Equality Virginia grants four employers Fairness Accreditation
Honor recognizes pro-LGBT employers and holds them up as example for Virginia lawmakers to follow
LGBT rights organization Equality Virginia is honoring four more Richmond-based companies with its Virginia Fairness Accreditation on Thursday, Jan. 7 for their commitment to internal pro-LGBT company policies designed to attract talent and foster an inclusive workplace atmosphere.
This year’s honorees are the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and three law firms: Hunton & Williams, McGuireWoods, and Williams Mullen, which will host the reception and awards ceremony at its offices in downtown Richmond. The reception will also feature an appearance by Attorney General Mark Herring, the most pro-LGBT politician to hold the position as the commonwealth’s top cop.
Joined by previous recipients of the Virginia Fairness accreditation, staff members from Equality Virginia, and special guest Attorney General Mark Herring, leaders and staff from each of the newly accredited companies will attend Thursday’s reception, signifying the first Virginia Fairness Accreditation program of 2016.
The Fairness Accreditation, as presented by Equality Virginia at its biannual receptions, are intended to commend major employers in the commonwealth for their pro-LGBT policies or practices, including nondiscrimination policies, transgender-inclusive health care plans, and LGBT-inclusive domestic partner or spousal benefits.
The publicity generated by the awards is also intended to send a message to the Virginia General Assembly that embracing diversity has aided, not hindered economic growth, in the hopes of encouraging lawmakers in the Old Dominion to pass statewide nondiscrimination laws covering housing and employment. Equality Virginia and its allies are again introducing several pro-LGBT measures during this year’s 2016 legislative session, which will kick off on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
“We award and recognize these companies for their leadership in workplace fairness and implementation of policies that welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees while also protecting them from discrimination,” James Parrish, the executive director of Equality Virginia, said in a statement. “These companies know that policies welcoming diversity and inclusion are not only good for business, they are the right thing to do.”
According to Parrish, research has shown that having pro-LGBT policies and workplace climates benefit employes. By promoting diversity and inclusion, they are able to attract and retain talent. Statistics show that nearly 1 in 10 LGBT employees will eventually leave a job if the workplace environment is either hostile or unwelcoming.
The addition of the latest four honorees brings the total number of workplaces that have been presented with Fairness Accreditation to 12 in the past year. Other companies that have previously been honored include: the tobacco giant Altria; Capital One; CarMax; Dominion, the commonwealth’s top provider of electricity and natural gas; financial planning and insurance company Genworth; the Hilton Worldwide hotel chain; defense contractor Northrop Grumman; and Volkswagen.
Parrish has also previously said that Virginia mirrors the nation when it comes to attitudes about LGBT discrimination. While 72 percent of Americans support workplace protections for LGBT employees, 75 percent mistakenly believe that such protections exist under federal law. Similarly, in Virginia, a substantial number of residents are unaware that the Virginia Human Rights Act of 1987 does not include sexual orientation or gender identity as protected classes.
Additionally, because Virginia is a “Dillon’s Rule” state, local municipalities are prevented from adopting fully comprehensive nondiscrimination policies until the day — perhaps several generations down the road — that the General Assembly deigns to exert any effort to pass event a single piece of pro-LGBT legislation. Until that day, Equality Virginia can only hope to hold up corporate leaders within the commonwealth as models for how LGBT inclusion is economically beneficial.
“These companies and their peers continue to lead us forward, and the Virginia Fairness Accreditation is an opportunity to celebrate their accolades,” Parrish said. “Recognizing these companies today is especially meaningful because even with the success of marriage equality, there is currently no state law in Virginia to protect employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. These companies are setting the new standard when it comes to promoting inclusivity, by strengthening the Commonwealth’s ability to recruit and retain a talented workforce and ensuring that Virginia is a welcoming place to live and work.”
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