INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For the seventh consecutive year, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) has received a 100 percent rating on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Index (CEI) – one of three honors the company recently has earned for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality in the workplace practices.

"We are honored to be recognized among the top companies in the nation for our commitment to diversity and inclusion," said Shaun Hawkins, chief diversity officer. "At Lilly, ensuring that diversity is sought, valued and respected is critical to our company's success. Our focus is finding innovative medical solutions for patients, and we can only do that with a workforce that brings a wide variety of perspectives." 

Lilly is one of 252 companies to receive the perfect CEI score among 889 U.S. businesses rated, including the entire Fortune 500, and has been named to HRC's "Best Places to Work" list. The HRC is the nation's largest LGBT civil rights organization and its CEI has become the foremost benchmark for businesses to gauge their level of LGBT workplace inclusion against competitors.

The CEI rates companies on 40 specific policies and practices. To achieve a perfect score, companies must have fully inclusive equal employment opportunity policies, provide equal employment benefits, demonstrate organizational LGBT competency, show commitment to equality publicly and exercise responsible citizenship. The CEI report is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.

In addition to strong workforce practices for its LGBT employees, Lilly supports a number of global, national and state LGBT organizations. The company also will work with other businesses to oppose a proposed amendment to the Indiana constitution that would ban same-sex marriages and civil unions along with posing challenges to the extension of domestic partner benefits.

Additional honors
Recently, Lilly also was named a Workplace Excellence Award finalist for the first time by Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. The award recognizes employers that have an ongoing commitment to workplace equality, demonstrated by leadership, dedication and innovation on behalf of LGBT employees. Finalists for the award, in addition to Lilly, included Boehringer Ingelheim, Whirlpool and Google, which won the award.

Additionally, Work Life Matters Magazine has recognized Lilly for its efforts as a Top Company for LGBT Equality. Since 2002, the magazine has honored companies that serve as leaders in their respective fields by providing innovative and effective work/life balance programs and policies for their employees. This is the first time Lilly has been named to the list. Lilly, along with Microsoft, ESPN, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Discovery Communications and Orbitz Worldwide, will be recognized at a gala December 4 in New York City.

For a full list of Lilly diversity awards and recognitions, visit http://lilly.com/about/diversity/recognition/.

About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers – through medicines and information – for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com. C-LLY

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO )

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company