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July '99 Issue
Not Fit for Print:Our Web-only edition
Resources Be a Girlfriend The Gals behind Girlfriends Contact GirlfriendsAmerica's 10 Best Lesbian Places to Work
Our survey of the Fortune 500 finds the most lesbian-friendly companies.
By Kathleen Hildenbrand
Every year Fortune magazine tallies its own list of "Best Companies to Work For," but Girlfriends decided to take it one step further. We contacted all of the Fortune 500 companies that offer domestic partner benefits, and then put them through our own test. Sure, we asked them general questions about employee benefits and workplace diversity, but we also found out what the company was like for lesbians specifically: Do they have an official policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation? Are there any out lesbians in upper management? Is there a gay and lesbian employee organization? We tallied the results, and here you have it: our first-ever list of the best companies for lesbians to work for.
| #1 |
Chase Manhattan |
% women employees | % women upper mgrs |
| 61 | 46 | ||
| Hardly the bastion of white straight masculinity that you would expect, Chase's workforce is very diverse; 40 percent are people of color, and 46 percent of upper management are women. This huge financial corporation rose to the top of our list for its strong scores across the board. In addition to shattering glass ceilings, the company offers exceptional benefits and has done its share of gay good citizenship. They're a big presence in their hometown of Houston, Texas's gay community, even sponsoring the local queer youth group. Lesbian moms take note; in addition to adoption assistance, Chase offers its own child care centers with 20 free days of emergency child care per year. | |||
| #2 | Monsanto | % women employees | % women upper mgrs |
| 38 | 27 | ||
| This St. Louis, Missouri, chemical company trusts its employees so much that they don't track employee sick days. "All of our programs are designed to be hassle-free, to trust people," explains Susan Ryan, director of diversity. Between the generous vacation package and the on-site perks such as fitness centers, take-home meals, mothers' rooms with breast pumps, and business casual dress every day, it's easy to see why workers wouldn't abuse this trust. The company's generous, easy-going spirit extends to its lesbian employees as well: "[Being lesbian] is no big deal here," says Ryan. "If someone brings their partner to a company event, there's no special notice or gossip." | |||
| #3 | Fannie Mae | % women employees | % women upper mgrs |
| 54 | 32 | ||
| A serious financial company with a whimsical name, Fannie Mae prides itself on treating its employees well. Housing assistance, full tuition benefits, and free on-site health assessments are a few of the perks that keep its employees happyonly seven percent of its workers leave voluntarily each year. Fannie Mae also earns high marks for the diversity of its workplace40 percent are people of color, and out lesbians are found in upper management. Fannie Mae also puts its money where its heart is; its charitable foundation has contributed more than $4 million to women's and gay groups, including the Mautner Project for Lesbians With Cancer. | |||
| #4 | American Express | % women employees | % women upper mgrs |
| 68 | 53 | ||
| Women rule at American Express. It's not just a figure of speechthis company has the highest percentage of women employees and managers of all the companies we surveyed. The New York City-based credit and travel services company has already received recognition from scores of other women's magazines, including Working Mother and Working Woman, but they caught our eye for their treatment of gay and lesbian employees. Staffing managers regularly participate in gay and lesbian employee meetings, the company recruits at various Pride events, and the gay and lesbian employee network is part of the company's much-touted Diversity Council. | |||
| #5 | Coors | % women employees | % women upper mgrs |
| 24 | 29 | ||
| Dogged with boycotts because of the far right spending habits of its founding family, the Coors company hasif anythingover-compensated. The Colorado brewery goes beyond being merely gay-friendly, actively recruiting gay and lesbian employees and funding numerous gay events across the country. "The reason I came to work here is because I knew several other lesbians who were very happy here," says Mary Cheney, corporate relations manager for the gay and lesbian community. "It's a very open environment." Perhaps that explains why their employee turnover rate is so phenomenally low: only three percent of workers leave voluntarily each year. | |||
