoting LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies in the U.S., but also – for the 57% of CEI-rated companies with global operations – helping advance the cause of LGBTQ inclusion in workplaces around the world. Xylem’s efforts in satisfying all of the CEI’s criteria earned a 100% rating and designation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality, according to the press release.

The CEI rates employers providing these crucial protections to over 18 million U.S. workers and an additional 17 million abroad. Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses 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; and,
Corporate social responsibility.

“From the previously unimaginable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to a long overdue reckoning with racial injustice, 2020 was an unprecedented year," said Alphonso David, human rights campaign president. "Yet, many businesses across the nation stepped up and continued to prioritize and champion LGBTQ equality."

The full report is available here.