EA and Microsoft recognised as "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality"

EA and Microsoft recognised as "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality"

Fri 16 Nov 2012 11:03am GMT / 6:03am EST / 3:03am PST
People Publishing

Given a 100 per cent rating by the Human Rights Campaign

EA

Electronic Arts

Microsoft

Both EA and Microsoft have received a 100 per cent rating from the Human Rights Campaign, earning them a place in its "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality" list.

"Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2013 Corporate Equality Index is the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT employees," explains the official website.

Last year EA was awarded a score of 90 per cent, and Microsoft 100 per cent.

“I am very pleased that EA has scored a 100 per cent rating and been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign in a year where the company has taken significant steps to remain inclusive,” said EA's chief talent officer Gabrielle Toledano.

“EA has made changes to our medical benefits, been involved in LGBT events in our community and taken a public stance against the Defense of Marriage Act. EA champions diversity with a work environment where everyone feels welcome and can be themselves.”

The report is available in full here.

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7 Comments

Thomas Dolby
Programmer

Congratulations to both companies, I hope other companies take notice and follow suit if they haven't already.

Posted:6 months ago

#1

Charles Line
CTO

Hopefully these companies are the vanguard. They're certainly big enough and visible enough for this to be an example.

A far cry from the days of Turing, thank goodness. Although with Uganda implementing that appalling law this year (life sentence for merely being gay, amongst other things), some places are obviously more enlightened than others.

Well done MS and EA. Not so evil after all, eh?

Posted:6 months ago

#2

Paul Jace
Merchandiser

It's nice to see EA and Microsoft setting the standard of acceptable bevavior in the work place. Next year I would like to see many more game companies on this list.

Posted:6 months ago

#3

Hugo Trepanier
Senior UI Designer

While this is certainly positive for EA and Microsoft, and the LGBT community as a whole, I would argue that this is more region dependent than a corporate culture per se. For instance, how different would those results be if either company had studios in Uganda or Nigeria?

Posted:6 months ago

#4

Simon Arnet

@Hugo Trepanier With respect, I believe that's completely missing the point.

Posted:6 months ago

#5

Hugo Trepanier
Senior UI Designer

@Simon, I'm sorry, I did not intend my comment to diminish these efforts towards a more tolerant and equal workplace for everyone.

I only wished to express that this openness is only possible and in fact depends on the social and cultural climates of the countries where these companies exist. For instance, this would probably not have been possible a century ago, had both EA and Microsoft been around then, because mentalities and times have changed (for the better).

Posted:6 months ago

#6

Marine Fradet

@Hugo Trepanier. I am sorry but how many companies in Europe or in France for example that just approved same sex marriage really are for equality for LGBT? Videogames, banks, technocompanies maybe and multinational ones but for local companies I am not sure it is safe to say that it's based on cultural open-mindness because of geographic reasons.

Though, I do hear what you say about Uganda, Nigeria and similar countries.

Edited 1 times. Last edit by Marine Fradet on 19th November 2012 9:13pm

Posted:6 months ago

#7

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