As we work to create a diverse and inclusive workspace, we want to ensure our policies and practices, as well as any organizations we work with, reflect and share the same vision. With this in mind, we decided to participate in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index.
The HRC Foundation is a leading organization advocating for LGBQTIA+ rights globally, and their CEI is a national benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices, and benefits pertinent to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQIA+ employees to thrive. It’s the most comprehensive review currently available, and covers hundreds of large businesses across almost every industry.
We believe that benchmarking tools are a helpful part of holding ourselves accountable to keeping our culture healthy and welcoming for every employee. We’re proud of our efforts to evolve and transform Riot’s culture, and third-party experts play a crucial role in validating our progress. Our Diversity & Inclusion Team collaborated with teams across Riot to collect policies, training resources, best practices, and social impact initiatives to be analyzed by the HRC Foundation. We want to share what we learned in this process and the opportunities we see to raise the bar even higher.
The CEI covers four major categories: (1) workforce protections, (2) inclusive benefits, (3) inclusive culture and corporate social responsibility, and (4) responsible citizenship. Each category breaks down into a series of criteria associated with a rating system that adds up to 100 points.
Our Score: 95
Out of the 100 points available, we scored a 95. We won’t be happy with anything less than 100, so we wanted to break down where we lost points and how we’re improving.
We scored full points for our protections, benefits, culture, and responsible citizenship. Of course, Riot has long included sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in our EEO and other policies, as we’re required to do. But we also provide inclusive benefits for same-gender partners and transgender people, and we embrace our growing community of LGBQTIA+ employees through internal councils and external partnerships. We’re incredibly proud of the efforts of the Rainbow Rioters employee resource group, whose mission is to foster their community across our games and beyond.
Where we lost points was in the corporate responsibility category. Part of our social responsibility initiative is partnering with organizations which operate with effectiveness and compassion in their spaces. We do not endorse or sponsor organizations with anti-LGBQTIA+ policies or beliefs. But we lacked the official documentation to make that clear, which we acknowledge is important for us as we mature as a company. We’ve begun to immediately rectify that and plan to regain the lost 5 points in our next CEI submission.
Our Forward Focus
As a game company, we love high scores, but that’s only an added benefit for us. We’re committed to continuously raising the bar with consistent reviews of our internal practices, fostering a workplace culture that celebrates diverse identities and orientations, and advancing our industry by making video games safer and more representative of the global community.
