INL News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 22, 2022
NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:
Julie Ulrich, 208-520-1139, julie.ulrich@inl.gov
Sarah Neumann, 208-526-0490, sarah.neumann@inl.gov
Idaho National Laboratory has received a score of 95% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index. This is the third straight year the laboratory has earned that score. Measuring corporate policies and practices, the index, now 20 years old, is the nation’s top benchmarking survey and report related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Battelle Energy Alliance was among 1,271 major U.S. businesses that ranked in 2022.
“Idaho National Laboratory is well-known for its scientific research and nuclear reactors, but this score proves that we care just as much about the people who work here as the projects we manage,” said Carol Mascareñas, INL’s director of Environment, Safety, Quality & Health. “Without our employees. INL would just be a facility. We want the best people working at INL and are committed to creating policies that eliminate discrimination and create an inclusive work environment for anyone interested in helping us change the future of energy and research.”
The CEI rates employers providing crucial protections to over 20 million U.S. workers and an additional 18 million outside the U.S. The CEI rates companies on the following four criteria:
- Nondiscrimination policies across business entities
- Equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families
- Supporting an inclusive culture
- Corporate social responsibility
This year’s index reflects growth across every measurement category, from the adoption of inclusive nondiscrimination policies to equitable health care benefits for transgender employees.
“We are really proud of the score we received on the Corporate Equality Index,” said Tiffany Leavitt, business division director of INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex. “We work hard to make sure our employment practices reflect our values and that we are continuously recommitting to equality in the workplace. We have a growing workforce at INL, and with that comes responsibility. We must support our employees, and there’s no better way than to pledge inclusivity and belonging.”
Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms, and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.
“When the Human Rights Campaign Foundation created the Corporate Equality Index 20 years ago, we dreamed that LGBTQ+ workers – from the factory floor to corporate headquarters, in big cities and small towns – could have access to the policies and benefits needed to thrive and live life authentically,” said Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign senior vice president of Programs, Research and Training. “We are proud that the Corporate Equality Index paved the way to that reality for countless LGBTQ+ workers in America and abroad. But there is still more to do, which is why we are raising the bar yet again to create more equitable workplaces and a better tomorrow for LGBTQ+ workers everywhere.”
