Difference Matters Magazine

Difference Matters FALL 2014

‌incorporating Work Life Matters

AT&T Barclays CA Technologies Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP Delta Air Lines Discovery Communications Interpublic Group (IPG)

Merck Mondelez Global LLC Morgan Stanley Nielsen Quest Diagnostics Turner Construction Company Viacom

TOP Non-Profit Organization:

National Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)

2014-15: Serving students in grades 5-9 2015-16: Serving students in grades 3-10 Expanding up and down one grade per year, eventually serving grades K-12

MISSION

The Quad Preparatory School, founded by Dr. Kimberly Busi, is an alternative college preparatory school dedicated to the education of Twice Exceptional Students with social learning differences.

Our vision is to allow Quad Prep students to experience education as the transformative experience every child deserves. Here, students rise to the level of talent, instead of being kept down to the level of disability in a completely alternative program that truly molds itself to each child.

The Quad Preparatory School is based on an inclusive philosophy that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital status, creed, or sexual orientation, citizenship, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by law in the administration of its admissions policies, educational policies, or any other school-administered programs.

Quad Prep is: Developed and led by experts and founded on the bedrock of best-practices of gifted special education and cutting edge clinical medicine.

Who then: Literally broke down school walls and academic silos and redefined the very cornerstones of the concept of school and learning.

THE QUAD PREPARATORY SCHOOL 326 EAST 6TH STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10003 646-649-3913| INFO@QUADPREP.ORG |WWW.QUADPREP.ORG

Contents 2

PUBLISHER’S PAGE Why Difference Matters...

3

DOMESTIC TRENDS Why we need Equal Pay for Women, and a New Measure for Disability Equality.

6

NON-TRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN

Come Learn How this Organization has been Enabling Women to Earn More

by Removing Tradition from the Equation.

7

TOP CORPORATE ALLIES FOR DIVERSITY 2014 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34

36

AT&T Barclays CA Technologies Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP Delta Air Lines Discovery Communications Interpublic Group (IPG) Merck Mondelez Global LLC Morgan Stanley Nielsen Quest Diagnostics Turner Construction Company Viacom

NATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERICE (NGLCC) With more than 29,000 members, 140 corporate partners, and 52 local, state, and international affiliate chambers dedicated to supporting the LGBT and Disabilities communities, this is still only the beginning for NGLCC.

38

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE Learn why the Lived Experiences of LGBTI and People with Disabilities in Europe Remain Full of Challenges, and why the Need for Including Women on Boards goes Beyond Quotas.

42

DIVERSITY - INCLUSIVE DIVERSITY

by Tari Hartman Squire Connecting the Pieces of the Puzzle

44

NEW SOLUTIONS TO OLD PROBLEMS

by Susan Phillips Bari When it comes to Access to Capital, Sometimes this Brick Wall is More Damaging than the Glass Ceiling.

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 1

Publisher’s Page WHY DIFFERENCE MATTERS… It was during NGLCC’s Keynote speech delivered by Beth Brooke-Marciniak, Global Vice-Chair of Ernst & Young, at its annual Conference in July, that the new name of our magazine came to be.

Although Work Life Matters magazine was launched 12 years ago to advocate for the provision of work/life benefits and services for our nation’s workforce, it had become increasingly obvious to us that work/life balance cannot be effectively addressed until complete equality based upon race, ethnicity, gender, and orientation are first achieved. So, when Ms. Brooke-Marciniak declared that ‘Differences matter’ not only because establishing equality is the right thing to do, but also because individuals and businesses duly benefit by incorporating the views, thoughts and ideas of people from varying backgrounds, it also became clear that changing our magazine’s name to reflect this mission was now the right thing to do.

It also seemed fitting to celebrate our magazine’s new title launch by honoring those that are aligned with our magazine’s revamped mission. On the pages that follow, you will therefore learn about a number of leading organizations that are spearheading equality inside and outside of the workplace, as well as the programs and policies that are making this effort a reality.

Yes, to remain competitive in today’s marketplace businesses need to attract, build and retain the best talent, which we know comes in an array of colors, abilities, and backgrounds. And it is our hope that by profiling organizations that understand, promote and enforce the inclusion and equality of individual differences that others will follow in their footsteps. To cite another compelling quote, ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’

We hope you enjoy the issue!

Difference

…incorporating Work Life Matters

Sokol Media, Inc. FOUNDER & PUBLISHER Lori M. Sokol ART DIRECTOR Kerstin Vogdes Diehn PUBLISHING CONSULTANT James Janson CONTRIBUTING WRITER Faith Hope Consolo COPYWRITER/ RESEARCH ASSISTANT Jason H. Greenberg WEB DESIGN Design Disegno ACCOUNTING Citrin Cooperman PRINTING AmericasPrinter Sokol Media, Inc. 75 West End Avenue, #P15F New York, NY 10023 Ph: 973-769-7012 www.sokolmediaonline.com

Copyright by Sokol Media, Inc. No part of the publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent from the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising or editorial materials.

Advertisers and/or their agents assume the responsibility for all content of published advertisements and assume responsibility for any claims against the published based

Lori Sokol, Ph.D. Founder & Publisher

upon the advertisement. Editorial contributors assume any claims against the publisher based on the published work. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic ormechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher. All items submitted to Sokol Media, Inc. become the sole property of Sokol Media, Inc. Editorial content may not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.

All correspondence and inquiries should be addressed to: Sokol Media, Inc., 75 West End Avenue, #P15F, New York, NY 10023.

2 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

DOMESTIC TRENDS

Community Marketing & Insights’ 8th Annual LGBT Community Survey A sample of 2014 key findings of LGBTs living in the United States: •

Economic Confidence: 45% of LGBT participants living in the United States indicated they are positive about their current economic situation, 25% indicated negative economic answers, and 30% were more neutral. However, older LGBTs are far more confident about their economic situation than younger LGBTs.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Political/Social Concerns: When asked about social concerns, LGBT discrimination (98% of LGBTs) and affordable healthcare (95%) rose to the top of the list of concerns.

LGBT Relationship Terminology: Marriage Equality has risen to the most favorable term when speaking about LGBT relationships, of note there is still significant reluctance among LGBT baby boomers to use the terms husband and wife. Partners and spouses are still their preferred terms within relationships. However, millennials are much more likely to respond positively to the terms husband and wife.

•

Corporate LGBT Outreach and Motivation to Purchase: Pro-LGBT policies have encouraged the LGBT community to purchase many brands. The write-in exercise was unprompted and required respondent recall of the brands that have “done the best job of outreaching to the LGBT community in the past year.” Topping the list for 2014 are Starbucks, Target and Nabisco products. However, the overall list of brands purchased was extensive and yielded some differences among gay men and lesbians.

LGBT Sports Interest: Lesbians are somewhat more likely than gay men to describe themselves as interested in sports or to describe themselves as athletic. The WNBA earns the highest ratings on being seen as supportive of the LGBT community (driven by lesbian/bi women). Of note, the NFL had an 8% positive gain since 2013.

•

LGBT Baby Boom: More and more same-sex couples are having children. The concentration is especially high among lesbians age 30-44, with 27% of lesbians reporting a child under 18 in the home.

•

Pet Companionship: Lesbians (76%) are more likely to care for pets than gay men (62%). This is especially true for cats: 46% of lesbians vs. 28% of gay men care for a cat.

•

Media Consumption Changes: Engagement with LGBT media is generally stable, with digital media experiencing significant growth and print media staying the same in readership.

Millennials are voracious media consumers, and they are significantly increasing their media consumption in all categories.

•

Personal Communication: Smart phones, email, Facebook and texting are nearly universal in the LGBT community. Landlines have now fallen below 50% ownership among all LGBTs, and only 17% among LGBT millennials.

Negative Brand Recognition: Once again, Chick-fil-A has the most negative reputation within the LGBT community, by far. 70% of LGBTs indicated this company as a brand they are boycotting because of its anti-LGBT reputation.

Multicultural Corporate Outreach: African American, Latino and Asian American LGBTs report similarly: Each community feels more positively towards companies that outreach to their specific communities, but all of these segments feel that corporate America does not do a good job in their outreach to LGBT communities of color.

Weekly Alcohol Consumption: Again in 2014, spirits (especially vodka) outperformed beer and wine consumption among gay men. For the first time, spirits was also the top-performing category among lesbians. LGBT millennials’ favorite wine variety is Pinot Gris, while LGBT baby boomers prefer Pinot Noir.

Transgender community alcohol consumption rates were much lower than those of gay men or lesbians.

Home Remodeling: Gay men are only slightly more likely than lesbians to pursue a major home remodel project.

The Community Marketing & Insights team has been conducting LGBT consumer research for over 20 years. Its methodologies include online surveys, focus groups, IDIs, MROCs, and advisory boards across the USA and globally. *34,415 respondents from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities in 123 countries participated in the 8th annual survey. 170+ LGBT media, events and organizations worldwide partnered with CMI in this year’s study, helping to gain wide representation from across the community.

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 3

DOMESTIC TRENDS

How Equal Pay for Working Women would Reduce Poverty and Grow the American Economy

By Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D., Jeffrey Hayes, Ph.D., and Jennifer Clark* IWPR # Q026

Persistent earnings inequality for working women translates into lower pay, less family income, and more poverty in families with a working woman, which is of no small consequence to working families. About 71 percent of all mothers in the United States work for pay. Of these, about two-thirds (68 percent) are married and typically have access to men’s incomes, but married women’s earnings are nevertheless crucial to family support. One-third (32 percent) are single mothers and often the sole support of their families. And many without children, both single and married, work to support themselves and other family members.

This briefing paper summarizes the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic supplement and uses statistical controls for labor supply, human capital, and labor market characteristics to estimate: 1) How much women’s earnings and family incomes would rise with equal pay; 2) how much women and their families lose because women earn less than similarly qualified men; and 3) how much the economy as a whole suffers from inequality in pay between women and men.

Findings from this analysis include: •

•

•

•

Nearly 60 percent (59.3 percent) of women would earn more if working women were paid the same as men of the same age with similar education and hours of work.

Providing equal pay to women would have a dramatic impact on their families. The poverty rate for all working women would be cut in half, falling to 3.9 percent from 8.1 percent.

The very high poverty rate for working single mothers would fall by nearly half, from 28.7 percent to 15.0 percent, and twothirds would receive a pay increase.

For the 14.3 million single women—divorced, widowed, separated, and never married women living on their own—equal pay would mean a very significant drop in poverty from 11.0 percent to 4.6 percent (falling by more than half).

The U.S. economy would have produced additional income of $447.6 billion if women received equal pay; this represents

4 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

September 2014

Women’s Median Earnings as a Percent of Men’s Median Earnings, 1960-2013 (Full-time, Year-round Workers) with Projection for Pay Equity in 2058 100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40% 1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

2030

2040

2050

2060

Source: IWPR analysis of data from Carmen DeNavas-Walt and Bernadette D. Proctor, U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, P60-249, Income and Poverty in the United States: 2013, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 2014, Table A-4.

2.9 percent of 2012 gross domestic product (GDP).

•

The total increase in women’s earnings with pay equity represents more than 14 times what the federal and state governments spent in fiscal year 2012 on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).

•

The total increase in women’s earnings with pay equity represents more than 14 times what the federal and state governments spent in fiscal year 2012 on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).

*Originally published by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR).

This briefing paper summarizes work prepared for use in The Shriver Report’s A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink (2014), a study by Maria Shriver in partnership with the Center for American Progress.

DOMESTIC TRENDS

Disability Equality Index Survey Unveiled in Preparation for October 2014 Launch The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and the US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) unveiled the first Annual Disability Equality IndexSM (DEISM).

Created by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates, the DEI is an online benchmarking tool that offers businesses the opportunity to receive an objective score, on a scale of zero to 100, on their disability inclusion policies and practices. The first Annual DEI is launching in October 2014.

The DEI is a joint initiative of AAPD and the USBLN. It is an aspirational, educational, recognition tool that is intended to help companies identify opportunities for continued improvement on their disability inclusion policies and practices, as well as help build a company’s reputation as an employer of choice. The DEI was successfully piloted with 48 Fortune 1000 scope companies in early 2014.

Companies that take the DEI will self-report on a wide-range of criteria within four categories: Culture & Leadership, EnterpriseWide Access, Employment Practices, and Community Engagement & Support Services.

“With the 24th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July 2014, we are excited to be preparing for the launch of the first Annual DEI to Fortune 1000 companies,” said Mark Perriello, President and CEO of AAPD. “Today is an exciting and seminal moment for both the business and disabilities communities.

We are one step closer to launching this ground-breaking tool – a tool that many corporations have already embraced, and in doing so, will lead to increased employment opportunities and improved employment outcomes for people with disabilities,” said Helena Berger, former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of AAPD, and Co-Chair of the DEI Advisory Committee.

“The feedback from business about the DEI has been overwhelmingly positive. We are excited and looking forward to working with employers that participate in the first Annual DEI in October. We released the first Annual DEI survey questions publicly today to give companies several months notice of what the survey consists of before they opt to participate in the October launch,” said Jill Houghton, Executive Director of the USBLN. “For companies committed to full inclusion of people with disabilities – as employees, customers and suppliers -- the DEI is a tremendous tool to mea-

sure and recognize the company’s progress … but also to help them achieve more. It allows well-meaning businesses to be highlighted for their good practices, while still encouraging all participants to raise the bar,” said Keith Wiedenkeller, former Chief People Officer of AMC Theatres, and Co-Chair of the DEI Advisory Committee.

AAPD and the USBLN will invite Fortune magazine’s 1,000 largest publicly-traded businesses (the Fortune 1000) to participate in the first Annual DEI. Other companies or organizations that are welcome to participate in the DEI include the following, providing they have 3,000 or more full-time employees in the U.S.: AAPD and the USBLN will invite Fortune magazine’s 1,000 largest publicly-traded businesses (the Fortune 1000) to participate in the first Annual DEI. Other companies or organizations that are welcome to participate in the DEI include the following, providing they have 3,000 or more full-time employees in the U.S.: • Private sector employers that are not owned by a larger U.S. incorporated entity • Businesses that serve as the U.S. subsidiary of a foreign-based multinational business • Foreign-owned private companies on behalf of their U.S. operations

About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) The American Association of People with Disabilities is the nation’s largest disability rights organization. AAPD promotes equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation for people with disabilities. AAPD’s members, including people with disabilities and family, friends, and supporters, represent a powerful force for change.

