Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2007)
1$ JU Stout üt^MBÍR 7.2QQ7 northwest Scoring High Portland law firm earns perfect score for equality by Teresa Coates 602 SE 38th Ave. Portland, OR 97214 503.231.39ii Wed - Sat PAUL MITCHELL Qsventry Cycle (J Works 4i/to, Home, L/ïe, Hea/th Ä Business epb&b “Your Independent Insurance Agency" 1 nsii rm icc Elliott, Powell, Baden Baker, Ine. Recumbentd Folding Hiked „»andMorel Open Tuesday-Sunday (503) 230-7723 2025 SE Hawthorne MARC BAKER Downtown Portland (503) 227-1771 • www.epbb.com Diversity Matters - In Your Life, In Your Investments Initial consultation with no charge or obligation • Comprehensive Financial Planning (Fee Based) • Life & Disability & LTC Insurance • Inheritance & Estate Planning • IRAs, Roth IRAs, Rollovers • Tax & Retirement Planning /^^WADDELL EShSrREED Investing. With* plan! Membef SIR • Investing with a Conscience 4 ' Offered thtouqh otrençemenh wrfh munente tompames 503.238.6036 .„nr 700 Northeast Multnomah Street • Suite 1150* Portland, OR 9723'^^ 503-238-7056 FAX • Toll Free 888 892-9049 • www.anneseelye.com DON VALERIO, MD INTERNAL MEDICINE I PRIMARY CARE FANNO CREEK CLINIC 2400 SW VERMONT 503-452-0915 t The businesses that satisfy these requirements are ach year the Human Rights Campaign invites the country’s largest and most suc awarded a perfect score. Holland &. Knight is one of the 195 to receive the honor, out of 519 businesses cessful companies to participate in the that participated this year. This is an enormous Corporate Equity Index survey. These increase in businesses focusing on diversity. include household names like S.C. Johnson HRC started the Corporate Equality Index in & Son, Hewlett-Packard and the Walt Disney 2002, at which point only 13 employers received Company. There are hundreds more that participate a perfect score. Every year the number of compa hut might not he so familiar, including Holland &. Knight, a law firm with offices in more than 20 cities, nies participating and the number of those including one in downtown Portland’s U.S Bancorp improving their policies toward nondiscrimina tion increases. Tower. In its second year participating in the survey, Companies that satisfy all the requirements Holland & Knight came out on top, scoring 100 per benefit by getting rhe proverbial feather for their cap, hut it also helps business. “More businesses than ever cent for actions and policies toward sexual minority before have recognized the value of a diverse and employees, as well as consumers and investors. This dedicated work force," said Joe Solmonese, president achievement also gives it recognition as one of the of HRC. “More importantly, these employers under “Best places to work for GLBT equality.” stand that discrimination against GLBT workers will To achieve a 100 percent score, companies have to satisfy specific requirements, including offering ultimately hurt their ability to compete in the diversity training to all employees; giving benefits for global marketplace.” Cunningham agrees that the same-sex, as well as opposite-sex, domestic partner ratings give other companies “the impetus to support ships; and enforcing nondiscrimination policies. more diversity with formal policies.” According to Ed Cunningham, business manager for the Portland office, Holland & Knight does plen ty to make its corporate envi ronment pleasant for everyone. It’s had ¡f long history of welcoming diversity in its work force and continues to do so, encouraging its staff and lawyers to partici pate in diversity training through Affinity Groups, staff get- Ed Cunningham, business manager for Holland Er Knight's Portland office, says togethers and equitable policies are part of what makes the firm a pleasant place to work. invited speakers. Affinity Groups are broken into subsets of race, Knowing who supports equality is good for gender and sexuality, although they are each open companies and consumers. The Corporate Equity to anyone who wants to join. It’s one way the Index lists the companies by industry, providing company opens the doors to understanding. their scores and which criteria were satisfied (and, Businesses like Holland & Knight that offer this perhaps more importantly, where they were unsat enthusiasm and support for diversity tend to attract isfied). At a glance, you can see which companies a mixed work force. Cunningham explained: “It’s offer equality and which are lagging far behind. a cultural thing. If the firm's policies are supportive, Employers with perfect scores, like Holland & it naturally evolves into a supportive environment” Knight, were given the recognition of being a “best for all employees, regardless of race, gender identity place to work,” while retail companies were or sexual orientation. ranked in “buying for equity.” Companies that are To score 100 percent on HRC’s survey, some sort meeting all equality expectations are marked as of diversity training is a requirement. Companies green, and consumers should avoid those marked must also have a nondiscrimination policy regarding with red. It’s an easy code to follow when making sexual orientation and gender identity, provide purchases that will support those companies that insurance for transitioning employees in one catego support diversity. © ry (such as counseling, hormone therapy, disability or surgery), provide domestic partner health insurance and have a resource group or diversity council. Companies are also judged on their adver tising and marketing to ensure that they are appro priate and respectful toward sexual minorities. The H uman R ights C ampaign has made the full report available for download at www.hrc.org. TERESA C oates is a Portland freelance writer and devoted mother of two.
