Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
MillerKnoll Receives High Marks on Corporate Equality Index
January 16,
2025 by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry 
MillerKnoll, a collective of dynamic design brands, has received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s (HRCF) 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. MillerKnoll joins the 765 U.S. businesses that will be honored with HRCF’s Equality 100 Award as Leaders in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion. This year’s CEI includes 1,449 businesses – the highest number of rated companies since the start of the CEI in 2002.
For 15 years in a row, Herman Miller achieved a top score from HRC. This year marks the second year that MillerKnoll has received a 100, proudly continuing this standard of excellence.
"At MillerKnoll, we’re committed to creating a workplace where inclusion and belonging are more than values — they're actions," said Chris Demuth, chief people officer, MillerKnoll. "This year’s CEI 100 score reflects our dedication to measurable progress and fostering an environment where everyone can show up as they are. We’re excited to continue building on this foundation as a team."
MillerKnoll supports several nonprofit organizations serving to foster community and advance rights for LGBTQ+ individuals. During Pride Month in 2023, MillerKnoll partnered with organizations around the world including The Wanda Alston Foundation, Outright International, The 519 Community Centre, Lambda Legal, MindOut, QUEERSPACE Collective, and more. Associates can join the PRIDE Business Resource Group (BRG), advocating for LGBTQ+ associates and allies in the workplace, and work with other groups to identify and break down inequitable systems that limit the success of others, so everyone has opportunities to grow and prosper.
“The CEI is so much more than a score on paper. For decades businesses have relied on the CEI as a tool for transparency and leveling the playing field for all workers, making sure LGBTQ+ people and their families can share in fair, respectful and supportive workplaces and benefits,” said RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, SHRM-CP, HRCF Senior Director of Workplace Equality.
Further Details about HRC's Corporate Equality Index (CEI):
The results of the 2025 CEI showcase how U.S.-based companies are promoting LGBTQ+ friendly workplace policies in the U.S. and abroad. The first year of the CEI included 319 participants, and the 2025 CEI now surveys 1,449 participants, further demonstrating the tremendous growth of the CEI. A record-breaking 98 percent of CEI businesses have nondiscrimination protections specific to gender identity. The CEI rates employers providing these crucial protections to more than 22 million U.S. workers and includes Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms (AmLaw 200), and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.
The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars:
— Non-discrimination policies across business entities;
— Equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families;
— Supporting an inclusive culture; and,
— Corporate social responsibility.
The full report is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.