| #6 | Eastman Kodak | % women employees | % women upper mgrs |
| 37 | 27 | ||
| A picture may speak a thousand words, but when photos of lesbian and gay families are prominently displayed at a corporation, that says even moreKodak contributed materials and funding for the photo exhibit "Love Makes a Family: Living in Gay and Lesbian Families." The film and camera company also sponsored the Out and Equal Conference on Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Workplace Issues and last year's Gay Games in Amsterdam. The Rochester, New York, company has shed its reputation as a stuffy, old-fashioned corporation, and judging from its active gay and lesbian employee group and the out lesbians in upper management, it has become a place that lesbians can feel comfortable calling home. | |||
| #7 | Aetna | % women employees | % women upper mgrs |
| 76 | n/a | ||
| As a large insurance provider, Aetna knows that good health makes for good business. Accordingly, their list of stress-busting and health-boosting employee benefits goes on and on: fitness centers with massage therapists, a mammogram vehicle that travels to company sites, and business casual dress every day, to name a few. Most importantly, this Connecticut company encourages flexible schedules for its workers, including telecommuting, compressing work weeks, and reducing hours to part time. Their impressive slate of benefits is extended to part-timers as well. ANGLE, the company's gay and lesbian employee network, holds regular social events and is represented on the company's diversity board. | |||
| #8 | Bank Boston | % women employees | % women upper mgrs |
| 66 | 31 | ||
| Lesbian employees at BankBoston have friends in high placesthe chief financial officer sponsors the gay and lesbian employee group, and the director of workplace effectiveness is an out lesbian. It's no coincidence that BankBoston has gone out of its way to support its queer employees; during the company's Gay and Lesbian Awareness Week, a huge rainbow flag flew in front of their corporate headquarters. "I must have gone to the window a half dozen times during the day just to look at the flag," says gay employee Stephen D'Agostino. It looks as if the mandatory diversity training and well-connected gay and lesbian employee group have really paid off for this East Coast bank. | |||
| #9 | Chevron | % women employees | % women upper mgrs |
| 23 | n/a | ||
| A big oil company is a lesbian-friendly environment? It can be, especially when the corporation in question is based in San Francisco, California. Chevron, like all companies doing business with the city, is required to offer domestic benefitsbut their dedication to gay and lesbian causes goes beyond just following the rules. "We were the first oil company to include sexual orientation in our nondiscrimination and nonharassment policies," reports Kirk Nass of the Chevron Gay and Lesbian Employee Association. The company also has been a high-profile donator to AIDS causes and earned bonus points for sponsoring the Lesbians of Achievement, Vision, and Action (LAVA) Awards. | |||
| #10 | NCR | % women employees | % women upper mgrs |
| 30 | 10 | ||
| Dayton, Ohio, hardly springs to mind as the most likely site for a progressive company, but this computer and office equipment supplier proves this wrong. With programs explicitly designed to retain and promote gays and lesbians, NCR has earned its lesbian stripes. LEAGUE, the company's gay and lesbian employee group, sponsored its own Professional Development Conference last year and is very active within the company. NCR's regular employee benefits aren't too shabby, either, including adoption assistance, on-site fitness centers, and financial planning assistance. | |||
Research assistance provided by Rachel Wiener. Companies were ranked on the basis of their scores in four categories: workplace diversity, women's issues, overall employee benefits and satisfaction, and gay and lesbian issues.
Other features in our Lesbian Career Guide:
- America's 10 Best Lesbian Places to Work:
Here's our first-ever list of the best companies to work for. - Should You Come Out?
There are many reasons to come out on the job...and other reasons why you shouldn't. - Keep Your Job
Ways to improve your current job, from getting organized to asking for more money. - Ditch Your Job
Job-hunting tips for when you just can't take it anymore. - Getting Help
Personal coaches share the secrets of their success. - The Low-Down on Lesbian Jobs
Before you quit your straight job, listen to those who have worked at gay companies. - Show Me the Money
Location can have everything to do with how much money you make.
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