Best Places to Work in Life Sciences for LGBT Equality

Best Places to Work in Life Sciences for LGBT EqualityAugust 25, 2016
By Alex Keown, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff

With a recently acquired diploma in hand, graduates are frantically searching for that first job to launch their careers in pharma and biotech, setting a course for the rest of their lives. It’s a competitive field and job candidates look for any edge they can in gaining that first career toehold.

For some candidates though, that could mean holding back a part of who they are–particularly if those employee candidates are gay and have not made that information public. And if hired, some members of the LGBT community may wonder whether or not the culture at the company will allow them to be who they are. How could an employee know whether or not a company is a potential fit? Before applying for positions at a pharma or biotech company, potential candidates could check the Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a project of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation to learn more about the company culture of the potential employer. Fortune 500-ranked businesses are rated. They are the largest and most successful U.S. employers invited to participate in the CEI ratings. The index allows job candidates to see where a company ranks as far as its commitment to diversity. Many pharma companies, particularly the largest ones, have rankings of a 100 percent commitment to diversity. Some of those companies include AbbVie, Genentech, Pfizer, Biogen, Novartis and Eli Lilly. But there are some, such as Mylan, Allergan and Abbott, which have lower ranks, 0, 10 and 75 percent respectively.

Life Science Employer Ratings (Highest: 100 Percent)
COMPANY
HEADQUARTERS
SCORE 2016
JOBS
AbbVie
IL
100
Jobs
Astellas
IL
100
Jobs
BASF
NJ
100
Jobs
Baxter
IL
100
Jobs
Biogen
MA
100
Jobs
Boehringer
CT
100
Jobs
Boston Scientific
MA
100
Jobs
Bristol-Myers
NY
100
Jobs
Cardinal Health
OH
100
Jobs
CareFusion
CA
100
Jobs
Dow Chemical
MI
100
Jobs
Ecolab
MN
100
Jobs
Eli Lilly
IN
100
Jobs
DuPont
DE
100
Jobs
Genentech
CA
100
Jobs
J&J
NJ
100
Jobs
McKesson
CA
100
Jobs
Medtronic
MN
100
Jobs
Merck
NJ
100
Jobs
Monsanto
MO
100
Jobs
Novartis
NJ
100
Jobs
Pfizer
NY
100
Jobs
Procter & Gamble
OH
100
Jobs
Thermo Fisher
MA
100
Jobs
Unilever Englewood
NJ
100
Jobs
GSK
NC
100
Jobs
Sanofi
NJ
95
Jobs
St. Jude Med
MN
95
Jobs
Agilent
CA
90
Jobs
Amgen
CA
90
Jobs
AstraZeneca
DE
90
Jobs
Quest Diagnostics
NJ
90
Jobs
Celanese
TX
85
Jobs
Gilead
CA
80
Jobs
Stryker
MI
80
Jobs
Abbott
IL
75
Jobs
AmerisourceBergen
PA
75
Jobs
Bausch & Lomb
NY
75
Jobs
Bayer
NJ
75
Jobs
Celgene
NJ
70
Jobs
Becton, Dickinson
NJ
65
Jobs
Hospira
IL
65
Jobs
Wyeth
NJ
35
Jobs
LabCorp
NC
20
Jobs
Quintiles
NC
20
Jobs
Allergan
CA
10
Jobs
Mylan
PA
0
Jobs

In order for companies to receive a 100 percent rating, businesses must meet a number of factors, including sexual orientation and gender identity non-discrimination protections in U.S. and global operations, non-discrimination protection must be extended to U.S. contractors with that company and companies must “implement internal requirements prohibiting company/ law firm philanthropic giving to non-religious organizations that have a written policy of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity.”

While it’s certainly important for perspective LGBT candidates to know there is a culture of non-discrimination at a company they may spend years launching and honing their careers, surveys have shown companies also benefit. In July, The Street, citing a Credit Suisse survey, reported that companies that do not discriminate based on sexual orientation tend to be more successful than those who do. The survey shows that companies that do not provide a supportive environment for LGBT employees will find it difficult to retain employees. Nearly three quarters of in-the-closet employees, 73 percent, said they would leave the job within a year, according to the survey. Part of the reason is that many LGBT employees fear that coming out at work would impact their chances for professional promotion. Being in-the-closet also prevents employees from participating in networking and social events—events where spouses and significant others are often invited.


One company that works to ensure a supportive environment for LGBT employees is Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly. Miriam Janice Chavers, a spokesperson for Eli Lilly, said diversity is an important strength for the company. In an email to BioSpace, Chavers said the interests of the company are best served by a team that reflects the diversity of the community. That reflection allows the company to take advantage of the “unique inputs, perspectives, talents, and experiences of each and every person whom we engage in our work.”“For us, embracing diversity means understanding, respecting, and valuing differences, including but not limited to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status,” Chavers said in an email.

The company has developed an employee-led resource group called PRIDE: People Respecting Individual Differences Equally, which works to ensure all employees are treated with respect and can perform their jobs without fear of harassment, discrimination or unfair treatment. The resource group also makes efforts to ensure that LGBT employees have equal opportunities for promotion and advancement. More than 600 employees are members of PRIDE.They meet on a regular basis and host educational and networking events open to all employees.

Eli Lilly has earned a number of honors for its diversity initiatives, including placing 26th on the DiversityInc. Top 50 list. For the first time in 2016, Lilly was included on four specialty Top Company lists: Opportunity; Mentoring; LGBT Employees; Employee Resource Group, Chavers said.

Lilly’s PRIDE members also practice reverse mentoring, pairing up with senior leaders to provide mentoring that flips the traditional model upside down, according to company information provided by Chavers.

The same strong belief in diversity can be found at Merck. Lainie Keller, a Merck spokesperson said the company believes diversity is a strength and makes the company stronger. A diverse and inclusive workforce makes Merck a “more innovative and agile company, better attuned to the needs of our customers, health care providers and patients who ultimately use our products,” Keller said in an email.

Like Eli Lilly, Merck has multiple resource groups within the company for various employees, including one specifically for the LGBT community, Keller said. Merck’s values means the company takes a comprehensive approach to “ensuring that employees have personal and career development opportunities, build important stakeholder relationships throughout their careers,” according to the company’s corporate responsibility report.

Another company that strives to develop a supportive company culture is Rho, a North Carolina-based contract research organization. In a previous interview, Kay Lowery, a human resources service leader at Rho, told BioSpace the company has a long history of diversity inclusiveness as well as a “long record of being supportive of their employees regardless of the environment.” That spirit of inclusion includes providing benefits to the domestic partners of employees. The company also fosters internal special interest clubs for employees, which includes an LGBT group, Lowery said.

“We’re focused on diversity and want to make sure people feel included,” she said. That includes bucking a controversial North Carolina law dubbed HB2 that has been criticized for being discriminatory against transgender people. Since that law’s passage earlier this year, a number of pharma and biotech companies that have North Carolina roots condemned the passage of the law. On its Twitter page, Biogen, one of the largest pharma companies in the Research Triangle Park area, condemned the legislation and said the company supports “the power of difference.”

Without diversity, our ability to solve complex problems—the very foundation on which our company is built—would be difficult to navigate. This is why we have been focused on growing a sustainable workplace culture of excellence and inclusion. We believe that this is best accomplished by eliminating barriers and enhancing access to opportunities and resources. It means embracing and harnessing the potential of people of all backgrounds. Inclusion allows us to maximize the value from our workforce and the communities we serve,” Biogen said in its perspectives posting.

So, perspective LGBT candidates have multiple options when looking to apply at companies that have a proven track record of inclusiveness.

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