About the US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) The US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) is a national non-profit that helps business drive performance by leveraging disability inclusion in the workplace, supply chain, and marketplace. The USBLN® serves as the collective voice of over 50 Business Leadership Network affiliates across the United States, representing over 5,000 businesses. Additionally, the USBLN® Disability Supplier Diversity Program® (DSDP) is the nation’s leading third party certification program for disability-owned businesses, including businesses owned by service-disabled veterans.

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 5

New Solutions To Old Problems

By Susan Phillips Bari

W

ithout a doubt, starting and growing a business have changed for the better since the early ‘90s when I was the Executive Director of a women’s business training center, an SBA “demonstration site” dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs. After working with more than 2,000 businesses over a five year period, I was convinced that entrepreneurs were faced with a brick wall that prevented access to major markets and access to the capital needed to run and grow their companies. One can agree that this brick wall is more damaging than the glass ceiling.

Lack of access to capital and lack of access to markets are putting the damper on business growth. When business growth is stymied, the whole community suffers. Thriving companies provide jobs that bring economic vitality to their communities - empowering their employees to purchase homes, take vacations and pay for their children’s college educations.

Access to markets was addressed when I joined with a group of Fortune 500 companies and women business owners to found the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) in 1997. WBENC’s nationally accepted certification program for women business enterprises (WBEs) allowed access to supplier diversity opportunities in corporations and government agencies.

These programs create mutually beneficial business relationships between previously disadvantaged businesses (those of women, ethnic minority, and disabled business owners) and large corporations or government agencies that can purchase their products and services. Today, Supplier Diversity is an important goal for both government agencies and corporations. They are eager to do business with diverse suppliers, have stated goals and programs on their web sites and in their annual reports and support initiatives on the national and regional levels conducted 6 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

by WBENC and the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC).

Here in New York State, for example, a commitment to Minority and WomenOwned Business Enterprises (MWBE) contracting starts in the Governor’s office. In 2013 Governor Cuomo announced that for the first time, utilization of minority –and women –owned businesses in state contracts reached a record 21.06 %. In all, $1.48 billion in contracts from a total of 97 public agencies and authorities were awarded to MWBEs in FY 2012-2013.

Supplier diversity departments exist because smart corporations and progressive governments know that the demographics of the American economic landscape have changed dramatically; they must do business with the diverse groups that represent their supplier and customer base today and into the future.

However, many businesses are prevented from competing due to access to capital issues.

The New Business Funding Option – Prompt Payment- Innovation The good news is you got the contract! You completed the work. The client has signed off on your invoice. Now you wait to get paid… and wait…and wait.

The new solution is Prompt Payment, developed by Neil Rothenberg, Managing Partner of Empire Capital Holdings USA LLC. According to Neil, “Working under a participation agreement with each agency and corporation, Empire will provide suppliers with immediate cash payment for completed work, albeit at a slight discount to the supplier’s invoice. This slight discounted cash payment amount is a far better option than the interest charged on most loans or working capital lines of credit. Not only will the supplier benefit, this will provide a new and valuable resource to procurement officials working to meet their MWBE goals.”

All business owners want to be paid at the

approval date on their contract which could be anywhere from 15 to 60 days. In reality, many suppliers wait 90 days or more to be paid for the work that has been completed and accepted by their corporate or government client.

Empire’s core products provide authorized cash advances and prompt payment services to suppliers to corporations and government agencies, stimulating a robust contractor community. Empire provides funds to these parties, at a discount to their approved invoices. Operating under a Participation Agreement, corporations and agencies can benefit as well with an increase in their own cash flow through negotiated extended payment periods. Everyone is a winner. Suppliers get paid immediately upon invoice approval and corporations meet negotiated payment terms while expanding their own cash flow options.

“Prompt Payment is a much better alternative to Factoring because there is no high monthly interest rate, no underwriting or closing fees, no credit checks necessary, no personal guarantees and no requirement to submit historical audits,” said one supplier.

Empire’s Prompt Payment advance rates are typically north of 95% vs. factoring advance rates which are typically between 70% - 85%.

More good news: Empire’s Prompt Payment Processing is at NO COST to participating corporations and government agencies. Empire’s dashboard and portals provide suppliers, contractors, corporations and municipal financial staff with a safe and secure professional communications platform for payment authorizations and payment processing.

I hope that you will agree that this is a powerful tool for making a positive impact on our communities and which encourages minority and woman-owned supplier participation in America’s major marketplaces.

It’s not too good to be true. It’s just good.

HONOREES

AT&T BARCLAYS CA TECHNOLOGIES CADWALADER WICKERSHAM & TAFT LLP DELTA AIR LINES DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS INTERPUBLIC GROUP (IPG) MERCK MONDELEZ GLOBAL LLC MORGAN STANLEY NIELSEN QUEST DIAGNOSTICS TURNER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY VIACOM

TOP Non-Profit Organization:

NATIONAL GAY LESBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (NGLCC)

for

Disabilities & Veterans

AT&T

A

T&T’s goal in Talent Development and Diversity is to promote diversity, inclusiveness and opportunities for employees to flourish. Project capABILITY, is one example of the work AT&T is doing to grow its diverse employee base by focusing efforts on the disability population. In this program, the company recruits talented people with disabilities. Project capABILITY is a proactive measure designed to offer supported employment through interaction with State and/or Non-Profit service providers.

Continued and active support from both the local Non-Profit and the State agency not only allows AT&T to identify the right candidates for positions in this program, but also provides the training and preparation for the existing local workforce. Their support, and the support of a local/onsite “champion,” is vital to development and success of this effort.

Because AT&T is a unionized workforce; there may be an additional layer of interaction between the company and employees. To help promote the capABILITY program, AT&T involved the Communication Workers of America, CWA, early and often in the initial rollout, making certain they were aware of the impact this would have and helping to ensure they were early supporters to making the capABILITY successful.

EMPLOYING VETERANS WITH DISABILITIES In 2013, AT&T partnered with a strategic supplier, VetConnexx, owned by a person with a disability. The goal of this organization is to employ veterans with disabilities at AT&T. The initiative, “AT&T Serves,” promotes diversity and inclusion while fostering opportunities for people with disabilities to achieve self-sufficiency and participate fully in the community. Through this process, AT&T gains capable employees who strengthen the company’s culture by bringing commitment to quality, loyalty and enthusiasm for work. This initiative is targeted to grow to support additional customers for AT&T, and the Executive Sponsor of this initiative, Bill Hague, Executive Vice President, has expressed the hope that this program “expand beyond just AT&T.” AT&T has also launched a program entitled “Operation Hand Salute,” a Global Supplier Diversity Mentoring Program which provides national educa-

8 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

HIGHLIGHTS Social media campaigns positioning AT&T as an employeer of choice for the disability community: 1. AT&T conducted a Twitter campaign highlighting products and services that would benefit people with disabilities, caregivers and the aging population. The success of the campaign was measured in how it generated more attention than even its mass campaign in the number of views and re-tweets.

2. AT&T targeted people with disabilities on Facebook in on-line banner ads and advertising in national disability publications and on websites. AT&T also sponsored events showcasing its products and services for the disability community.

3. In 2013, AT&T launched a blogger outreach / hackathon initiative targeting the Autism community. Partnering with Autism Speaks to launch an app idea contest, AT&T compiled the ideas generated from the public and used them as a platform for the first-ever Autism-focused hackathon to create apps for those on the autism spectrum (in partnership with the developer team).

Photos from the Disability Technology Training classes with AT&T and the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (WRERC).t

tion and mentoring for service-disabled veteran owned businesses. In 2012, AT&T joined with John F. Kennedy “JFK” University to help mentor, educate and offer contract opportunities to service disabled veteran business owners.

In 2013 AT&T sponsored 16 service disabled veteran business owners, totaling, a total of 33 since just 2011.

Internally, in addition to IDEAL – Disability Advocates, AT&T’s Employee Resource Group concerned with disability issues, AT&T has formed an Accessibility and Aging Expert team. This group of employees represents different business units across the company, and meets once a month to discuss company iniatiatives and how the different business units can work together to acheive specific objectives.

In addition, in April 2014, AT&T and the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (WRERC) began conducting an education and outreach seminar series focused on consumers with a disability (seeing, hearing, thinking, speaking and holding). This training focused on educating consumers with disabilities about the accessibility features of various devices and allowed AT&T to gather information about experiences and problems with mobile devices and services encountered by consumers with disabilities. The information exchanged between AT&T and WRERC will help consumers with disabilities better use their devices and provide valuable information on how to improve the accessibility of products and services, as well as how accessibility is communicated.

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 9

for

Disabilities

Barclays

“Globally, people with disabilities represent more than 1.3 billion potential consumers and employees – that’s almost the population of China. When one adds in the aging babyboomers and friends and family of people with disabilities, your audience reaches more than 53% of the global population. Our approach converts that population into an opportunity for investors.”

—Rich Donovan, CEO of The Return on Disability Group.

B

arclays’ global diversity & inclusion team oversees the following five strategic pillars that make up its diversity strategy: Disability, Gender, LGBT, Multicultural and Multigenerational. Within the team, a Disability Lead covers all jurisdictions in which the firm does business globally, and the Agenda Lead is responsible for building out the disability agenda priorities, ensuring engagement and participation at all levels of the firm globally.

The disability agenda, championed by Ashok Vaswani, CEO Personal & Corporate Banking division, ensures that all staff communications are issued highlighting the quarterly progress made as Barclays moves towards its mission to be the most accessible and inclusive bank for customers and colleagues with a disability. Further, Barclays hosts disability listening groups providing colleagues with an open forum to make significant changes in the workplace to help inform and guide the priorities of the Bank and disability agenda. Its disability network is also instrumental in helping the Bank advance in the disability space by raising awareness through events with esteemed guest speakers such as Bonnie St. John, Para Olympic skier, workshops, philanthropic 10 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

events, and through engagement with local colleges for Disability Mentoring Day, which has witnessed year over year growth.

The network also partners with other internal employee network groups, such as its Parenting Network, to lend support and resources for families with special needs.

Barclays also ensures that it recognizes colleagues and teams that make a positive contribution to diversity and inclusion through its annual business diversity awards. The Glenn Shaw Everest Award, for example, is awarded to a colleague who has championed the Disability agenda by raising awareness, increasing accessibility, or providing support to disabled customers, clients, colleagues or community members.

Individuals are nominated by others and chosen by the firm’s Executive Diversity Council in an awards ceremony attended by several business leaders.

Internationally, Barclays is also involved in many exciting projects. In the UK, for example, Barclays is participating in a trial with Microsoft and Guide Dogs, whereby they are using Beacon technology to guide visually-impaired people around urban environments.

Further, as part of Barclays’ Programme of Digital initiatives, the firm has partnered with the charity Freeformers to provide Coding training for young people, and will be holding it first ever Coding training event for young visually impaired people.

Building on the success of Barclays’ innovative high-vis debit cards, the firm has also just launched a new and improved range this September – including a tactile notch on the plastic card’s edge and card text now printed in more high contrasting colors making it easier to identify, read and use the cards. “This is a great example of how we’ve partnered with our external suppliers to create a truly unique customer offering,” says Sue Meirs, COO of Equities and Funds Structured Market Sales.

Barclays also recently developed Inclusive Language Guidelines, a document that has been acknowledged by the Business Disability Forum as a best practice. This document promotes respectful relationships by promoting language that is free from words, phrases or tones that reflects prejudiced or stereotypical view of people with a disability.

Also, in June, Barclays hosted its first pilot session of the ‘Telling Stories for Success’ workshop in partnership with Kate Nash Associates in the UK. This session was provided for colleagues with a disability focusing on building storytelling skills to help them express what having a disability is like and its relevance in the workplace.

And while Barclays’ Diversity and ENG initiatives have been in place for a number of years, 2014 marked a sea change with the launch of the ‘Return on Disability’ product. Though disability was always in the realm of diversity & inclusion it is now also a key point in the realm of Barclays’ core markets business – creating and marketing investment products. This has enabled Barclays to effectively speak to its clients broadly about how the focus on disability can increase the bottom line.

The Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs) are linked to the performance of the Return on Disability US LargeCap ETN Total Return USD Index (“the Index”) and are designed to provide investors with exposure to US-based companies that have acted to attract and serve people with disabilities – and their friends and family – as customers and employees. The Index uses a quantitative ranking methodology to measure a company’s publicly observable activities relating to people with disabilities across three key areas: talent, customer and productivity. This ranking methodology focuses on elements that have the potential to increase shareholder value in a company, such as using best practices for attracting and hiring candidates with disabilities, focusing on ‘ease of use’ features in products and services, and implementing productivityfocused process improvements driven by people with disabilities.

“Approximately 57 million people in the US have a disability – that’s 19% of the population.

Companies that invest in targeting and empowering this group offer advantages over the companies that don’t. Investors are increasingly looking for ways to invest in socially-responsible themes, and therefore these products provide a market-based approach to help catalyze change.”

—Sue Meirs, Director in Equities and Funds Structured Markets, and Americas co-chair of Barclays’s disability employee network, REACH

RECENT & UPCOMING 2014 EVENTS

ASTEP Lecture Series – Feb 10th: Hosted 2nd annual lecture series with ASTEP, an organization dedicated to the advancement of people with Aspergers Syndrome.

Lauren Flanigan – Feb 24th: Informal conversation with the internationally acclaimed soprano Lauren Flanigan who told her story of being diagnosed with sudden sensorineural hearing loss and Active Meniere’s Disease and the impact it had on her career and life.

Reelabilities Film Festival – March 10th: A group of members of the Reach network attended the documentary film A Whole Lott More, about a company in Toledo, Ohio that employs more than 1200 workers, all with developmental disabilities.

Jon Robinson – March 17th: Founder of ourability.com discussed with Barclays employees his proposed solution to help firms comply with upcoming regulation section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. John Tartaglio – April 28th: Hosted motivational speaker John Tartaglio who lost his legs and left bicep at the age of 17 and went on to be the first person with no legs to complete the New York marathon.

Walk Now for Autism Speaks – May 18th: Annual fundraising event attended by over 60 employees.

Barclays has been the #1 Corporate sponsor for 3 years in a row. Raised over $30k so far in 2014.

Special Needs Brainstorm Session – June 6th: Brown bag lunch to kick off a subgroup for employees with Special Needs Families.

Partnership with Parent and Family Network.

Meditation Workshop – August 6th: Brought in a meditation instructor to share some easy techniques for using meditation to reduce the damage from stress.

NDEAM Event – Annual event celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October). Typically attracts over 120 attendees.

The 2014 Speaker will be Matthew Sanford on the topic of the mind-body relationship.

