The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees List

As the school year winds down and job searches pick up, are you wondering which companies are America's most LGBT friendly. Diversity Inc. just published their own list of the 10 ten best employers for LGBT Americans:

What makes a company the right place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender employees--and their friends and families--to work? To determine this list, we looked at several factors, including inclusive benefits for same-sex partners of employees, strong diversity training programs, recruitment efforts aimed at LGBT people and the vitality of the company's LGBT employee-resource group.

Since the workplace demographic data on LGBT employees is inconclusive (most companies don't ask about orientation, and even those that do believe a certain segment is uncomfortable coming out), we also include ratings from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)'s Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which measures workplace rights for LGBT individuals. No company can be on our Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees list that doesn't receive a 100 percent CEI rating. Interestingly, 74 percent of The 2009 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® received a 100 percent CEI rating this year, compared with 52 percent in 2006 and 28 percent in 2004.

We also examined the company's web site to assess its visible commitment to the LGBT community, as well as its relationships with external organizations such as the HRC and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). And we gave companies extra points for marketing to the LGBT community and for use with LGBT suppliers certified by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

Here are the top 10 and a reason why each of them made the list:

No. 1: Ernst & Young, No. 3 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities

The Big Four firm has a strong employee network for LGBT employees called Beyond Professional Resource Network. E&Y spends 0.5 percent of its total procurement budget with certified LGBT contractors. The company's nondiscrimination policy includes gender identity.

No. 2: Wells Fargo & Co., No. 31 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 8 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 10 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Latinos; and No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans

Well known for its efforts to reach out to LGBT customers, the San Francisco-based bank offers its LGBT employees and their partners benefits equal to those of heterosexual partners. Its diversity training includes sexual orientation and gender-identity components.

No. 3: PricewaterhouseCoopers, No. 5 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 1 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Global Diversity Companies

The firm's commitment to its LGBT employees is clear in its collateral material and on its web site, where its inclusive policies are emphasized. It has a strong LGBT resource group, called GLBT Mentoring Circles.

No. 4: IBM Corp., No. 10 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 1 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities; No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity; No. 4 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans; and No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Global Diversity Companies

IBM has strong ties to the LGBT community, as demonstrated by its philanthropy to such groups as International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, International Lesbian and Gay Association, Out for Work, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Gay Men's Health Crisis and others.

No. 5: Aetna, No. 48 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 7 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities

Aetna's president, Mark Bertolini, is a strong advocate for the company's LGBT employees and received an Out & Equal Champions Award in 2007. The company has very strong benefits for its LGBT employees and their partners, as well as an excellent LGBT employee-resource group.

No. 6: KPMG, No. 21 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 10 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities

The Big Four accounting firm, which is being honored this year at GLSEN's Respect Awards for its commitment to LGBT equality, has a strong employee-resource group for LGBT workers and has excellent benefits for LGBT employees and their partners, including coverage for transgender treatment.

No. 7: Sodexo, No. 6 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for African Americans; No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Latinos; No. 1 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Executive Women; and No. 9 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities

The company has excellent benefits for LGBT employees and their partners, including bereavement leave, relocation assistance and retiree healthcare benefits. It also has mandatory diversity training for managers, including sexual orientation and gender identity.

No. 8: AT&T, No. 2 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 7 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention and No. 1 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for African Americans

The company has a strong employee-resource group for LGBT employees, called LEAGUE -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered United Employees at AT&T. The company has strong benefits for LGBT employees, including adoption assistance.

No. 9: Cisco Systems, one of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies. Also No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities and No. 4 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Global Diversity Companies

Cisco is a supporter of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007, has excellent benefits for LGBT employees and their partners, and has been a strong supporter of LGBT nonprofits.

No. 10: Johnson & Johnson, No. 1 in the DiversityInc Top 50. Also No. 4 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 5 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans; and No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Executive Women

The company has strong diversity training that includes orientation and gender identity as well as first-rate benefits for LGBT employees and their partners.