For the fifth consecutive year, we are honored to be recognized as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality” and to have earned a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI).
The 2018 CEI specifically rated us on our non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, diversity competency programs and public engagement with the LGBTQ community. The CEI is a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) workplace equality, administered by the HRC.
Our PRIDE (Promoting Respect in Diverse Environments) employee resource group is at the center of our internal LGBTQ initiatives and also serves as our external liaison for community outreach. This year, PRIDE celebrated its 10th anniversary, and during our 2017 ERG Experience week (an annual event dedicated to engaging the organization in the value of employee resource groups), associates in Colombia and Mexico expanded PRIDE’s global reach by launching two local chapters. This brings the total count across the company to 12 chapters globally.
“Our PRIDE chapter leads, allies and members have been integral to helping us advance as a company in these and so many other crucial improvements to our culture and operations,” said Andrew McCaskill, SVP, Global Communications and Multicultural Marketing and PRIDE executive sponsor. “Whether it’s pushing for internal changes or collaborating with leading LGBTQ rights organizations, our greatest strength in developing an atmosphere of inclusion has been the passion of our dedicated associates and the support of our global executive leaders.”
The associates who lead PRIDE in their respective markets have helped make mutually beneficial connections with rights advocacy groups around the world. Since 2008, we’ve had a philanthropic relationship with GLAAD and have supplied in-kind data services for the organization’s annual Accelerating Acceptance report, which takes an in-depth look at the state of acceptance of the LGBTQ community in the U.S. This year, we also began a collaboration with Stonewall, a U.K.-based LGBTQ rights group, and this relationship has allowed us to support efforts to increase inclusivity for LGBTQ associates outside the U.S.
Nielsen PRIDE associates were also integral in leading our engagement with WorldPride 2017, held in Madrid, Spain. The event was a 10-day celebration of the advances made toward equal LGBTQ rights, with dialogues focused on how to continue to make progress toward LGBTQ equality around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people, including a group of Nielsen associates, marched along Paseo del Prado in central Madrid as part of the event’s culminating parade. Additionally, during the WorldPride event, Nielsen’s Magda Markowska, Senior Market Research Analyst, participated in the LGBT@Work conference business networking session, where she shared her perspective on the importance of being empowered to bring her whole self to work.
PRIDE members have also worked to enhance our internal LGBTQ inclusion policies. One major advancement made this year was the addition of unique health benefits such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreP) coverage, preventative health care medication included in our employee health coverage. PreP is an anti-HIV medicine taken daily to reduce the risk of contracting HIV. The coverage of PreP, along with all requisite testing and doctor visits, is a significant advancement for LGBTQ health and will have an incredible impact on the health of our associates.
In order to truly ensure our LGBTQ associates feel accepted and empowered to be themselves at work, the support of our senior leadership is imperative. Recently, in honor of Coming Out Day on October 11, several of our senior executives from around the world including John Tavolieri, Chief Technology and Operations Officer; Pat Dodd, President, Growth Markets; and Konrad Gerszke, President, Lead Markets participated in a short video that reaffirmed our commitment to LGBTQ inclusion, presented standards for workplace behavior and defined in clear terms our diversity and inclusion philosophy and why that philosophy will produce better results for us and our clients.
“We are so pleased to receive, for five consecutive years, a perfect score on the CEI, and we attribute this success to our dedicated, conscientious and forward looking PRIDE employee resource group leaders, allies and members. The score is a reflection of Nielsen’s belief that a diverse and inclusive workforce is evidenced not just by ‘having a seat at the table;’ it is about having a voice at the table and using that voice to make impactful change within the organization,” said Angela Talton, Chief Diversity Officer.
