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Aetna's Diversity Policies Recognized Twice in One Week
By Janice Thaxter, Human Resources Communications, Aetna

Twice in one week Aetna was recognized for diversity policies that make it a "best company to work for."

LATINA Style magazine listed Aetna as one of the Top 50 Companies for Hispanic Women to Work in the U.S. in 2003, and the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index survey gave Aetna a perfect score -- for the second year in a row -- for its gay- and lesbian-friendly policies. Both awards carry specific criteria.

LATINA Style magazine evaluates corporate America's sensitivity to Latinas' needs and goals in the workplace. Among the principal areas of evaluation are number of Latina executives, mentoring programs, Latina/Hispanic/women on boards of directors, educational opportunities, alternative work policies, dependent/child care support, leave for childbirth, benefits, women's issues, downsize retraining and Hispanic relations.

The Human Rights survey included 250 of the nation's largest companies. Aetna was in good company as one of only 21 corporations rated 100, including Bank One Corp, Intel Corp., Lehman Brothers Holding Inc. and Nike. Companies are rated on seven factors, including whether they have written anti-discrimination policies covering sexual orientation, provide health insurance for employees' same-sex domestic partners and hold diversity training.

"I am quite proud of the consistent recognition we are receiving," says Gwen Houston, Aetna's head of Diversity. "Clearly, diversity continues to be a determining factor in how various communities view our company. It's a critical consideration in both recruiting new talent and growing our business."