JCPenney has proudly received a score of 90 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. The list also includes 1,142 other major U.S. businesses that provide LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies.
“We are honored to do our part to make sure all of our associates and customers feel valued and accepted in the workplace,” said Kevin Updegrove, senior director of inclusion and diversity. “Our customers and associates are the reason our great Company has been a success for more than 118 years, and we plan to continue investing in them.”
The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars, including non-discrimination policies, 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. Yet, many businesses across the nation stepped up and continued to prioritize and champion LGBTQ equality,” said Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign President. “Thank you to the companies that understand protecting their LGBTQ employees and consumers from discrimination is not just the right thing to do – but the best business decision.”