HRC announced that its HRC Equidad MX: Global Workplace Equality Program is undertaking a groundbreaking new survey of Mexican businesses’ LGBT inclusive policies and practices. Continuing their long record of support for equality, major employers Citibanamex, Accenture, Google, Kellogg and Mastercard have already committed to participate in the Mexico-focused survey and report.

The survey was announced at an event today hosted by Citibanamex and comes during a time of significant progress in LGBTQ workplace inclusion around the globe. In the coming months, Mexico-based HRC Equidad MX will collect responses to the survey, which will run parallel to HRC’s annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI) survey, and release the results during the Fall of 2017. The forthcoming report will evaluate major Mexican business and multinational companies on three core pillars of LGBT inclusion:

• Adoption of nondiscrimination policies;
• Creation of employee resource groups or diversity and inclusion councils;
• Engagement in public activities to support LGBT inclusion.

Highly rated employers will receive a designation similar to the Best Places to Work certification offered through the CEI.

“Businesses around the world continue to lead on LGBTQ equality,” said Mary Beth Maxwell, HRC’s Vice President for Programs, Research and Training. “From the companies taking the Equidad MX survey on inclusion to the HRC Global Business Coalition raising the bar, private sector partners around the world are sending a clear message that equality and inclusion are good for business.”

“Having these five important companies support this effort by the Human Rights Campaign represents a significant step in raising awareness of  workplace equality among Mexican companies,” said Deena Fidas, Director of HRC’s Workplace Equality Program. “Mexico is a great commercial and social partner for the United States, and replicating the work we have done with companies over the past 15 years in the U.S. through our Corporate Equality Index will be a watershed moment for Mexican and multinational companies operating here.”

"Citibanamex is an institution committed to giving the best of Mexico and the best in the world to our clients and employees. This commitment goes hand in hand with respect and job inclusion of the LGBT population,” said Liliana Iñigo, Citibanamex's LGBT Ambassador for Latin America and Citibanamex's Executive Director of Marketing. “We establish a culture that promotes integrity and confidence so that our collaborators can enhance their talent, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Participating in the HRC Equidad MX certification shows the conviction we have to build the best working environment for the LGBT population in Mexico and in our Financial Group.”

“In Accenture we work in an inclusive environment, where we develop a workplace in which equality is part of our corporate values. In this sense, we firmly support all in our LGBT community. Diversity is an essential part of Accenture’s strengths. Each experience, ability, idea and perspective that our team contributes is key to drive high standard for our customers," said Jorge Torres, Accenture's Chief Technology Officer.

"Google's mission is to organize information and make it accessible and useful for everyone. In this sense, our search for diversity is a natural extension of this mission as we seek to increase access to opportunities, breaking down barriers and empowering people through technology,” said Delfina Grossi, Google Marketing Solutions Manager and Diversity Ambassador for Google Mexico.

"Kellogg seeks to foster a culture of inclusion for all its employees and generate a work environment in which people are appreciated and can be authentic,” said Guillermo González Guerra, Director of Human Resources at Kellogg Latin America. “Through its K-Pride & Allies program, the company works to become the employer of choice for the LGBT community by promoting equity, solidarity and respect. Getting the HRC Equidad MX badge will be a very important step in this regard.”

“Mastercard is proud to participate in HRC's Global Business Coalition and to promote inclusive and diverse corporate culture with different actions that reinforce our commitment with our most important capital, the human and in the community in which we work,” said Brenda Hernandez, Director of Human Resources for Mastercard Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Accenture, Google and Mastercard are members of HRC’s Global Business Coalition, a cohort of global employers publicly committed to inclusion everywhere they do business.

Through its Corporate Equality Index, the HRC Foundation has established a roadmap for the adoption of LGBTQ-inclusive policies, benefits and practices across major corporations. Last year, for the second year in a row, HRC launched its international CEI in Mexico City along with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, The Dow Chemical Company, J.P. Morgan Chase, and the Mexican state-owned petroleum company, PEMEX. In conjunction with the launch of the 2017 CEI, HRC Equidad MX released a Spanish-language toolkit for workplaces in Mexico and around Latin America.  The guide provides predominantly Spanish-language workplaces with a resource to help train and equip employees to build LGBT-inclusive environments.

HRC Equidad MX: Global Workplace Equality Program, which launched last year, works to increase awareness about the importance of LGBTQ diversity and inclusion in Mexico’s workplaces by developing consulting and education models for Mexican companies and organizations. It also utilizes HRC’s tools and relationships to engage interested companies in aligning their corporate policies on LGBTQ inclusion to international standards.

To learn more about participating in the HRC Equidad MX survey, please email equidadmx@hrc.org

And to learn more about HRC Equidad: MX, visit hrc.im/equidadmx.