Recruiting – Partner with WIM and Diversity Campus Recruiting to cultivate relationships with the office of disabilities core and local universities. »» Disability Mentoring Day: targeting 15 students to join us on October 29th. »» On Campus: Planning events on campus with several schools for the fall

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LGBT “We focus not only on providing the best place to do business, but also providing the best place to work. We often feel like the industry’s best-kept secret in terms of being an employer of choice. It’s an amazing place to work.”

— Meagan Gregorczyk, Global Diversity Lead, CA Technologies

CA Technologies

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uilt upon a mission to be at the forefront of the IT industry, CA Technologies believes that it has to be “not only the best place to do business, but also the best place to work to dominate in the marketplace” says Meagan Gregorczyk, Global Diversity and Inclusion Lead for CA Technologies.

All employees are an important part of the fabric of CA, and the company is especially proud of its efforts to create a strong culture of inclusion for the LGBT community. The company includes both Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in its EEO policy and policy on Professional Conduct and Prohibition of Harassment, and also requires US contractors to abide by the company’s inclusive non-discrimination policy. It also has an established corporate philanthropy guideline prohibiting philanthropic giving to non-religious organizations that have a written policy of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and/ or gender identity.

In terms of LGBT advocacy, CA believes that action speaks louder than words - and their policies speak for themselves. CA Technologies offers a wide range of inclusive benefits and plans that include: • Generous adoption assistance for all employees – including the LGBT community – up to $10,000 per family within a 24-month period.

• Health benefits to both same and different sex spouses and domestic partners (and was proudly amongst the first companies to do so).

• •nsurance coverage for transgender surgery including the full range of medically necessary services and treatments as outlined by the current World Professional Associate for Transgender Health

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Standards of Care (WPATH SOC).

• Up to four weeks of paid leave for eligible employees for any unpaid qualified FML leave including birth, adoption or to care for a spouse, domestic partner, child or parent with a serious health condition.

To support employees internally, the CA Technologies HR Business Partner community also established an Employee Network Group (ENG) for LGBT employees and allies in 2011. The group’s efforts seek to drive engagement, awareness, and opportunities impacting the LGBT community. The group is: • Open to all CA employees that support LGBT equality • Focused on improving LGBT employee recruitment and retention rates • Supportive in creating social and mentoring networks fo- Trevor Bunker, Senior Vice President, Solution cused on business and com- Sales at CA Technologies, is the executive lead for the company’s LGBT Employee Networkmunity issues • Intent on pursuing LGBT- ing Group. friendly policies and improved diversity & inclusion and workplace environment All of this activity has driven great results. This year, in addition to receiving a score of 100 on the HRC’s Corporate Equality index, the firm received the following feedback internally - through its most recent Employee Opinion Survey. Results showed that:

Trevor Bunker and Anthony Beneventi represent the CA LGBTA ENG at a 2013 Human Rights Campaign dinner.

“From our remarkable benefits to our awardwinning work culture, the LGBT community has an advocate and champion in CA Technologies.

It makes me proud to work here.”

— Trevor Bunker, SVP and Sponsor, CA LGBT & Allies Network

• 87% of all CA employees responded that “CA Technologies fosters an environment where people with diverse backgrounds can succeed.”

• 93% of all CA employees agreed “My immediate manager treats employees fairly regardless of their age, family/marital status, disability, race/color, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.”

• 84% of all CA employees responded that “My team has a climate in which diverse perspectives are valued.”

In short, equality and dignity are the signposts for life at CA Technologies. “Our goal is to create a proud work environment that assumes 100% equality for all employees – allowing each of us to leverage our uniqueness and unleash our full potential, every day. From our remarkable benefits to our award-winning work culture, the LGBT community has an advocate and champion in CA Technologies. It makes me proud to work here.,” says Trevor Bunker, SVP.

RELEVANT PARTNERSHIPS

CA Technologies has supported the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) since 2012. Meghan Stabler, Advisor, IT Business Operations, CA Technologies, serves on HRC’s National Board of Directors.

CA Technologies received a 100 percent rating on HRC’s 2013 and 2014 Corporate Equality Index reports.

National Diversity Council – State partner: CA’s partnership with the council cultivates and advances diversity and inclusion by transforming the company’s work places and communities into inclusive environments where individuals are valued for their talents and empowered to reach their fullest potential.

CA Technologies is a member of the Business Coalition for Workplace Fairness, a group of leading U.S. employers that support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a federal bill that would provide the same basic protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees that are already afforded to workers across the country.

Since 2010, CA Technologies has supported the Anita Borg Institute’s Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference and for the last 5 years has sponsored their LGBT Birds of a Feather luncheon.

Since 2007, CA Technologies has been a member of the UN Global Compact, keeping in line with the company’s values and commitment to building strong and productive communities worldwide.

Since 2011, CA Technologies is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).

CA participates in CGI America, which focuses on developing ideas for driving economic growth in the United States, and is part of the UN’s STEM Education Working Group.

CA is a member and supporter of Catalyst in both North America and Europe, leveraging its LGBT content for any interested employee.

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LGBT & Women

Cadwalader

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adwalader recently launched the Cadwalader Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) with the mission to enhance gender, racial/ethnic, and LGBT diversity and inclusion within the firm to create an unrivalled environment that attracts, retains and promotes the best and brightest workforce talent available to serve the firm’s clients.

WOMEN’S PROGRAMMING In 2013, Cadwalader’s Taskforce for the Advancement of Women worked with the firm’s Benefits Department to enhance the firm’s benefits pertaining to families. The Taskforce found that the benefits manual was not user friendly and the utilization rate of the firm’s childcare program was poor. To address these issues, all of the family-related benefits and policies were reorganized and consolidated into a Parental Leave Brochure and new, user-friendly content was developed to better showcase them. In addition, the policy descriptions were revised with an eye toward clarity and ease of use.

Key enhancements to the firm’s family-focused benefits: • Back-Up Childcare: The firm’s back-up childcare program has been expanded from limited, centerbased care to full-network center care, including the added benefit of in-home care.

• Primary Caregiver Mentoring Program: The firm introduced a mentoring program for women attorneys who are primary caregivers. This program matches women associates and special counsels with female partners at the firm for mentorship and support.

• Coaching Program for Expectant and New Parents: Cadwalader now offers all expectant and new parents access to an individual Coaching Program through an outside specialist coaching organization. Expectant parents are able to utilize the program as soon as notice of pregnancy or intended adoption is given.

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• Flexible Work Program: Cadwalader has adopted many policies designed to help women succeed and strike a healthy balance between their professional and family lives. The firm’s industry leading primary caregiver leave policy provides eighteen weeks of paid parental leave, followed by, upon request, an additional four weeks of paid leave and a further two weeks of unpaid leave. The firm also offers alternative work schedules to accommodate the challenging and often conflicting priorities of primary caregivers. In addition, the firm has adopted an “80% return to work program,” under which primary caregivers are offered the option to return to work on a reduced (80%) schedule for a threemonth period.

• Revamped “Mothers Rooms”: As part of the enhanced benefits, the firm revamped its lactation rooms and increased the number of rooms offered in New York, where its largest attorney population is based.

• Parental Leave Brochure and New Parent Packs: Cadwalader’s Parent Packs include a parental leave brochure, information on how to obtain a Social Security Number, a passport application, healthcare information, vaccination schedule, guides to sourcing a childcare provider, information about back up care and beneficiary forms for Cadwalader’s group insurance and 401K plans. The packs are colorful, lively and, most important, easy to read.

The Cadwalader Affinity Networks are important drivers for advancing the firm’s growing diversity and inclusion initiatives. For example, the Women’s Leadership Initiative provides all Cadwalader attorneys with programming, discussions, training, leadership and other opportunities to further the recruitment, retention, development, and advancement of women both at the firm and in the legal profession as a whole.

CADWALADER LGBT NETWORK The Cadwalader LGBT Network sponsors professional development and cultural programs for its members, engages in pro-bono efforts with the greater LGBT community, and participates in outreach to LGBT attorneys and law students. The firm recently launched an initiative under the CCDI umbrella, which focuses on monitoring the progress of LGBT associates in addition to associates from other diverse groups. Similarly, the LGBT Network was relaunched this year to be more strategic and inclusive, offering a monthly speaker series on professional development topics and current legal issues. Since the relaunch of the Network, partner membership in the Network has more than quadrupled, giving the LGBT associates more visibility and more access to senior leaders within the firm.

Last year, Cadwalader was the presenting sponsor of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) Anniversary Benefit. Cadwalader attorneys have provided pro bono legal services and support for TLDEF including pro bono projects such as: • Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund Name Change Project: Under TLDEF’s Name Change Project, Cadwalader attorneys have helped several transgender individuals to legally change their names. Each matter requires the attorneys to meet with the client to obtain intake information and to prepare a Petition for Individual Adult Change of Name and a Verification. Following the filing of the Petition, the lawyers accompany the

client to a name hearing, where the court issues an Order granting Leave to Name Change, filed under seal. In several cases, the firm’s teams have requested a waiver of the publication requirement, which the courts have granted under Civil Rights Law 64-a.

The firm is partnering with BNP Paribas on this initiative.

In addition, the firm supports and has been involved with a number of LGBT organizations, including: • Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Law Association of Greater New York, Inc. • New York County Lawyers’ Association Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Issues • Association of the Bar of the City of New York’s Committee on Gay and Lesbian Rights • National LGBT Bar Association • New York City LGBT Career Fair • Lesbian and Gay Rights and HIV/AIDS Projects of the American Civil Liberties Union As a result of the LGBT Network’s presence and its targeted outreach and participation in LGBT career fairs, the number of LGBT associates applying to Cadwalader has increased.

Cadwalader has for years offered full health care benefits to same-sex domestic partners (grossed-up) and spouses, transgender benefits to cover reassignment surgery and gender transition therapy as part of gender transition under our medical plan. The firm is proud to have received a score of 100 in the 2014 Corporate Equality Index as a result of our enhanced diversity benefits.

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Disabilities

Delta Air Lines

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elta relies heavily on two internal documents that reflect our culture of service and servant leadership. The first is what is referred to as the Rules of the Road. These rules have been revived by its current leadership as the bedrock of who Delta is as a company, and as departments and as individuals working in and representing Delta. The second book, The Way we Fly, outlines the Delta Difference (what separates Delta from its competitors) but, more importantly, the elements of Delta that are core to our business and its success.

In the beginning the focus of the Disability Program was compliance with the Air Carrier Access Act, so a policy manual was developed to emphasis compliance to regulation. But it was evident from the disability community that compliance alone would not meet the needs of the fastest growing part of our world.

The Disability Program at Delta has evolved from the early 1990s with its roots in Customer Care and Compliance to understanding the need for the inclusion of people with disabilities inside and outside of Delta. In 2009, Delta merged, creating an Advisory Board on Disability. This board was tasked to be an active part of the Delta program participating in committee work, making thoughtful recommendations on policies, procedures and training. Many of the board members have traveled to training events and speak on areas of disability awareness and sensitivity issues. Each year the board presents a Disability Action Plan which serves as the foundation for the work they see as critical to people with disabilities, and is the foundation for their work on projects through their committees. The synergy Delta experiences when bringing people with disabilities together with Delta employees (with and without Disabilities) provides the momentum the company needs to make travel better for all its customers.

The impetus for the disability program has been the sustainable goal of making Delta the carrier of choice for all passengers. As one of its board members says, “ If we take care of passengers with disabilities effectively and efficiently, we are providing great service to all customers�.

In addition. Delta is partnering with disability organizations to include people with disabilities in its talent acquisition, including experts with disabilities on projects like the redesign of Delta.com to comply with WCAG2.0A requirements and in the design and implementation of accessible kiosks.

Delta also recognizes that its customers are internal as well as external to the

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company. Therefore, to harness the ingenuity of Delta people with disabilities, an Employee Network Group was developed in 2010 and, in 2012, the employees of Delta chose their first president with a disability to lead this organization, ABLE Network on Disability.

The Disability Program also collects data to measure its success, from Wheelchair Surveys to the Delta Task Analysis Assessment Tool (designed by the Advisory Board on Disability).

Just as disability has morphed into what is it currently, Delta recognizes that this population of air travelers in not getting smaller but is increasing at astonishing rates, and therefore service to meet the demand will have to increase. With the retirement of Baby Boomers (roughly 150,000 per day for the next decade), Delta understands that a new generation of air traveler with a disability has grown up flying and will be looking to spend their senior years traveling for a variety of reasons. Since this generation will continue to hold the largest portion of personal wealth and will expect not only compliance but exceptional service that reflects understanding of the range of disability needs, Delta is currently developing a number of projects and programs to meet this demand, including: • Travel Tips for Passengers with Disabilities – Planning to have this tool online in 2015, it is a compilation of Delta policies, along with advisory board members’ travel tips.

• Wheelchair Protection Project – This project is currently underway to protect passenger wheelchairs in the cargo compartment and reduce the stress and anxiety many passengers experience when traveling with their assistive devices.

• Enhanced Disability Audits – To ensure compliance to federal and international regulations, audits are conducted in 20 stations each year issuing findings for noncompliance, expecting corrective action and observing best practices.

• Continued Development of Outreach Programs – Delta has been involved in the development of relationships with spinal cord hospitals, schools for the Deaf and Blind, organizations representing families with autism and organizations that train service animals. Delta benefits from the partnerships by engaging people with disabilities who are potential passengers and giving its employees and contractors the opportunity to understand the service they provide from the customers’ perspective.

• Accessible Kiosks and Websites – All US carriers are required to develop accessible kiosks and websites and begin putting them into play by the end of 2015. Delta is currently working on these projects and will be engaging the disability community in the design and testing before anything goes to market.

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LGBT

Discovery Communications

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he mission of Discovery Communications’ priDe employee resource group (ERG) is to contribute to the productivity and profitability of the company by representing and providing insight to the unique needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees, consumers, and business partners.

•

PROGRAMMING During ‘TLC Gay Week’, viewers got to watch LGBT-oriented documentaries and series, including ‘Becoming Chaz’, ‘Coming Out Diaries’, ‘Diary of a Teen Transsexual’, ‘The Real L Word’ and ‘Gareth Thomas: Coming Out’. Overall, it was one of the best performing weeks ever for TLC generating an impressive F20-49 all-day 5.4% market share.

Around the world, the LGBT community recognizes the rainbow flag as a symbol of diversity. So, each June, a rainbow Pride flag flies high beneath the American flag at Discovery’s global headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. Also that month, the lights on the stair tower of Discovery’s building cycle through the colors of the rainbow flag.

From July 29th until August 3rd the Benelux office celebrates ‘TLC Gay Week’. Coinciding with the Gay Pride event in Amsterdam, TLC turned pink for one whole week. Using the original tag line ‘Television Loves Coming-out’, the ‘TLC Gay Week’ offered viewers special programming that shed a light on inspiring stories and characters within the LGBT-community.

