OREANDA-NEWS. For the fifth year in a row, United Airlines notched a perfect 100 percent score on the Human Rights Campaign's annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI) and earned the label "Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality" by the prominent civil rights group. The CEI rates companies based on their workplace policies toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

"At United, our employees represent a rich variety of backgrounds, cultures and experiences," said Mike Bonds, Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Employee Relations. "Not only do we embrace the uniqueness of our employees, but we have made it our mission to leverage each individual's differences and talents to create an inclusive work community that can better serve our global customers."

In order to receive a CEI score of 100 percent, companies must demonstrate a strong commitment to LGBT-related policies and practices. These include non-discrimination protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and robust engagement with the LGBT community.

Fully inclusive equal employment, workplace benefits and non-discrimination policies are core to United's Working Together culture. The airline offers several programs that promote LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) inclusion and awareness, and it sponsors internal business resource groups that celebrate employees' cultural differences, cultivate diverse talent and contribute to the company's performance.

United's LGBT business resource group, known as EQUAL, is one of the company's fastest growing and is expanding to several of the airline's hub cities. EQUAL provides ongoing networking, advocacy and outreach opportunities for members, and has hosted prominent figures within the LGBT community.