When it comes to providing an inclusive environment of respect and value, Georgia health care systems might be among the best in the country. Newsweek released its “America’s Greatest Workplaces for LGBTQ+ 2024″ report recently, with Aveanna, HSM and Piedmont all making the list.
“We are proud of Piedmont’s work to make our organization welcoming for patients and employees who are members of the LGTBQ+ community,” Jo Anne Hill, Piedmont’s vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, said in a news release. Piedmont was also recognized by Newsweek as one of the best workplaces for job starters this year.
“We do this through our Diversity Councils with education and supporting Pride activities in our local communities,” Hill added. “Our differences are worth celebrating.”
Aveanna earned a full five-star ranking alongside its fellow Atlanta-based health care system. Aveanna services patients across the country, with more 300 offices in 33 states servicing around 40,000 patients.
Tifton-based HSM, Health Systems Management, took home 4½ stars this year as well. The company assists dialysis facilities across the state, as well as in North Carolina and South Carolina.
To determine which workplaces are taking the most meaningful steps toward a more inclusive environment for employees of all orientations and gender identities, the news outlet partnered with data analytics firm Plant-A.
“To compile the data used in the ranking, Plant-A interviewed more than 29,000 LGBTQ+ employees, who gave more than 205,000 company reviews,” Newsweek reported.
“These interviews were followed by a desk research phase that weighed key performance indicators such as a company’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community and information gathered from social media.”
Newsweek used a five-part evaluation for its ranking methodology. The first was a prestudy survey of human resources professionals to determine what drives current and future employee satisfaction. The second phase was an employee survey of more than 29,000 workers, which were collected in 2022 and last year.
Third, the news outlet participated in an “elaborate desk research project” to collect key performance indicators for LGBTQ+ employees in the workplace (e.g. official commitments to the LGBTQ+ community, reviews and information from social media platforms).
In the fourth phase, Newsweek reviewed all published press concerning each featured company from the past two years to identify any disputes in the workplace. Lastly, the news outlet validated its findings by calculating each company’s overall score. Requests for the full methodology documentation can be made here.
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