Various departments within the Benelux office - including press, marketing, on-air, online, research, sales and events, joined forces to ensure that ‘TLC Gay Week’ was a slamming success. Lifeworks & Inclusion provided a key contribution to the project by providing Discovery Benelux employees the chance to show their support for the LGBT-community by experiencing the Amsterdam canal parade from the special Gay Pride Deck situated on the Amstel river.

Specific activities surrounding ‘TLC Gay Week’ included:

•

PRESS A special ‘TLC Gay Week’ digital press kit was created, which was well received. Coverage appeared in various national newspapers and magazines. Additionally, an interview with Alco de Jong, VP of Channels for Discovery Networks Benelux appeared in ‘Metro’, the Netherlands’ biggest free daily newspaper.

•

MARKETING During the week of Gay Pride, an outdoor campaign was launched in Amsterdam for ‘TLC Gay Week’, including a billboard along the busiest highway in Amsterdam. A tune-in radio spot was broadcast on the biggest radio stations in the Netherlands.

•

ON-AIR A ‘TLC Gay Week’ tune-in promo logo was shown in the weeks leading up to and during the actual Gay Week.

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A full-graphics activation promo was also created, encouraging viewers to participate in a special ‘TLC Gay Week’ sweepstakes.

TLC Gay Week online and activation promos

“As the world’s number one Pay-tv programmer, raising the rainbow pride flag at our global headquarters during Pride month sent a powerful message. We received so many responses from employees stating how proud they are to be working for a company like ours.”

— Evelyne Steward, VP, Global LifeWorks & Inclusion

•

ONLINE A special ‘TLC Gay Week’ sweepstake page was created. For the sweepstake, participants were asked to send in a photo of their outfit for Gay Pride.

All winners got 2 tickets for the VIP Deck, getting a front row view of Amsterdam’s renowned canal parade on August 3rd.

•

RESEARCH The research department conducted a study using the ‘TLC Panel’, asking participants for their views on homosexuality. The most interesting results were put into a press release which was picked up by several Dutch news websites.

the Amstel river, getting a front row view of all the fabulous boats featured in the canal parade. For the occasion, special ‘TLC Gay Week’ t-shirts were created, which were worn by all employees. This event was made possible with the help of Christian Hug, Director International Lifeworks & Inclusion. Gay Pride is of course a true celebration of diversity, allowing people to show their true colors, which was why Lifeworks & Inclusion decided to contribute to the project. For the occasion, Christian came over to Amsterdam to celebrate Gay Pride with the Benelux staff.

•

•

AD SALES Account managers from the Benelux office paid a visit to various media agencies informing them of ‘TLC Gay Week’ and handing out custom made Gay Week tiaras.

TLC LOVES GAY PRIDE AIRPLANE As the cherry on the cake, a special ‘TLC Loves Gay Pride’ airplane flew over Amsterdam on the day of the canal parade. The plane was clearly visible for everyone in the city. Naturally, the whole Discovery Benelux crowd cheered as the plane flew over the Gay Pride VIP Deck.

•

LIFEWORKS & INCLUSION All employees of the Benelux office got a chance to show their support for the LGBT-community by getting access to the special Gay Pride Deck on

All in all, the ‘TLC Gay Week’ was a successful project and sent an uplifting message to the entire Dutch audience.

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LGBT

Interpublic Group (IPG)

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PG’s decade-plus commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout its holding company and subsidiary operating companies has, from the very beginning made strides in support of gay rights and equality.

To promote leader engagement and accountability, IPG is the first in its industry to establish a CEO Diversity Council. This organization is composed of CEOs from Interpublic business units and chaired by Michael Roth, Chairman and CEO of IPG, which reviews program priorities and effectiveness metrics. The group also serves as a forum where leaders can share best practices and prioritize the resources required for further progress.

DIVERSITY TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS: • 2003 - Industry Leadership hired its first Diversity Director at the holding company level.

• 2004 - The InterAct Associates Fellowship Program Launched. This two-year fellowship program seeks to recruit, retain and develop an internal pipeline of multicultural talent with multi-disciplinary experience.

• 2006 - IPG is the first advertising industry holding company to link CEO compensation for its major U.S. agencies with performance against diversity objectives. Numeric workforce goals at the management level and employee climate survey scores are key metrics for the diversity incentive program.

One of the ways IPG continues to assess its diversity and inclusion progress is 20 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

through the IPG Climate for Inclusion Survey (CIS). CIS is an internal employee survey conducted by an outside vendor which, for the last three years, has fielded CIS surveys to all IPG U.S. employees. The results are shared with the IPG Board of Directors, its CEO Diversity Council, agency leaders and Business Resource Groups (BRGs), who use the data to develop and refine programming and ultimately improve the climate for inclusion.

Two of CIS’s findings revealed: • IPG is a “Good Place to Work”. Its score rose from 4.18 in 2012 to 4.22 in 2013, out of a possible 5.0.

• The response rate for the 2013 Climate for Inclusion survey was 83%, up from 77% in 2012. This is particularly significant since the average employee response to a company survey is only 30% to 40% in most businesses.

To further its commitment to supplier diversity, IPG is a corporate member of The National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), and is currently the only marketing and advertising holding company affiliated with this organization.

Additionally, in 2013, IPG and its agencies spent $650,000 with 11 LGBT companies, and established its own Internal Awards Program to promote excellence in diversity and inclusion by recognizing individuals and agencies with outstanding records in these two areas: • Agency Champion of Inclusion Award recognizes an agency and its leadership for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to foster a climate of inclusion in the workplace.

• Chief Diversity Officer of the Year Award recognizes the Chief Diversity

Officer or Human Resources Leader of the Agency Champion of Inclusion honoree.

EXTERNAL RECOGNITION • In 2009, IPG became the first holding company to receive the Human Rights Campaign’s “Best Place to Work” honor for supporting LGBT talent. IPG has earned a 100% rating four times on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index including 2013 and 2014.

• Program Partnerships – Programs that demonstrate IPG’s commitment within the community include Live Out Loud’s “Homecoming Project” which brings adults back to their high schools to talk to LGBT youth about their paths to becoming fulfilled adults.

• Industry Recognition – IPG became the first holding company to win the American Advertising Federation Mosaic Workforce Diversity Award.

• Pre-planning and Post Program Surveys – Employee Engagement »» We regularly survey our employees in advance of and following our D+I programming. The feedback from the surveys help provide a key measure of employee reactions and help determine how future programming will be shaped. »» We periodically conduct program surveys to help us plan out our programs and to access how well the programs deliver on the promised content and experience. »» In addition, IPG D+I conducted a culture survey on the IPGLBT to assess how the group was making an impact on IPG agencies.

IPGLBT hosts programs that offer client engagement, mentoring, professional development, consumer insights, etc.. A sampling of the second half 2013 and Y-T-D 2014 IPGLBT programs included: IPGLBT career workshop, “Eight Ways to Promote Yourself”, August 2013.

IPGLBT holds on-going training programs in partnership with Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)’s Straight for Equality, December 2013.

IPGLBT and its client L’Oréal presented a special screening of MARCH ON, a documentary about marriage equality, December 2013.

IPGLBT Lunch and Learn, “Winning the LGBT Market,” January 2014.

IPGLBT and FCB Lunch and Learn, “Understanding Health Through a Rainbow- Colored Lens.” The IPGLBT partnered with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis of New York to address healthcare concerns in the LGBT community, June 2014.

IPGLBT and Mediabrands hosted a panel discussion in celebration of June Pride Month 2014, “Out and Proud at Mediabrands.”

From incorporating a focus on LGBT in IPG’s overall diversity and inclusion strategy, to partnering with LGBT not-for-profits like the Human Rights Campaign, GMHC, GLAAD and LOL to foster the activities of our own IPGLBT, IPG has made significant progress as an inclusive workplace for LGBT talent.

However, IPG believes there is still a long way to go and much work to be done.

The firm has therefore committed substantial resources and expertise to increasing diversity in its ranks and forging a sustainable culture of inclusion at the company.

This is being done because IPG has a mandate to succeed as a global company and, in the words of its CEO, it’s also the right thing to do. “Like all of our diversity and inclusion programming, our commitment to the LGBT community is not only the right thing to do, it’s simply good business,” commented Michael Roth, Chairman and CEO, IPG. “Time and time again, research indicates that companies with workforces that reflect our communities are among the

most successful companies. Through leadership commitment, company-wide programming and our business resource group, the IPGLBT, we work hard to ensure that the climate at IPG is welcoming and respectful to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. We are proud of our progress so far and are committed to continuing to work on this key imperative for our business.”

CAREER DEVELOPMENT IPGLBT (IPG’s LGBT Employee Business Resource Group [BRG]) also hosts workshops that provide additional resources, information and best practices for LGBT employees and allies to help them with their career development and advancement.

Across the five IPG BRGs that are all under the IPG Diversity + Inclusion MERGE* umbrella, programs that feature career development content are among the most well attended and highly rated.

In fact, In the IPGLBT culture survey LGBT employees expressed their interest

in career development programming that focused on how to position oneself for advancement in the industry. This feedback led to a series of career advancement workshops including a program entitled “Climb the Ladder: 8 Strategies to Promote Yourself and Get Promoted” with McCann North America’s Mark Strong.

To further strengthen its commitment to diversity and inclusion, IPG established in 2012 a partnership with the award-winning Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) organization. Today, PFLAG’s Straight For Equality project conducts training sessions at IPG to engage straight allies on how they can engage and advocate on behalf of LGBT colleagues, and to train its IPGLBT leadership on how to boost the number of volunteers and encourage sustainable participation. Since the last PFLAG leadership training session in December 2013, (BRG Leadership Development: Reaching and Engaging New Members) the active LGBT participation in 2014 has grown exponentially.

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 21

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Disabilities & Veterans

Merck “In addition to affirming our support for the Guard and Reserve, the Merck leadership team and I also consider it our duty to ensure that we hire returning veterans for appropriate roles within Merck because of the critical skills, discipline and leadership that they bring.”

—Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman, President & CEO, Merck & Co., Inc.

M

erck’s commitment to Veterans and People with Disabilities is reflective of a company truly dedicated to diversity and inclusion. For People with Disabilities, Merck established the first enterprisewide, customized disability inclusion strategy that addresses the entire spectrum of the employee experience. Merck established the Workplace EnABLEment program, ensuring the firm’s commitment to supporting people with disabilities through targeted recruiting, professional development, manager training and education, and workplace accommodation processes.

Advocating for full disability inclusion in the workplace, Merck’s Workplace EnABLEment program is designed to empower employees with an apparent or nonapparent disability, those actively employed at Merck, those seeking employment at Merck, and those who desire to return to work from a medical or military leave.

Further, Merck develops internal tools to promote disability-inclusive diversity and to change corporate culture through: • Employee Business Resource Group (EBRG) communications • Diversity etiquette – how to communicate with People with Disabilities (PwD)

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• D rives awareness through an active internal social media campaign • Workplace EnABLEment videos and online case studies • Employee Newsletters throughout the year and during October for National Disability Employment Awareness Month DISABILITY-INCLUSIVE DIVERSITY SUPPLY CHAIN Merck’s policy is to provide maximum practical opportunity to small and diverse suppliers to provide goods and services to the company as a part of its corporate procurement process. Recognizing that supplier diversity creates a competitive advantage for the company and positively impacts the global community, Merck offers mentoring and financial education to these suppliers.

Merck is also actively involved on the certification committee for businesses owned by a person with a disability, and was a founding member of the Disability Supplier Diversity Program with USBLN. VETERANS Merck’s commitment to help transitioning service women and men and other veterans into the workplace after military service is evidenced by the strategic, measured, enterprise-wide approach Merck takes in leveraging global diversity and inclusion best practices, senior level commitment, and policies and programs to recruit, retain, and develop veteran employee talent. At the core of this strategy is the Veterans Employee Business Resource

Group (EBRG), a cross-functional leadership team with employee veteran members designed to leverage employee business insights, enhance corporate responsibility and support the talent, inclusion and development of veteran employees.

The Veterans EBRG drives business results by: • Serving as a company resource on all veteran-related issues • Aligning with the Company’s strategy to recruit, retain, and develop employees with military service experience • Serving as a mentor to newly hired veteran employees

• Helping to inform hiring managers around the benefits of recruiting employees with military experience • Working with and/or sponsoring organizations that help military employees and their families.

As a result of Merck’s global diversity and inclusion and HR talent strategy, along as with its collaboration with the BIR, the company has 570 Protected Class veteran employees, and plans to increase its goal of new veteran hires in 2014 through a comprehensive strategy that recruits and retains top diverse talent through inclusive, welcoming best practices.

MERCK RECOGNITION FOR ITS COMMITMENT TO FULL INCLUSION

In 1983, Merck received its 1st Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Exemplary Voluntary Efforts Award. Merck continues to achieve compliance with the OFCCP guidelines.

Merck had the honor of addressing the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee in July, 2011 on the subject of disability employment.

Merck participated in the first-ever CEO Summit on the Benefits of Disability Employment in June, 2012.

HR Magazine (“Opening Doors—Spotlight on Anne Marie Geiger, Merck), Thinking Beyond the Label (“A Chemist’s Formula for Success at Merck—James Schiller”), and Mercer’s “A Merck’s Social Approach to Disability Inclusion” article recognized Merck for its commitment to full inclusion.

Merck was selected by Cornell University to video tape best practices for the “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: Employer Preparedness to Include Veterans with Disabilities in the Workplace” program.

Merck continues to rank among the “Top 50 Employers” in CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine.

Merck was one of two companies profiled as “Leading Veteran/Disability Employers” in The P.E.R.C.E.V.D. Principles book

by Ed Crenshaw.

Merck is a Disability Equality Index (DEI) Founding Partner and participated in the pilot phase of the survey achieving an initial score of 100.

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LGBT

Mondelez Global LLC

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ondelez Global LLC fosters a diverse and inclusive workforce which includes recognizing same sex marriages with respect to the firm’s policies and benefits. With non-discrimination policies, benefits and other practices that include LGBT workers, the company believes these policies are essential to compete for talent and customers. Based upon a proud history of celebrating diversity and inclusiveness to helps its employees bring their whole selves to work, Mondelez Global LLC believes this is key not only to its business success, but also to employees’ its personal success.

