ZS recognized as Best Place to Work for LGBTQ equality by Human Rights Campaign

—The Annual Corporate Equality Index Rates Companies on Practices Related to LGBTQ Workplace Equality—

EVANSTON, Il.—Mar. 28, 2019—Upon achieving 100 percent on the 2019 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), global professional services firm ZS earns the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality. The CEI is the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s nationally recognized benchmarking survey and report on corporate practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) workplace equality. ZS, which earned a perfect score after participating in the CEI for the first time in 2019, proudly joins the ranks of hundreds of major U.S. businesses which also received top marks.

“The top-scoring companies on this year’s CEI are not only establishing policies that affirm and include employees here in the United States, they are applying these policies to their global operations and impacting millions of people beyond our shores,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. "Time and again, leading American businesses have shown that protecting their employees and customers from discrimination isn’t just the right thing to do -- it’s also good for business.”

“This recognition is important to us because it helps reaffirm our commitment to creating a workplace environment where everyone feels welcome — something we are very passionate about at ZS,” said the firm’s managing director, Chris Wright.

Each year, the CEI survey evaluates policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBTQ community.

Wright attributes ZS’s ability to satisfy the CEI criteria, in part, to strong efforts by the firm’s Pride@ZS network — an affinity group for LGBTQ ZSers and allies that promotes diversity and inclusiveness at work and beyond through education, social events and community outreach.

“What I’m most proud of is that this award reflects the way we’ve been doing business and treating people for years,” said Natalie Hanson, ZS principal and Pride@ZS leader. “Achieving 100 percent did not require us to make any substantive changes to our policies or practices.”

This recognition is the latest in a series of third-party acknowledgements celebrating ZS’s workplace culture, including having made Consulting magazine’s Best Places to Work For list and ranking on the Vault Consulting 50. In addition to Pride@ZS, ZS supports and empowers a variety of affinity groups that promote a diverse and inclusive working environment such as the Women’s Leadership Initiative, Black & Hispanic Alliance and Veterans@ZS.

“Being acknowledged by an outside organization like the HRCF affirms we’re living our firm’s core values of do the right thing, get it right and treat people right through our inclusion and diversity efforts,” said ZS’s Chief Human Resources Officer Jeff Griese. 

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer people. For more information on the 2019 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.

ZS is a professional services firm that works side by side with companies to help develop and deliver products that drive customer value and company results. We leverage our deep industry expertise, leading-edge analytics, technology and strategy to create solutions that work in the real world. With more than 35 years of experience and 8,000-plus ZSers in more than 25 offices worldwide, we are passionately committed to helping companies and their customers thrive. To learn more, visit www.zs.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.