Here's How Companies Can Prove Their Commitment to Gender Equality to Investors

Last week’s discussions at the Bloomberg Business of Equality Summit proved that the topic of gender equality is ubiquitous — companies can no longer ignore gender-related issues in the workplace. Policies and practices that promote equality benefit everyone — employees are happier, more productive and exhibit a greater sense of loyalty. Not surprisingly, we also know that companies that prioritize inclusion tend to outperform those that do not.

Investors know this too. And having access to data that measures how companies approach gender equality helps investors make more informed decisions. That’s exactly where our Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) comes into play. The GEI highlights companies committed to moving the needle toward an equitable workplace and community. It also provides a platform for these companies to showcase the data behind this commitment. The 2018 edition of the GEI included 104 companies from 24 countries and regions across ten sectors.

For companies that have not previously disclosed data on their approach to equality, the GEI survey offers a standardized framework to help measure and track progress. Using best practices as a guide, GEI members have found that benchmarking this data against peers is a useful tool to engage business leaders and strengthen internal diversity and inclusion programs.

Today, we are excited to open the survey submission window for our 2019 Index, which will be published in January. The deadline for submission is August 31, giving companies 15 weeks to collect any supplemental information they would like to highlight to investors. There is no cost associated with membership.

Bloomberg has always been built on the principle of transparency. GEI members are not ranked, but are instead rewarded for disclosure. GEI data is fully integrated into the ESG product offering on the Bloomberg Terminal along with other environmental, social and governance factors that our 320,000 users around the world use to make investment decisions.

Our GEI member firms are leading the charge, providing a window into successful best practices that other companies can emulate. Gender equality in the workplace is a complex challenge, and requires a collective, collaborative solution. We are proud to play a role here and look forward to celebrating the next cohort of companies in 2019.

Interested companies can request the survey and find more information at bloomberg.com/GEI. Bloomberg Terminal users can also find details under GEI .

Find a complete list of 2018 GEI members here.

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