Mondelēz’s diversity and inclusion strategy is closely linked with its overall company goals of top tier financial performance and creating a great place to work. By focusing on inclusion, the company believes that it will have not only a competitive business advantage with customers and consumers, but it will also create a great place to work for employees. One of its core values: “Be open and inclusive”, declares its conviction as a company. It is by going beyond race and gender that Mondelēz believes it creates an inclusive workplace which is strengthened by employees’ differences. By focusing on inclusion the company is ensuring employees are acknowledged for who they are, and that they are valued and welcome.

For these reasons, Mondelēz embraces the differences others bring and include LGBT programs as part of its core diversity and inclusion offerings.

A strong employer brand that values top talent and creates the conditions that allow this talent to flourish, no matter where it comes from or what it looks like, is a huge differentiator. It positions a company to become a talent magnet—an employer of choice in an increasingly competitive labor market.

Further, by having a diverse and inclusive workforce, 24 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

Mondelēz believes it is better able to meet and understand the needs of its customers / consumers, thereby increasing its market share by inclusion, not exclusion.

As such, Mondelēz, has built a Diversity and Inclusion strategy that is tied to its overall business strategy. For example, its Honey Maid “This is Wholesome” campaign reflects that Honey Maid is an iconic American brand that’s been part of families’ lives for over 90 years. And, just like the wholesome ingredients of Honey Maid, what hasn’t changed are the wholesome connections that make family, family.

To celebrate these wholesome family connections, on March 10th Honey Maid launched “This is Wholesome,” a campaign that celebrated the diversity of real families in America today. It featured various, real-life, nontraditional families celebrating their wholesome family connections. Two weeks after the launch, Honey Maid saw an overwhelming outpouring of support: 14 million social impressions, 35,000 social engagements and 68.9 million PR impressions.

While Honey Maid received loads of positive support

for the campaign, the brand also received some negative feedback, mostly via social media (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter). So, on April 3rd, the brand released a public response: An online film that showed how the brand printed out all the negative comments and turned them into something positive: a paper installation forming the word “Love,” with an overwhelming number of positive comments surrounding it. Supported by only a tiny promoted social spend, Honey Maid left the rest up to America. The response was astounding.

In just 24 hours, Honey Maid hit one million views for the new “Love” video, and the organic pickup by press and consumers alike spread like wild fire. One week after launch, the campaign was at 3.5 million views, 273,990 social shares across platforms and 137 million social impressions. What’s more, the story was picked up by every major news outlet in America, accruing over 115 million media impressions.

The results of the “This is Wholesome” campaign blew away every goal, having a positive impact on purchase intent, boosting its Facebook engagement rate, and droving conversation around the brand and the overall family conversation within Mondelēz and all of America.

But it doesn’t stop there. Externally, Mondelēz also makes significant corporate-wide contributions to the community and different organizations, including sponsoring the ‘Reaching Out LGBT MBA’ Conference in 2011 and 2012, and as a sponsor of the 2014 Out & Equal Workplace Advocates Summit.

“We will continue to embed our diversity and inclusion principles into our everyday activities while continuously improving upon how we manage inclusion,” says Catherine Dickson, Sr. Manager Diversity & Compliance. She continues, “We realize this is a journey that requires effort, long term commitment and investment, and we are determined to continue to uphold our core values of diversity and inclusion.”

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 25

for

LGBT & Women

Morgan Stanley

M

organ Stanley’s global leadership rests on the talent of its people, who advise and serve its clients in a firstclass way every day. Throughout the Firm’s history, diverse and talented individuals have worked together to develop Morgan Stanley’s innovative ideas and groundbreaking financial products.

Morgan Stanley knows that the diversity of its people is one of the company’s greatest strengths. To maintain its leadership, the broadest possible knowledge of the global markets in which the Firm operates is necessary. This translates into a workforce that must include the most skilled and creative individuals who represent a broad crosssection of the global community. Morgan Stanley strives to create a spirit of inclusion by bringing together and valuing dedicated professionals with diverse backgrounds, talents, perspectives, cultural identities and experiences. The Firm encourages employees to bring their full selves to the table, leveraging their differences to help Morgan Stanley achieve its full potential.

This spirit of inclusion sharpens Morgan Stanley’s competitive edge, fosters innovative thinking and helps produce superior solutions for its clients. Morgan Stanley views a diverse and inclusive workforce not as an obligation, but as an opportunity for its clients, shareholders and employees.

Morgan Stanley offers a variety of employee development programs tailored exclusively for women and LGBT employees.

26 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

These programs facilitate career development, coaching, mentoring and networking and increase employees’ exposure to senior management. Some examples include: • New Women Managing Director Conference is an annual conference designed to further the development of the Firm’s newly promoted women managing directors.

• VP Women Development Series is a leadership development program for women vice presidents. Participants meet with senior leaders, network with peers and hone their leadership skills.

• Women’s Leadership Summit for financial advisors in the Firm’s Wealth Management business.

In addition, the Firm partners with external organizations to deliver developmental programs. For example, the Firm hosted Out Leadership’s OutNEXT Summit, a day-long conference to engage the next generation of LGBT talent from across industries.

The Firm values collaboration and sponsors a number of Employee Networking Groups (ENGs) including: • Family Network • Pride and Ally Employee Networking Group • Wealth Management Women’s Network • Women’s Business Alliance Each ENG offers professional development and networking opportunities, interactive forums and involvement in recruiting initiatives, as well as social and volunteer activities. The ENGs deliver robust and varied programming throughout the year, featur-

ing both internal and external speakers and activities. Taken together, Morgan Stanley’s commitment from senior leadership, professional development programs and ENGs cultivate a diverse workforce and culture of inclusion across the globe.

The Firm’s recruiting efforts at all levels reflect the value Morgan Stanley places on a diverse and inclusive workforce. Specific programs to attract women and LGBT talent include the Richard B. Fisher Scholarship Program and The Freshmen Enhancement Program for underrepresented students.

The Firm’s Early Insights Programs for diverse undergraduate and MBA candidates showcase Morgan Stanley’s industry leaders, highlight key areas of the business and provide insights on professional development and the recruiting process. These programs encourage networking and social interaction with professionals of all levels, including senior management and help the Firm develop relationships with potential future hires.

For experienced professionals who have taken a break from the workforce, the Firm has 12-week paid internships in New York and London. Morgan Stanley’s Return to Work Program helps midcareer professionals transition back into the workforce by combining on-the-job experience and training. The internship exemplifies the Firm’s commitment to support professionals throughout the various stages of their careers.

Morgan Stanley also hosts and participates in industry events and partners with key diversity organizations focused on a variety of populations including multicultural, women, LGBT and veterans.

Working continuously to improve the

MORgAN STANLEY

ExCEPTIONAL PEOPLE ExCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES A DYNAMIC, DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE CULTURE UNDERLIES THE SUCCESS OF OUR COMPANY, OUR CLIENTS AND OUR EMPLOYEES. At Morgan Stanley, we pair talented people and outstanding resources. Our workplace is inclusive, alive with ideas and known globally for our ability to meet the needs of the world’s most sophisticated and demanding clients.

Diversity of backgrounds, interests and specialties have been part of our rich heritage for more than 75 years and are critical to our strategy today. morganstanley.com/diversity

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer committed to workforce diversity. (M / F / D / V) © 2013 Morgan Stanley.

MECH

JOB INFORMATION 7189753/602246431

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2013 Diversity Ad Redesign

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Firm’s offerings, Morgan Stanley will be building its current efforts in the next year to include: • Return to Work Program Expansion: The Firm’s inaugural London program began in September of 2014 and its second New York program begins in February of 2015. The Firm also plans to launch a program in Asia in 2015.

• Out Leadership Program Sponsorship: In 2015, the Firm will host Out on the Street, an Out Leadership summit that brings together senior LGBT and ally leaders within the international financial services industry to focus on business opportunities and leadership strategies for and within the LGBT community, as well as its industry’s role in advancing LGBT equality. Out on the Street includes member organizations at the forefront of the financial services industry.

• Employee Networking Group Expansion: The Firm’s Working Parents Employee Networking Group was recently rebranded as the Family Network to include educational and networking opportunities, support, information and resources to working parents, families and caregivers focused on a broader range of topics such as children’s wellness, elder care, adoption, work-life integration and stress management.

7502130 2013 Diversity Ad Redesign_m3

LAST MODIFIED:

August 28, 2013 3:22 PM

The Women’s Business Alliance and the Wealth Management Women’s Network hosted a discussion with Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, co-authors of The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance and What Women Should Know.

The Firm launched Insights: Women Leaders of Morgan Stanley, a video series featuring leading women at the Firm offering advice around a range of topics including leadership, career advancement and networking; and illustrating their contributions and accomplishments.

The Pride and Ally Employee Networking Group hosted Financial Planning: Post-DOMA – where a financial advisor from the Firm’s Wealth Management business discussed financial planning tools available to LGBT individuals and families in light of recent U.S. legislation such as same-sex marriage.

The Firm’s Wealth Management business also continues to engage clients and business prospects by focusing on products and services that are relevant to the LGBT community.

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 27

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LGBT

Nielsen SHOPPING HABITS

AND BUYING or Nielsen, diversity and inclusion are integral POWER OF U.S. parts of the organization’s DNA. LGBT HOUSEHOLDS

F

• Nielsen has been committed to the HRC and the Corporate Equality Index for over 5 years and has achieved a score of 100 in four out of the past 5 years.

Committed to accurately measuring a broad range of con• In 2013, Nielsen extended full benefits to transgendered emsumer behavior representing a wide range of ethnicities, cultures ployees including sex reassignment surgery.

The believes buying power same-sex partnered significant when and organizations worldwide, Nielsen that ofnot only does • households Nielsen’sisLGBT employees can self identify confidentially compared to the average U.S. household, which offers considerable everyone’s opinions and ideas matter, but that no two consumers are within the firm’s employee databases. This data is then colopportunities to manufacturers and retailers that are able to satisfy the exactly the same. It is for these reasons that Nielsen has invested in lected and reviewed in aggregate to measure its progress with need states of these consumers. the best technology, the best methodology and the best people to LGBT employees. assure that all ethnic communities are fairly represented.

Nielsen information measuring the shopping trips and purchase “One of the ways we value diversity at Nielsen is with our Em- shows Further, Nielsen is committed to collecting and reporting data behaviors of participating households that on any given shopping ployee Resource Groups (ERGs). These volunteer organizations trip, same-sex partnered households spend at comparable rates to the and insights on LGBT viewers and consumerst via its Diverse Inempower employees to demonstrate leadership skills that average U.S. household ($50 have average spend per trip vs. $46 telligence Series.

Itsaverage 2013 Series found, for example, that same-sex spendand per educating trip for all U.S. households).households But, same-sex benefitted the organization by engaging employees, andpartnered the LGBT community represent valuable opportunihouseholds make 16 professional percent more shopping than the average assisting with recruitment and retention, providing ties totrips manufacturers and U.S. retailers. household over 52 weeks (173 average shopping trips vs.

149 average development opportunities and organizing community outreach Nielsen information measured the shopping trips and purchase shopping trips for total U.S. households).

Director Media and behaviors of participating households which showed that on any initiatives,” says Matt O’Grady, EVP/Managing PRIDE ERG Executive Sponsor. “Additionally, in 2013, the PRIDE given shopping trip, same-sex partnered households spend at These additional shopping trips make for a marked difference in total ERG proposed and Nielsen implemented enhanced benefits for households, average rates toannual the average U.S. household ($50 average spend spending. Among same-sex partnered comparable marriage equality and for transgendered individuals.” per tripisvs. average spending on consumer packaged goods (CPG) 25 $46 percent higher spend per trip for all U.S. households).

Specifically, Nielsen has demonstrated its of support of the LGBT Further, same-sex than that the average U.S. household ($8,651 vs. $6,898).partnered Within the households make 16 percent more community in the following ways: LGBT community, male same-sex partnered households shopping trips shop than even the more average U.S. household over 52 weeks frequently than female same-sex households (182 tripsshopping vs. 163 trips), • Nielsen launched a PRIDE Employee Resource Group in 2003 (173 average trips vs. 149 average shopping trips for male household CPG spending to $8,943— • Nielsen recently added a PRIDEraising chapter in same-sex its Canadian officesannual total U.S. households), which contribute to a market difference nearly Europe 30 percent higher than the average U.S. household. and expects to expand into Western shortly. in total spending.

TOTAL U.S. HHS

TOTAL SAME-SEX PARTNERED HHS

MALE SAME-SEX PARTNERED HHS

FEMALE SAMESEX PARTNERED HHS

Shopping Trips per HH

149

173

182

163

Basket Ring Dollars per Trip

$46

$50

$49

$51

Basket Ring Dollars per HH

$6,898

$8,651

$8,943

$8,322

HOUSEHOLD TRIPS AND SPEND

Source: Nielsen, 52 Weeks Ending 6/30/12

2

28 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

STATE OF THE LGBT CONSUMER

RETAIL SHOPPING TRENDS “One of the ways we value diversity at NielsenIn is withofour Employee Resource an analysis retail channel shopping habits over a recent 52 Groups week period, same-sex partnered households shop in the three main (ERGs). These volunteer organizations empower employees leadership traditional channels (grocery, to massdemonstrate merchandiser, and drug) at nearly the same rates as the average U.S. household. However, same-sex skills that have benefitted the organization byhouseholds engaging and educating employees, assisting shop more in several other important retail channels, compared to the average U.S. household. with recruitment and retention, providing professional development opportunities and organizing community outreach initiatives.” Same-sex households, for example, are 16 percent more likely to shop in warehouse club stores than the average U.S. household. Same-sex

partnered households index even higher in specialty retail channels like —Matt O’Grady, EVP/Managing Director Media and PRIDE ERG Executive Sponsor. pet stores, online retailers, electronics stores, and health food retailer, where an index of 100 represents the average U.S. household.

Further, based upon an analysis of retail channel shopping habits over a 52 -week period, same-sex partnered households were found to shop in the three main traditional channels (grocery, mass merchandiser, and drug) at nearly the same rates as the average U.S. household. However, same-sex households shop more in several other important retail channels (i.e. pet stores, online retailers, electronics stores, and health food retailers), compared to the average U.S. household.

The study further showed that both male and female same-sex households that purchase pet care products do so at aboveaverage rates. Same-sex male households purchase 50 percent more in this category than average, and same-sex female households purchase 32 percent more. The average same-sex male household tends to spend more on dogs, while the average same-sex female household spends more on cats.

Among other categories, male same-sex STATE OF THE LGBT CONSUMER partnered households were shown to spend more than average households on alcoholic beverages, refrigerated meal starters, and oral hygiene products. Female same-sex partnered households have higher than average spending on frozen baked goods, fresh produce, and cottage cheese/sour cream.

Coffee, yogurts, and vitamins were a few of the other categories on which female and male same-sex households both spent more than the US average.

