ATLANTA, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- ING U.S. Financial Services was one of a handful of companies that received a perfect score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) 2006 Corporate Equality Index. The company will strive to maintain that score and further augment its efforts to foster a work environment that embraces the diverse makeup of its employee population.
"We are very pleased about receiving a perfect score on the 2006 Corporate Equality Index," said Jacqui Robertson, vice president of Workforce Diversity. "Although we received a perfect score, we embrace the challenge of improving ING's commitment to diversity overall by harnessing the full talents and convictions of ING employees across the U.S. ING aspires to be a leader in all aspects of diversity, and we intend to continue making strides in our commitment to diversity in 2007. One of the key factors of our success in 2006, was having an open and ongoing dialogue with all employee constituents, which made it easier for us to achieve progress."
The HRC is the nation's largest lesbian and gay political organization. Its 2006 Equality Index surveyed and rated 446 companies on a scale of 0 to 100 percent on several factors, including whether they have a written non- discrimination policy covering sexual orientation; support transgender employees with written non-discrimination policies and benefits; offer inclusive health insurance, bereavement and family leave policies of employees with same-sex partners; offer diversity training; have Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) employee groups; engage in appropriate and respectful advertising to the GLBT community; contribute to GLBT community organizations; and decline to engage in any activities that would undermine the goal of equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
"I am encouraged and optimistic about the findings in this report," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "Leading companies, which years ago instituted basic equal employment policies, are accelerating their efforts to expand the range of benefits. This commitment sends a clear message that corporate America is rapidly becoming a place of fairness for GLBT Americans."
A copy of the full report can be found at http://www.hrc.org/cei.
ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to more than 60 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of over 115,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand.
In the U.S., the ING family of companies offers a comprehensive array of financial services to retail and institutional clients which include life insurance, retirement plans, mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment management, annuities, employee benefits, financial planning, and reinsurance. ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves over 14 million customers across the nation. For more information, visit http://www.ing.com/
