New REDI Index: More Companies Embrace Faith at Work, Kick-off Conference in Nation’s Capital
Ford Motor Company Tops Automotive Industry
Washington, DC — The Ford Motor Company is the most faith-friendly automotive workplace in America, according to the 2023 Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index and Monitor, released by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (RFBF).
The Ford Interfaith Network (FIN) is comprised of eight different faiths and aims to assist the Ford Motor Company in becoming a worldwide corporate leader in promoting religious inclusion and understanding, corporate integrity, and human dignity. For the last 22 years, FIN has hosted the National Day of Prayer as a lunchtime event commemorating the 1952 proclamation signed into law by President Truman.
This year, the Ford Interfaith Network (FIN) welcomed the public to their flagship event: National Day Of Prayer 2023 “Praying Fervently in Faith Has Great Impact.”
Ford Motor Company respects the role faith plays in the lives of employees and this year on the National Day of Prayer, the FIN board hosted a time of reflection, reverence and learning, celebrating each faith that comprises FIN and the collective strength, belonging, and peace this time fosters.
Ford is a also sponsor of the 4th National Faith@Work ERG conference Dare to Overcome. Come and meet their team in person in Washington DC, May 22-24, 2023.
“No one should have to worry about hiding their beliefs out of fear of facing harassment, hate or discrimination in our country,” RFBF President Brian Grim said. “We’re amazed by the momentum that is building towards religiously inclusive and faith-friendly workplaces – 50 percent more companies are benchmarking progress in this area than were last year, three-times more companies are utilizing corporate chaplains, and there is greater collaboration than ever before among companies. We are truly seeing a growing movement of religious inclusion in the workplace. The Ford Motor Company is one of the top leaders this movement.”
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Overall, the Intel Corporation is the most faith-friendly corporate workplace among the 500 largest companies in America, according to the 2023 Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index and Monitor, released by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (RFBF).
The REDI Index is a first-in-class ranking system for benchmarking how well companies provide a “faith friendly” workplace, ranging from the development of faith-based Employee Resource Groups (ERG) to having workplace chaplains. Other top scorers include American Airlines (#2), which was #1 last year, Equinix (#3), PayPal and Salesforce (tied for #4), Dell Technologies (#6), AIG (#7), Tyson Foods, (#8), and Google and Texas Instruments (tied for #9). Intuit, American Express, Target, CMS Energy, the Ford Motor Company and NextEra Energy also take top spots among the Fortune 500.
Full executive summary and report of the 2023 Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index and Monitor found at this link.
General Fortune 500 Findings (REDI Index & Monitor):
- 219 companies (44%) mention, refer to or illustrate religion on their main diversity landing page, up from 202 (40%) in 2022
- 43 companies (8.6%) publicly report having faith-oriented ERGs, up from 37 companies (7.4%) in 2022
Key Survey Findings Among 25 Top Faith-Friendly Companies (REDI Index):
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- 92% featured religion on company’s main or other diversity page
- 92% sponsor faith and belief employee resource groups
- 88% share best practices with other companies or organizations
- 96% clearly address religion in diversity training
- 80% provide chaplains or other spiritual care for employees
- 80% are attentive to how religion impacts stakeholders
- 92% accommodate the religious needs of employees
- 96% have clear procedures for reporting religious discrimination
- 92% report that their employees attend religious diversity professional conferences
- 72% match employee donations to religious charities
Top Faith-Friendly Company by Industry
#1 in Automotive Industry – Ford Motor Company
#1 in Semiconductor Sector – Intel Corporation
#1 in Airline Sector – American Airlines
#1 in Digital Infrastructure Sector – Equinix
#1 in Consulting Service Sector – Accenture
#1 in Financial Services Sector – PayPal
#1 in CRM Sector – Salesforce
#1 in Computer Hardware & Software Sector – DELL Technologies
#1 in Insurance Sector – AIG
#1 in Food Production Sector – Tyson Foods
#1 in Overall Technology Industry – Google
#1 in Retail Industry – Target
#1 in Health Sector – Kaiser Permanente
#1 in Europe – Tea Pak
#1 in UK – OVO Energy
#1 Outside US Fortune 500 – Qualtrics
RFBF’s new report coincides with hosting their fourth annual Dare to Overcome Conference on Faith@Work conference. The 3-day event welcomes hundreds of corporate executives, ERG leaders and in-house corporate chaplains to shine a light on the powerful economic and social benefits of fostering religious inclusion and liberty for all, from promoting peace, diversity and growth to reducing liabilities, corruption and harmful regulation around the world.
Headlined by Global Chair of Google’s Inter Belief Network Naomi Kraus and retired Navy Vice Admiral and recently-retired Walmart VP Luke McCollum, this year’s conference also features speakers from American Airlines, Dell Technologies, Coca Cola Consolidated, PayPal and more.
Kraus is speaking on how ERGs can help combat antisemitism and religious discrimination. “In my 10-plus years at Google, I’ve watched this tech company evolve and embrace the inclusion movement, encouraging Googlers to bring their whole selves to work,” Kraus recalled. “One’s faith and ethnic identity is very much a part of that process, but as of late, many have become more wary of expressing it due to the hate they fear they may experience. Businesses must take steps to end the scourge of antisemitism and to support their Jewish employees.”
Equinix’s FaithConnect ERG is receiving this year’s A21 Catalyst Award for supporting A21’s global efforts to combat human trafficking, Equinix’s FaithConnect ERG hosted three global calls with over 600 individuals and raised more than $30,000 for A21. The Dare to Overcome Corporate ERG Awards also honor more than 70 companies for setting up faith-based ERGs, which combat religious bias and discrimination. ERGs also help companies better understand their clients, customers and stakeholders as well as help workers better understand and work with their colleagues.
President Brian Grim founded RFBF with a mission to make the case that religious freedom is not just good for the economy, but also for business, through research, workshops and thought leadership. With a background in research of religion and world affairs, Grim served as director of international data at Pew Research Center and as chair of the World Economic Forum’s global council on faith. He has been featured at conferences, like Davos, and in publications, including his recent piece in the Deseret News, The Bridge Builder.
ABOUT THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND BUSINESS FOUNDATION<
The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (RFBF) is the preeminent organization dedicated to educating the global business community, policymakers, non-government organizations and consumers about the positive power that faith and religious freedom for all (including those with no religious faith) have on workplaces and the economy. RFBF is a non-partisan, nonpolitical, multi-faith registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the United States with work worldwide. It does not take a position on current political debates. For more information, please visit religiousfreedomandbusiness.org.