Although for many products in grocery and household categories, same-sex partnered households exhibit the same levels of purchasing as the average U.S. household index, there are many product categories where same-sex partnered households samesex households were shown to spend more money than the average U.S. household.

It’s in these categories where retailers and manufacturers have the biggest opportunity to win with this demographic.

PENETRATION INDEX FOR SAME-SEX HHS WHERE AN INDEX OF 100 REPRESENTS THE TOTAL U.S. HOUSEHOLD AVERAGE

0 Pet Electronic Health Food Online Warehouse Clubs

100

200 155 136 136 119 116 114

PRODUCT CATEGORY BUYING HABITS Home Improv Office Supply Book

Department Conv/Gas

Drug

Grocery

113 109 108 105 103 101

For many products in grocery and household categories, same-sex Mass (w/Supers) 100 partnered households exhibit the same levels of purchasing as the Dollar 91 average U.S. household index. But, there are many product categories Toy 80 where same-sex partnered households over-index compared to the average U.S. home, meaning same-sex households spend more these categories than thestores average household.

It’s in Read as: Same-sex householdsmoney are 36%inmore likely to shop at electronic than U.S. the average U.S. household these categories where retailers and manufacturers have the biggest Source: Nielsen, 52 Weeks Ending 6/30/12 opportunity to win with this demographic.

Copyright © 2013 The Nielsen Company

CATEGORY

Cottage Cheese and Sour Cream

FEMALE SAME-SEX PARTNERED HHS PURCHASE INDEX

132

3 MALE/MALE PURCHASE INDEX

CATEGORY

Liquor / Beer / Wine

222

Pet Care

132

Men’s Toiletries

190

Butter and Margarine

128

Refrigerated Meal Starters

173

Coffee

125

Coffee

173

Cat Food

125

Fresheners and Deodorizers

164

Frozen Novelties

123

Dog Food

163

Gum

123

Oral Hygiene

156

Yogurt

122

Medications and Remedies

152

Paper Products

121

Pet Care

150

Frozen Baked Goods

121

Yogurt

149

Fresh Produce

121

Shaving Needs

147

Vitamins

119

Nuts

146

Flour

119

Vitamins

145

Salad Dressings

119

Frozen Novelties

144

Nuts

119

Dairy Snacks and Spreads

141

Read Purchase Index as: the average male same-sex partnered household that buys coffee spends 73% more than the average coffee-buying household Source: Nielsen, 52 Weeks Ending 6/30/12

4

STATE OF THE LGBT CONSUMER

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 29

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LGBT

Quest Diagnostics “We do this because it’s the right thing to do, because it makes us feel good as individuals, and because it helps our business.”

— Steve Rusckowski, President & CEO

T

Take pride in your quest

o Quest Diagnostics, Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) talent are visible, engaged, and valued, and must be enabled to perform to their fullest potential to drive business success. As an employer of choice for the LGBT Community, Quest’s benefits, policies and leaders are seeking to foster a fully inclusive work environment.

© 2014 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. All rights reserved. 04/2014

B:23” T:21” S:18.8785”

QDRL14CDNY3845_LGBT_PRIDE_WEEK_AD_r4.indd 1

Get off the train.

And walk.

Quest Diagnostics is a proud sponsor of AIDS Walk San Francisco.

Sign up today at aidswalk.net or call 415.615.WALK and join us in the quest for the cure.

#QuestDX

© 2014 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. All rights reserved. 05/14

5/12/14 12:07 PM

T:22”

#becauseiwalk

QDRL14CDNY4139_AIDS_WALK_SAN_FRANCISCO_BART_Train_Poster_r9.indd 1

30 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

4/29/14 4:07 PM

S:20”

Its Pride Network, in support of an inclusive workplace for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees, provides subject matter expertise to HR and Benefits related to legislative changes, serves as a source of information and support for employees, plays a leadership role in community events, and partners with Quest’s commercial organization on LGBT community outreach and support. In 2014, the network is teaming with community leaders and Quest business leaders to sponsor and support AIDS Walks in New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles,

Quest Diagnostics is proud to be part of Pride Week 2014, and to celebrate and support the health, happiness, hopes, dreams, goals, and spirit of the LGBT community.

B:24”

Believing in the power of employee networks to foster a culture of inclusion, to drive its business forward and develop its professionals, Quest made a commitment in April 2013, during National Diversity Month, to invite all interested employees to help launch and revitalize its Employee Business Networks (EBNs).

Led by employee volunteers and supported by executive sponsors and the office of Global Inclusion and Corporate Social Responsibility, Quest began to build or revitalize seven networks centered around African and Hispanic descent, caregivers, veterans, women in leadership, young professionals and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. All EBNs are open to all employees, and their national leaders comprise a collaborative team building an integrated plan.

Each EBN is charged with three objectives: 1. Foster a culture of inclusion through programs and activities that educate and raise awareness among all employees.

2. Develop professionals and professional networks, both internally and externally, including opportunities for employees to mutually mentor and engage across teams, functions, levels and regions.

3. Partner with the business for growth as a network leadership team, identifying and collaborating with at least one internal business partner on a business growth initiative.

SAFE SPACE PROVIDED AT QUEST: “Quest’s Safe Space program uses the familiar pink triangle embedded within a green circle on a magnet which is displayed by colleagues who seek to provide a safe place for LGBT, employees, allies, or parents of LGBT children to share and ask questions. Seeing the symbol in the workplace signals that an LGBT network exists and is an active resource.” — Ron Kennedy, MD, National Medical Director and Executive Sponsor, Pride Network at Quest Diagnostics

and Orange County, California; Pride Walks in New York, Denver, St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri; and the Imperial Court of New York’s annual “Night of a Thousand Gowns,” a transgender gala that over the years has raised millions of dollars for New York City charities including GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis).

Further, in early 2014, Quest committed to creating a promotional outreach campaign specifically designed to reach the LGBT community. The effort was designed to show Quest’s support and commitment to the LGBT community, provide information relevant to LGBT individuals about health and wellness needs, and better inform the LGBT community about offerings Quest Diagnostics provides. The campaign has included both printed health care information materials and locally placed advertising, and the design of its communications are LGBT inclusive, using messages like “Take Pride in Your Quest” and “No matter who you are we have tests that match your needs,” and imagery that focused on LGBT individuals and partnerships. In addition, Quest’s outreach efforts included sponsorship and active presence at key events around the country including AIDS Walks and Pride events where an interactive wall called “My quest is ___ “ inspired many to think about and then publicly express their personal health and well-being aspirations. The engagement gave Quest an opportunity to discuss its role as a healthcare partner. Quest plans to continue this outreach effort in 2015 with additional health information materials and the introduction of new methods of reaching the community.

QUEST DIAGNOSTICS’ LGBT PRIORITIES Foster a culture of inclusion »» Support enabling a fully inclusive work environment that values, respects, includes and leverages the talents of all employees regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity Develop professionals and professional networks internally and externally »» Enable all employees to perform to their fullest potential, enhancing our competitive advantage in the market place Promote Quest in the community »» Promote Quest Diagnostics as an LGBT friendly healthcare company to prospective employees, customers and investors

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 31

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Women & LGBT

Turner Construction Company

“W

e inspire and empower women to drive positive change at Turner.” Championing professional women in the industry is one of Turner Construction Company’s missions and the company demonstrates it’s commitment to empowerment in a number of ways; through networking and community involvement, which create a sense of fellowship and common cause, through individual reflection and the sharing of lessons learned, and through value-added exposure that improves our careers and our lives.

These empowering workshops are built upon the premise that all learning, experience and knowledge count regardless of the way they are obtained. “They are the tools and attributes that support the path to success”, says Lisa Ballantyne, VP and General Manager.

The ‘Make Your Mark’ messages are always made clear during its workshops; no one path will be the same, and that they have the support they need. As stated in the most recent ‘Make Your Mark’ newsletter: ‘There is nothing like the help of others to help you get a person to what she defines as success!’

PRIDE ALLIANCE The Pride Alliance ERG is dedicated to celebrating diversity of sexual orientation and championing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees at Turner.. Turner’s best work is done in teams made up of employees from different backgrounds, who bring different skills, strengths and experiences to the table. The company believes LGBT employees are strong additions to any team, and is proud to foster a diverse and inclusive culture that encourages building connections, relationships, and productive alliances regardless of race, class, gender, religious affiliation or sexual orientation.

GOALS OF THE PRIDE ALLIANCE • Retention – To ensure field and office culture is such that employees of all sexual orientations feel connected and effective in their responsibilities without worrying about others’ biases • Recruitment – To market Turner to the best and brightest students, including those who identify as members of the LGBT community, showcasing our organizational opportunity and support 32 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

• Membership – To communicate the network’s existence to employees of all sexual orientations and gender identities; members of the LGBT community are made aware they have opportunities for representation as well as Camaraderie, and allies have a medium to express their support.

• Programming – To organize social and service events where members and allies can congregate, converse, and form relationships while networking or volunteering with community groups.

• Governance – To work with human resources to verify that all Turner employees, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, are afforded the same health and financial benefits.

• Training – To spread diversity awareness to the entire employee network, including senior management, through various types of learning sessions and guest speakers.

• Partnerships – To collaborate with companies in the real estate and engineering industries to trade information about best practices and form bonds with peers.

(From top left, clockwise) SAGE Dinner Service, September 2014; Housing Works Open Air Street Fair, June 2014; Housing Works Open Air Street Fair, June 2013; STEM National Conference, October 2013

SAMPLING OF TURNER’S LGBT EVENTS IN 2014

Housing Works - Pride Alliance and Operation Giveback, the New York’s office’s community service group, collaborated on Sunday, June 2nd, to volunteer for the second consecutive year at Housing Works’ Open Air Street Fair. Housing Works is an advocacy organization for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. The Open Air Street Fair is an annual fundraiser for Housing Works in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. This service event was part of Pride Alliance’s recognition of National Pride Month in June.

STEM Career Fair (Atlanta) - Pride Alliance is participating at the Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM) Annual Conference, for a second consecutive year! After last year’s presentation on Construction Management 101, Turner was invited back to their November 7-9 conference in Atlanta, GA. This year, Turner’s focus will be on recruiting and networking.

33rd Annual Front Runners LGBT Pride Run – On June 28th, 2014, Turner employees participated in the 5-Mile road race in New York City’s Central Park. Proceeds from the race benefited the Anti-Violence Project, which empowers LGBT communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing.

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 33

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LGBT

Viacom “At Viacom, our leadership is committed to nurturing a culture of inclusiveness and fully engaging all employees; our business thrives when every employee brings their whole self to work. When we harness the collective and unique talent and power of our entire workforce, it drives growth, creativity, innovation, and programming that represents our diverse audiences.”

–Marva Smalls, EVP Global Inclusion Strategy, Viacom; and EVP, Public Affairs & Chief of Staff, Nickelodeon

V

iacom has a robust diversity and inclusion strategy championed by the Office of Global Inclusion, senior leaders and eight active Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

Emerge is an ERG that engages the LGBT and straight ally community at Viacom, enriches the professional experience of LGBTA employees, celebrates diversity, and works every day to ensure that employees feel safe, supported, and valued. Emerge partners with Viacommunity and Viacom brands and also collaborates with external organizations like the NAACP, HRC, The LGBT Center, and GMHC on a range of initiatives.

VIACOM BENEFITS • Full benefits, including medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits, to employees, their spouses and partners, and children 34 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

• Survivor benefits to both spouses and domestic partners under the Pension Plan • Company paid financial wellness and planning services to employees and their spouses and partners, including unlimited one-on-one counseling with a certified financial planner • Adoption assistance which includes reimbursement for specific fees and costs, and generous infertility benefits, to support our employees in all the ways they build their family • Wellness Studio at 1515 Broadway with a variety of classes for employees including Kettle Bell, and Yoga, as well as an onsite health club at Paramount Pictures • Paid Parental Leave for Parents • Paid Parental Leave and Reimbursement for Adoptive Parents • Employee Affinity group to support diversity groups, including: LGBT, Hispanic, African American, Asian, &

Working Parent employees • Subsidized backup child and adult care program • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) • Onsite seminars on a variety of worklife topics VIACOM RECOGNITIONS • 100 Best Company for Working Mothers (4 years in a row) • Human Rights Campaign (HRC) List at 100% for consecutive years • 100 Best Adoption Friendly Companies – Dave Thomas Foundation • 2014 Transgender Legal Defense Foundation Award for Viacom’s work on The Name Change Project 2013-2014 EMERGE EVENTS • Members participated in a LOGO TV focus group collaborating with network executives on programming, content development, and strategy • Mentoring Program for LGBTA employees pairing junior and senior members across the company and across coasts • Housing Works Book Drive – the NYC offices donated over 2,000 items, Housing Works’ most successful corporate drive • Cross-Industry Holiday Mixer benefitting Green Chimneys – Raised over $1,000 for the organization • Volunteered at SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders), preparing and serving dinner for community members and hosting a drag queen bingo night • Identified a Transgender nominee for the Nickelodeon Halo Awards • Hosted a screening for the RuPaul Drag Race Season 6 premiere with a guest appearance by Bianca Del Rio • Partnership brainstorming with Network Presidents including Spike TV to guide hiring, retention, and programming around LGBT employees • Hosted seven volunteer and service events on Viacommunity Day including events at The LGBT Center, SAGE, God’s Love We Deliver, and Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) • Hosted a “Future of LOGO TV” panel with Stephen Friedman, President, MTV and Chris McCarthy, EVP, MTV2/MTVU/ LOGO to announce new strategic direction for LOGO channel • Organized an employee lunch with “out” WWE Superstar, Darren Young • Hosted an intimate interview with “Redefining Realness” author and transgender activist, Janet Mock • Mobilized employees for the AIDS Walk in NYC and turned the lights above Viacom’s Times Square Headquarters red in support of the event

Team Viacom at the 2014 Aids Walk New York

Intimate Interview for Emerge members with “Redefining Realness” author and trans activist, Janet Mock

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 6 winner, Bianca Del Rio Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 35

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LGBT & Disabilities

National Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) “I’ve been very inspired by NGLCC’s co-founders who’ve always believed that to truly move LGBT inclusion forward we must advocate aggressively for an economy that is fully inclusive of all people.”

— Sam McGlure, VP External Affairs

T

he National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is the business voice of the LGBT community and is the largest global not-for-profit advocacy organization specifically dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancements for LGBT people.

NGLCC is the exclusive certification body for LGBT owned businesses.

However, the work of NGLCC goes beyond advocating just for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. As Vice President Sam McClure explains an inclusive economy for some requires robust inclusion for all.

