SAS Earns Top Score in Corporate Equality Index for LGBTQ+ Inclusion

Analytics leader secured score of 100 on Human Rights Campaign Foundation's assessment of LGBTQ+ workplace equality

Workplace culture and analytics leader SAS received the top score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI). This awarded SAS the designation of “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality.” As the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality, the CEI recognition deems SAS as both an advocate of inclusive workplace policies for LGBTQ+ employees in the US and as a company with global operations that helps advance the cause of LGBTQ+ inclusion in workplaces abroad.

“As a leader in providing a high standard of workplace excellence, we continue to make progress and drive change through employee feedback, surveys, and industry benchmarks,” said Jenn Mann, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. “That's why in 2020, SAS first participated in the CEI to identify gaps and found opportunities for us to be more explicitly inclusive in communicating our policies by specifically calling out coverage available to employees and expand coverage to ensure inclusivity. We are always looking to improve our programs and ensure all employees thrive at work and in life.”

For more than 45 years, SAS has earned a reputation of prioritizing employee well-being and providing supportive resources for its workforce including equitable rewards and an inclusive work environment for LGBTQ+ employees. In fact, SAS was one of the first to offer US same-sex domestic partners benefits as early as 1997 when there were limited legal protections or requirements for LGBTQ+ workers.

Andrea Horn, SAS Supplier Diversity Manager, can attest to these efforts. “Prior to SAS, I had never been in a professional setting where I thought it was safe or even okay to bring my whole self to work,” said Horn. “I have felt comfortable and, more importantly, valued the first day at SAS and every day since then. When SAS says to bring your authentic self to work, there is no denying they mean it.”

The CEI rates employers providing crucial protections from the adoption of inclusive non-discrimination policies to equitable healthcare benefits for transgender employees to over 20 million US workers and an additional 18 million abroad. The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars:

• Non-discrimination policies across business entities.
• Equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families.
• Supporting an inclusive culture.
• Corporate social responsibility.

“When the Human Rights Campaign Foundation created the CEI 20 years ago, we dreamed that LGBTQ+ workers – from the factory floor to corporate headquarters, in big cities and small towns – could have access to the policies and benefits needed to thrive and live life authentically,” said Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President of Programs, Research and Training. “We are proud that the CEI paved the way to that reality for countless LGBTQ+ workers in America and abroad. But there is still more to do, which is why we are raising the bar yet again to create more equitable workplaces and a better tomorrow for LGBTQ+ workers everywhere. Congratulations to SAS for achieving the title of ‘best places to work for LGBTQ+ equality’ and working to advance inclusion in the workplace.”

In addition to recently being named as a Company That Cares by People magazine and annually ranked as one of the World’s Best Workplaces, SAS has also received distinctions as a top place to work for millennials, parents, women and for diversity.   

Learn what makes SAS a great place to work.

About Human Rights Campaign Foundation

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Through its programs, the HRC Foundation seeks to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people, shedding light on inequity and deepening the public’s understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, with a clear focus on advancing transgender and racial justice. Its work has transformed the landscape for more than 15 million workers, 11 million students, 1 million clients in the adoption and foster care system and so much more. The HRC Foundation provides direct consultation and technical assistance to institutions and communities, driving the advancement of inclusive policies and practices; it builds the capacity of future leaders and allies through fellowship and training programs; and, with the firm belief that we are stronger working together, it forges partnerships with advocates in the U.S. and around the globe to increase its impact and shape the future of its work.