There are only two.
A recent report has shed light on the strides made by American Airlines and Accenture within the corporate landscape regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly concerning religious beliefs. The Religious Freedom and Business Foundation unveiled its fifth annual Religious Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Index and Monitor, showcasing the commitment of major corporations, notably these two Fortune 500 companies, towards fostering an environment that respects freedom of religion and belief.
Derived from responses to a survey among Fortune 500 companies, the report gauged their acknowledgment of religion and belief as integral components of workplace diversity initiatives. While not all companies participated, the findings indicate a noteworthy increase in the recognition of religion, with 85.8% of the 429 surveyed companies mentioning religion on their public diversity pages in 2024, a significant rise from previous years.
Moreover, the report delves into the presence of religion-oriented employee resource groups, which saw a consistent increase in visibility across the years surveyed. Accenture and American Airlines emerged as leaders in this regard, scoring highest on the REDI Index among the surveyed companies. They not only implement best practices but also actively share their approaches with other organizations, emphasizing the inclusion of religion in diversity training, providing spiritual care for employees, and accommodating religious needs.
In contrast, while some companies like Aramark sponsor faith and belief employee resource groups and recognize holy days of employees, they fall short in explicitly addressing religion in diversity training and demonstrating awareness of its impact on stakeholders.
Beyond the Fortune 500, the report extends its scope to include responses from other businesses, revealing a positive trend in celebrating holy days of employees and promoting religious diversity professional conferences. The survey reflects an increasing trend among companies to sponsor faith and belief employee resource groups, feature religion on diversity pages, and communicate accommodation policies for religious needs.
However, challenges persist, such as fluctuations in companies matching employee donations to religious charities and a slight decline in the clarity of procedures for reporting religious discrimination and addressing religion in diversity training.
Overall, the report underscores the evolving landscape of religious diversity and inclusion in corporate environments, highlighting both progress and areas for improvement across a spectrum of companies.