NGLCC’s great strength is the ability to share its own successes with partners and then help translate these practices into reality. The following are just a few examples of how NGLCC used its own expertise to build new opportunities for inclusion.

NGLCC is a founding member of the Campaign for Disability Employment

36 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

(CDE). In this role, NGLCC helped design PSAs that challenged assumptions about people with disabilities and employment.

These videos are shown in AMC theaters across the country throughout the month of October.

In partnership with USBLN, NGLCC spearheaded the development of USBLN Certification of Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBEs). Fashioned after NGLCC and WBENC certification requirements, the Disability Supplier Diversity Program is the leading third-party certifier of disability owned firms, including service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.

DSDP acts as an advocate and certifier linking disability-owned businesses to resources and contract opportunities with Corporate America, federal and state government and other buying organizations.

NGLCC was also a leading voice in the creation of the National Business Inclusion Consortium (NBIC). Rooted in the idea that a truly inclusive economy must be accessible to all people, NBIC advocates for the business interests of a diverse array of communities. This consortium rep-

“What started with participation in CDE four years ago has emerged into a powerhouse of support and true inclusion to guide the disability community paradigm shift into a economic empowerment model.”

The NGLCC and the National Business Inclusion Consortium (founded by the NGLCC) at the New York Stock Exchange, 2011. The NBIC brings many diverse business advocacy organizations together including the USBLN.

Geri Jewell, keynote speaker at 2011 conference.

Her groundbreaking book I’m Walking As Straight As I Can had just been released and it was a perfect opportunity for NGLCC to educate stakeholders on the intersection of LGBT and disability.

resents LGBT, ethnic minority, disability, and women-owned businesses. Together these businesses total over $8 trillion in annual consumer spending power. Additionally, NGLCC invited the USBLN to join NBIC – a breakthrough blueprint for public policy inclusion that also includes NGLCC, WBNEC, WE Connect International, National Black Justice Coalition, US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce.

For the past four years, NGLCC has been a valued partner in the Add Us In California Consortium. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), this initiative is intended to increase employment opportunities within the small business community for individuals with disabilities. NGLCC worked with its affiliate chambers in California to hire interns with disabilities.

California was the only ‘Add Us In Con-

sortium’ highlighted in the National Governor’s Association blue print Building A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities.

Beyond their direct involvement in working for greater disability economic inclusion, NGLCC is dedicated to creating forums to think about and discuss disability inclusion in new and creative ways.

• In 2011, NGLCC president Justin Nelson facilitated a roundtable discussion at the Financial Services Workers with Disabilities: Career Trends and Current Practices Summit in DC. Hosted by the Office of Disability Employment Policy the event was keynoted by Department of Labor Deputy Secretary Seth Harris and Assistant Secretary Kathleen Martinez.

• In 2013, Sam McClure moderated a panel at the annual conference of the Career Opportunities for Stu-

dents with Disabilities (COSD).

The panel highlighted the intersection of LBGT and disability issues, and featured Assistant Secretary Martinez, along with disability ally executives from PepsiCo and Ernst & Young.

The panel was so well received that a similar event was held at the annual Out & Equal Workplace Summit, which attracted even more distinguished voices representing both the LGBT and disability communities.

When it comes to systemic change, coalition building and strengthening diverse partnerships, NGLCC is a trusted ally, mentor and partner. Time and again, NGLCC has built meaningful and productive relationships with the disability community. These partnerships strengthen all those involved and continue to foster greater economic inclusivity in the business community.

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 37

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE

ILGA’s Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex People in Europe (2014) 2013 was a year of widening contrasts for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people in Europe. On one hand, some countries continued to move positively along the road of legal recognition by granting marriage equality and making it legally possible and accessible for trans people to live in their preferred gender. The first month of 2014 even saw the repeal of the last law criminalizing homosexuality in Europe when the northern part of Cyprus became the last European territory to stop considering homosexuality a crime.

On the other hand, new forms of criminalization of lesbian, gays, bisexual, trans and intersex people (LGBTI) are increasing through the spread of anti-propaganda laws, while many countries are adopting laws and policies to restrict the human rights of LGBTI people.

And so while the human rights of LGBTI people have undoubtedly gained great visibility across Europe, progress in terms of real legal, political and social changes vary considerably from one country to another, in large part depending on levels of societal acceptance, of political leadership and political will, as well as the strength of civil society in a given country.

One positive trend is the leadership showed by public officials to take concrete action to promote LGBTI equality. Beyond legislation, a number of countries adopted national equality plans to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity across different sectors (e.g. Italy, Montenegro). Similar leadership was demonstrated by the European Union (EU) in 2013 with the adoption of the Guidelines on LGBTI human Rights which give clear instructions to EU institutions and Member States on how to support the human rights of LGBTI people through its foreign policy.

Marriage Equality Marriage equality progressed significantly this year. Two European behemoths – namely France and the UK (all except Northern Ireland) – have now enshrined equality in their family law, bringing the number of countries with marriage equality in Europe to 10. Other countries are progressing in this direction from Finland which is taking clear steps forward following the thunderously successful citizens’ initiative in favour of equal marriage, to Malta where the newly-elected Labour government quickly initiated work towards civil union for same-sex couples that will secure numerous rights including equal access to adoption. It is significant that political support for legal recognition of couples is growing in several countries, from Ireland where all leading political leaders pledged to support

38 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

marriage equality in a referendum planned for 2015 to Cyprus where the government has started to work on a future civil partnership bill.

The growing consensus on legal recognition of same-sex couples among European countries was further supported in 2013 by a judgment from the European Court of Human Rights which stated that where a country gives legal recognition to unmarried heterosexual couples in a form of civil unions, same-sex couples also must be able to benefit from the same rights. Family law evolved positively in more than just one way: courts in Germany improved equality in the fields of adoption and taxation; Denmark now allows for easier procedures for lesbian parents and sperm donors; a court in Slovenia ruled positively on the inheritance rights of unregistered same-sex couples; and judges in Italy recognised that in their own best interest, children may be placed with same-sex couples.

Yet while many rejoiced at these positive developments, parts of society in a number of countries became very vocal about their opposition to the acquisition of equal rights for LGBTI people. Massive demonstrations against marriage equality in France surprised activists and political observers alike, and their effects continue rippling there but also beyond France’s own borders. Manif pour tous-like movements have sprung up in Italy, Croatia, and, have started developing in Slovakia. We also witnessed concerted efforts to force the exclusion of same-sex couples from future definitions of marriage in constitutions: the referendum to amend the constitution to specify that marriage is between a man and a woman was successful in Croatia, while initiatives to call for similar constitutional amendments continue to loom over Slovakia and, in the first months of 2014, in Georgia.

In this context, a worrying trend is the increasing mobilisation of religious extremist groups against the recognition of human rights of LGBTI people. Through misinformation and the use of scare tactics, such groups contribute to fostering prejudice and fear, and to polarising public debates on rights and equality in many countries as well as at European level. On a positive note, human rights case law is progressing towards a better understanding of the articulation of the right to freedom of religion and the right to non-discrimination and equality. A ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in Eweida and Others v. the United Kingdom established that employees’ religious views could not justify refusing to provide goods or services to same-sex couples. It also provided a basis to refute attempts to pit two sets of rights and two communities against one another.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE Trans People As revealed by the FRA LGBT Survey, trans people continued facing higher rates of discrimination and harassment – especially in the areas of employment and healthcare – as well as of violence, including at the hands of police forces, as was the case in Turkey and Greece in 2013. Trans people also face extensive structural discrimination, especially as it concerns their ability to get their preferred gender recognized. This said, in the last year, more and more countries took up reforms of gender recognition laws to bring them in line with human rights standards. But the pace of progress is very slow. At the European level, gender identity is rapidly becoming a recognised ground of discrimination and increasingly referenced in EU law and policies – from the EU’s LGBTI Guidelines for External Action and asylum directives to EU funding programmes – as well as by Council of Europe bodies.

At the same time, the concept of gender identity is started to be more contested, mainly by conservative groups, mainly under the guise of fighting so-called “gender ideology”.

Intersex People Another significant development is the growing visibility of the human rights of intersex people in Europe. The resolution of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly on children’s right to physical integrity was a first of its kind by any European institution.

By calling on governments to ensure that no one is subjected to unnecessary medical or surgical treatment that is cosmetic during infancy or childhood, it signalled a shift from the current medical approach to intersex issues to a human rights approach. The EU’s

LGBTI Guidelines for External Action also became the first ever EU policy document explicitly referring to intersex people. At national level, Germany became the first European country to allow a blank gender marker on identification documents. Although the intention behind this law was a good step towards challenging the gender binary in our societies, it unfortunately does not address the medicalization of intersex people nor the stigma and ignorance about intersex conditions.

Conclusion As in previous years, 2013 was a year when important legal milestones continued to be met. Laws remain the cornerstone of effective protection and recognition, and progress towards legal equality for LGBTI people was made again in relation to recognition of family rights, of legal gender recognition and of protection against discrimination and violence. Yet, the lived experience of LGBTI people remains full of challenges. As proven by the FRA LGBT survey, almost 50% of LGBT people had been discriminated against or harassed within the European Union in the past year, including in areas where laws protecting against discrimination have existed for over a decade. And 2013 was also the year during which we were all reminded that fundamental freedoms and rights are far from being secured for LGBTI people in many European countries. This is why it is essential to remember that true equality and human rights require not just legal change but also political, institutional and social change, and why it is crucial that public authorities and civil society continue to build on the positive developments and the good practices established across the region.

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 39

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE

Women on Boards: Beyond Quotas

by Barnali Choudhury, B.Comm., LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D.

WORLDWIDE THERE IS GROWING INTEREST in increasing the number of women on corporate boards. While quotas have often been proposed as a way to increase female corporate leadership, they remain controversial and may fail to address the root causes of the shortage of women on boards*.

The idea of promoting more women to boards of directors has increasingly gained momentum. A number of countries have proposed legislation advocating greater female representation on corporate boards and press coverage of the issue remains persistent. However, progress has been slow. In the United States, women occupy fewer than 17 percent of Fortune 500 board seats and one-tenth of those companies do not have any female directors.

The situation is similarly dire around the world. In Australia, women represent 18.2 percent of board members, in Canada they account for 15.9 percent, and in the United Kingdom 21.6 percent of all board seats are occupied by women.

In Asia, the situation is even more extreme. Chinese companies have only 8 percent female board representation, India has less than 5 percent female board members, and in Japan, women account for only 2 percent of board members. Despite government initiatives—including a European Commission initiative to attain a 40 percent objective for women on the boards of stock-listed companies—only five of the 28 European Union states have more than a quarter of board seats occupied by women.

The exception is Norway, where, following the implementation of a mandatory quota, women now account for 41 percent of board

40 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

members. However, the use of quotas has generally been met with disdain by business and some governments. Quotas also may not address the root causes of the reason for the low levels of women serving on corporate boards.

Why Women?

The most common rationale for making any change to a corporate governance practice is the potential impact on corporate profits. While a number of studies have sought a causal relationship between an increased number of women on boards and increased firm profitability, most have reached equivocal results. Numerous studies have found positive relationships between women on boards and increased profits, and just as many have found negative relationships. Still others have found no connection between the two. Indeed, many economists have concluded that the relationship between these two variables is so methodologically complex that a definitive explanation may never be found. Citing the difficulty of proving the robustness of the link between gender diversity and financial performance, the EU Committee of the UK’s House of Lords recommended discarding it as the rationale for increasing the number of women on boards.

To date, most economic rationales for increasing gender diversity on boards have emphasized the utility or contributions women can add in terms of financial performance. While such rationales have received the most attention, they are not the only rationales for increasing the participation of women on boards. As further discussed below, under an equality rationale, fostering gender diversity on boards is premised on

the need to equalize power and opportunities between men and women, or in other words, in terms of promoting social justice.

An Equality Rationale Justifying more women on boards for equality reasons can be thought of in terms of aspirations for a more equal or balanced society. The idea of having an equal or balanced society, in turn, is premised on notions of justice. Thus, an equal society is one in which there is an equalization of power and resources, participation, and influence between men and women. Gender diversity on board initiatives are therefore justifiable if they seek to promote a more just distribution of power and resources. In fact, measures which promote women on boards are particularly well-directed towards redistributing power. This is because given the importance of market forces today, directorships represent the source of power and influence in companies.

Finally, an equality rationale offers a distinct advantage to foster initiatives in this area. Since equality arguments emphasize women’s rights—as opposed to business reform—increased female representation on boards can be valued in its own right. In this way, an equality rationale promotes gender diversity on boards as a desired value in and of itself. It is this kind of value recognition that may prompt normative changes in businesses. * The Conference Board. This Director Notes is based on Barnali Choudhury, “New Rationales for Women on Boards,” Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 34, no.

1, 2014, pp. 1-32, and Barnali Choudhury, “Women on Boards: Lessons for Germany,” European Business Law Review, forthcoming 2015.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE

Disability in the European Union

EU Aus tria Fin lan d Spa in Ital y Pol and Cyp rus Por tug a Rom l ani a Gre ece

De nm ar Ge k rm any Slo Eston vak ia Rep ubl ic Bul gar ia Lith uan ia Lat via Sl Cze oveni ch a Rep ubl ic Hu nga ry Sw e Ne den the Un rlan ited ds Kin gdo m Bel g Lux ium em bou rg Irel and

%

DISABILITY IMPACTS A LARGE Self-employment rates by disability status, 2007 NUMBER OF PEOPLE – approximate- Figure 1. Self-employment rates by disability status, 2007 ly 16% of the working age population in the 45 People without disabilities People with disabilities EU is afflicted with a long-standing health problem or disability (European Commis40 sion, 2007). And this number will grow 35 as the population ages in industrialiZed countries due to the associated increased 30 susceptibility to mental and physical disorders. Disabilities are extremely diverse and 25 are not a fixed characteristic of individuals.

Many disabilities are invisible to the eye yet 20 popular stereotypes of disabled people as permanent wheelchair users or as blind from 15 birth persist.

Disability affects a wide range of socio10 economic outcomes, including labor market participation. People with disabilities 5 face many barriers in the labor market and disability is consistently found to have a 0 negative effect on labor market outcomes, including employment rates and earnings Variations in disability (i.e. type, severity, quantity) influence labour market partici- Source: Special tabulations of EU-SILC data. pation rates, types of occupation and earnings. Locomotor impair- The Benefits of Entrepreneuship for People with Disabiliitesrelatively unlikely to be self-employed (Boylan and Burchardt, ments exert a substantial negative impact on employment prospects There are also differences in self-employment activities based can be to self-employment anythat number reaon the type and severity of impairment or disability.

