W.W. Grainger Adds Gender Identity and Expression Language to its Equal Opportunity Employment Guidelines

Following a brief dialogue with Trillium, W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW) – which is a Fortune 500 company – has updated its Business Conduct Guidelines and employee handbook to explicitly prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression.

Trillium believes that companies and workers benefit from consistent, corporate-wide, efforts to prevent discrimination, ensuring a respectful and supportive atmosphere for all employees.

The Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index notes that nearly 70% of the Fortune 100 and 43% of the Fortune 500 prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or expression; an indication that companies are taking gender identity protections seriously. State and local laws are, unfortunately, inconsistent with respect to employment discrimination. Currently, only sixteen states have laws prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression.

We are pleased with Grainger’s proactive steps to protect their employees and business interests by amending and making public their non-discrimination policy.

“By establishing a protection of gender expression, W.W. Grainger has created an immediate positive impact in the lives of their LGBTQ workers. We believe that Grainger will enhance its competitive edge by joining the growing ranks of companies guaranteeing equal opportunity for all employees”, said Natasha Lamb, of Trillium’s Shareholder Advocacy & Corporate Engagement team.