Forattracted exam2002).

Data from the UK alsofor suggest disabledof entreas does mental health challenges and learning difficulties. Employer People ple, self-employment rates were higher among people who preneurs are more likely to work alone, rather than employ sons.

While some enter self-employment out of necessity, many discrimination is a strong influence on the supply of jobs for disabled were severely limited in their dailyseek activities among those others.

Nearly 80 % of the self-employed with disabilities have tothan take advantage of an opportunity, gain independence and people , although employer perceptions about reporting individuals’ capacity some or no limitation in daily activities (Pagán, 2009; no employees compared to 74 % of those without disabilities autonomy, improve their work–life balance, increase their satisfacto work may diverge considerably from their actual to work.

Jones,capacity 2011). There is some evidence from the UK to sugand non-work-limited disabled men (Jones and Latreille, 2011). tion for work activities and attempt increase their income that men anddisabled women with musculoskeletal problems, and Moreover, people withto disabilities are more likely to operateand as The risk of poverty in the EU is significantlygest higher for women with mental health problems, are particularly likely to a home-based business (East Midlands Development Agency – other material benefits. people than for people without disabilities – 21.1 % of disabled be self-employed, while men with sensory impairments are While these reasonsEMDA, may2009). also be a significant influence for enpeople face that risk, compared to 14.9% of people without disabilities. The main reason for this disparity can be found in the low trepreneurs with disabilities, they are also likely motivated by diffactors. One of the greatest benefits is that self-employment THE for BENEFITS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR PEOPLE employment rates of disabled people, which are a cause and/or ferent provides an entry into the labor market as employer discrimination a consequence of their social exclusion.

WITH DISABILITIES is frequently reported.

Employer discrimination is often highest for The European Union has taken a strong position to support those impairments or limitations that are subject to greater prejuPeople can attracted to self-employment for any number of self-employment provides an entry into the labour market the active participation of people with disabilities inbesociety and reasons.

While some enter self-employment out of necessity, as employer discrimination is frequently reported (Blanck et dice by employers such as those with mental and physical disabilities. the economy. This is evident in the Europe 2020 Strategy (http:// many seek to take advantage of anFor opportunity, gain independal., 2000; Boylanmight and Burchardt, 2002; Hagner and Davis, these people, self-employment offer the only opportunity ec.europa.eu/europe2020/index_en.htm), which aims to create ence and autonomy, improve their work–life balance, increase 2002; EMDA, 2009). Employer discrimination is often highfor active labor marketest participation and with it, improved income smart, sustainable and inclusive growth to build a soci- ety that their satisfaction for work activities and attempt to increase for those impairments or limitations that are subject to and living standard. greater prejudice by employers such as those with mental their income and other material benefits. includes everyone. In addition, the EU has developed a disability and physical disabilities (Pagán, 2009). For these people, strategy, which outlines actions to address specific barriers to full While these reasons may also be a significant influence for self-employment might offer the only opportunity for active *Source: OECD and the European Commission participation in society for people with disabilities. entrepreneurs with disabilities, they are also likely motivated labour market participation and with it, improved income and by different factors. One of the greatest benefits is that

6

living standard.

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 41

Disability-Inclusive Diversity Connecting the Puzzle Pieces

By Tari Hartman Squire

T

hanks to Lori Sokol for publishing Difference Matters and producing “Top Corporate Allies of Diversity” Awards to honor disability-inclusive diversity excellence. Congratulations Award winners. Your achievements weave a more inclusive society, proving difference matters: in the workplace and marketplace. You have reframed “differences,” as a value proposition, and affirmed our power of allies.

Diversity is a Business Imperative.

Inclusion is a Choice!

Disability is the largest diversity group, open for membership 24/7. $220 billion in purchasing power is generated by 54 million Americans with disabilities – that’s more than the coveted teen market - Aggregate income tops $1 trillion. Yet tapping these markets is tricky, as most do not self-identify — yet.

The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce projects purchasing power of combined diverse allies tops $9 trillion.

Honey Maid made history defending its This is Wholesome campaign celebrating diverse families. Reaching brand-loyal disability segments is challenging. Here are puzzle pieces to help connect the big picture.

Puzzle Piece # 1 – Real “Disability Market” Disability and aging markets are interlocking. Baby Boomers acquire disabilities (hearing, sight, mobility) impacting independence and affecting lifestyle choices.

Not a bad thing, just a different thing.

42 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

There’s no “one size fits all” in messaging, so best to customize a blend of strategic, targeted, cause, guerilla, social media and disability-inclusive diversity marketing and advertising: The University of Massachusetts Boston survey found 92% of consumers felt favorably toward companies hiring people with disabilities; 87% prefer to do business with such companies. Last month, Barclay’s rang the NYSE opening bell with the launch of its “Return on Disability Investment” ETN.

Puzzle Piece # 2 – DisabilitySavvy Language Like other marginalized groups, people with disabilities (true experts, not well-intentioned, non-disabled parents or service providers) choose language to define themselves, as highlighted in the AP Stylebook.

Paternalistic, outdated euphemisms like “special needs” can backfire in your marketing. Companies and government agencies like FEMA and Department of Labor deleted “special needs” from communications. Antiquated telethon/charity models are losing ground to empowerment, independent living, Disability Power & Pride.

Disability-savvy marketers and advertisers ride the “Disability Power & Pride” wave.

ADCOLOR® 2014 Best Ad of the Year is Duracell/Saatchi & Saatchi’s Trust Your Power with Seattle Seahawks’ Derrick Coleman, who reflects on being chosen last, marginalized, bullied. “….But I’ve been Deaf since I was three, so I didn’t listen…” – Yes, Difference Matters!

Puzzle Piece # 3 - Strategic Alliances Strategic alliances create mutually-beneficial outcomes, increase market share, build brand loyalty and create effectively diversified workforces. AT&T’s Advisory Panel on Access & Aging and Delta’s Advisory Board on Disability provide insights from disability leaders and drive word-ofmouth. Focus groups with national disability organizations provide rich qualitative data to market products and craft successful marketing messages.

People with disabilities are early adopters of technology; smart marketers track those trends, driving crossover products into the general market. Vibrating mobile devices and texting were creations of the Deaf community. Commuters love audio books and descriptions for movies and TV intended for blind users. Curb cuts for wheelchair-users provide access for deliveries, strollers, rolling luggage and skateboards.

Puzzle Piece # 4 – Internal emERGing markets Disability Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) drive inclusive corporate culture, are potential ambassadors, dynamic early warning systems and keepers of external engagement flames. Merck’s Veteran Business Insight Roundtable (BIR) helps drive business results. Disability ERGs are the new kid on the diversity block and can fortify success with dynamic disability emERGing markets and allies.

Lights! Camera! Access! 2.0 Join us for two 2015 “Call-to-Action” Summits to honor the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Improve disability portrayals and increase employment of professionals with disabilities in front of and behind the camera, and develop co-branded internships and scholarships

For higher ROI, graft disability onto diversity and general market ad campaigns in images and messages with over 3,865 performers with disabilities to choose from. Production budgets can absorb minimal one-time costs (sign language interpreters, Braille or DVD scripts, wheelchair-accessible photo shoots).

Then, ads will reflect true diversity of corporate culture, customer base and raise your bottom line.

That’s why EIN SOF and The Loreen Arbus Foundation are joining forces to design and produce Lights! Camera! Access! 2.0 – two “Call-to-Action Summits” in 2015 in NYC (Summer) and Hollywood (Fall) to honor the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act; create co-branded scholarships and internships for college students, recent grads and vets with disabilities to fortify a more sustainable talent pipeline.

Disability touches everyone. So leverage that touchstone to expand visibility, increase sales, and build brand-loyalty. Putting the puzzle pieces together will differentiate your brand and sharpen your competitive edge.

Visit us at www.EINSOFommunications.com.

Diversity is a Business Imperative. Inclusion is a Choice! And that’s why Difference Matters!

Tari Hartman Squire, CEO of EIN SOF Communications, Inc. a leading woman-owned strategic marketing, and employment consultation firm and federal contractor specializes in disabilityinclusive diversity and public policy. EIN SOF launched disability strategic niche marketing with

Lights!...Camera!...

New York and Hollywood Summits will focus on all forms of entertainment and media: Advertising, television, broadcasting, social media, film, online, theatre, comics and print Designed and produced by EIN SOF Communications and The Loreen Arbus Foundation For more information and updates visit www.EINSOFcommunications.com

its Award-winning My Left Foot campaign, advised AP Stylebook on disability-savvy language, established Media Access Office (liaison between entertainment industry and disability community), and spearheaded SAG Committee of Performers with Disabilities. Clients include ADA National Network, AT&T, Bank of America, Fox Searchlight’s The Sessions, ITVS/PBS’ Lives Worth Living, Macy’s, Mattel, Microsoft, National Council on Disability’s Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Report, Nickelodeon, Sundance

design: florville.com

Puzzle Piece # 5 – Graft Disability onto Diversity & Inclusion

Channel’s Push Girls, Toys “R” Us, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Universal Home Entertainment, national disability organizations, U.S. Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs.

Its “Disability Market Research Initiative with Nielsen NRGI was featured in Fortune Small Business and Adweek. Squire is fluent in American Sign Language, serves diversity committees, including the Television Academy. EIN SOF means business 25/7. Diversity is a Business Imperative. Inclusion is a Choice!

Fall 2014 Difference Matters | 43

Nontraditional Employment for Women:

Hard Hats. Strong Women. Building the Future.

“I am a Metal Lather with Local 46. I love my union and am working at Hudson Yards. I work second shift and Saturdays and go to school two days a week. An hour’s wage as a tradeswoman to me means money in the bank, being self-sufficient, and to never be homeless again. It means independence and empowerment!”

— Nani Noverita, NEW graduate, July 2012, Metal Lather, Local 46

S

ince 1978 NEW has played a unique, pioneering role in preparing, training, and placing women in careers in the skilled construction, utility, and maintenance trades. NEW has developed an innovative curriculum in coordination with its industry partners. The comprehensive curriculum includes job readiness, basic hands-on shop classes in carpentry, electrical work, and painting, lifting and carrying, trades math, and health and safety training.

Women across the nation are still working in traditional jobs earning substantially less than men. The US Department of Labor defines a nontraditional job as one with less than twenty-five percent women. Entry level positions in the skilled trades have higher wages than traditional jobs and provide employees with essential benefits. Plumbers, a field with only two percent women, earn over $60,000 annually, while home health aides, a field with over eightyfive percent women, earn less than $22,000 annually, a salary that is below the poverty level for a single mother with three children.

Nontraditional jobs pay.

NEW recognizes that in order to build up women, their families, and their communities, women must have access to secure financial futures. NEW primarily serves low-income minority women from all five boroughs in New York City. Over seventy percent of NEW’s participants enter NEW’s training with barriers to employment including criminal backgrounds, homelessness, history of substance abuse, low basic skills, and history of domestic violence. NEW graduates work with NEW to overcome these barriers. This year, NEW will train 400 women in NEW’s core pre-apprenticeship training programs and an additional 100 women in NEW’s specialized training programs that include the Laborers Green Training program and the Building Operations and Maintenance Training program.

NEW graduates are placed in careers with wages averaging over $17

44 | Difference Matters Fall 2014

per hour, benefits, and a path to higher-wage employment. By their third year of employment, NEW graduates earn $25 per hour and upon completing their apprenticeships can earn over $40 per hour.

NEW at Night graduate and electrician Jasmine Spencer explains the impact NEW has had on her life: “I love my career and I have NEW to thank for it! An hour’s wage means a lot to me because it is how I feed my family and it is also how I measure myself against other working people as far as how far I’ve come in society. I do not want to remain in poverty, instead I want to look at my hourly wage and smile because all my bills are paid. I want to focus on my 5 year olds smile and continue to watch him be proud of his hard working mama.”

As NEW graduate Jasmine Spencer demonstrates, an hour’s wage means the difference between poverty and financial security. NEW at Night graduate and carpenter, Caridad Castro, is grateful for her position, stating, “An hour’s wage as a tradeswoman means being able to eat a decent dinner every night instead of ramen noodles, paying off my debt, and being able to start a savings account.”

NEW’s impact goes beyond the dramatic changes in graduates’ careers and confidence levels. NEW’s programs also provide a pipeline of qualified workers to the industries that build, move, power, green, and maintain New York. Through a coordinated effort between NEW, labor unions, contractors, and government NEW has placed more than 1,000 graduates in the construction unions as electricians, carpenters, plumbers, painters, ironworkers, operating engineers, and sheetmetal workers since 2005 and in close to 1,000 positions in the construction, energy, transportation, and facilities maintenance industries. New York City’s building and construction trades apprenticeship programs have over ten percent women – a national record. NEW helps strong women gain the tools they need to succeed and enter the middle class. NEW transforms lives.

COMMENDS LORI SOKOL, HAWT ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBER, FOR HER STAND ON DIVERSITY Have Art: Will Travel! (HAWT) a non-profit organization, founded by artist Linda Stein, offers visual, tactile, and interactive programs that foster social change and gender equality through its exhibitions, lectures, performances, and educational programs.

HAWT works with corporations, organizations, and educational institutions to explore the barriers to gender and social justice through the lens of bullying. The following 4 Bs suggest the roles played out, from the persecutor to the protector:

BULLY BULLIED BYSTANDER BRAVE UPSTANDER With art as a starting point, HAWT uses everyday and extraordinary examples of bravery to inspire individuals to stand up for victims of oppression. Our goal is to find, educate and develop tomorrow’s Brave Upstanders. HAWT asks people to re-invent and visualize bravery for themselves–to look at the armor they wear, the protection they need, the safety they seek.

HAWT can support your corporation or organization to address these important issues of bullying and bigotry. Find out how: For more information visit haveartwilltravel.org To discuss and join our mailing list email hawt@haveartwilltravel.org Watch for upcoming events: Fall cocktail party Spring fundraiser Traveling exhibitions, lectures, performances Can sculptural body armor elicit courage?

EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

A dynamic, diverse and inclusive culture underlies the success of our company, our clients and our employees. At Morgan Stanley, we pair talented people and outstanding resources. Our workplace is inclusive, alive with ideas and known globally for our ability to meet the needs of the world’s most sophisticated and demanding clients. Diversity of backgrounds, interest and specialties have been part of our rich heritage for more than 75 years and are critical to our strategy today. morganstanley.com/diversity Morgan Stanley is proud to be selected as a TOP Corporate Ally for Diversity by Difference Matters Magazine.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce (M/G/D/V). Š 2014 Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Morgan StanleySmith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.

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