Monsanto has once again been named by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) as one of the 'Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.' The distinction comes with the company earning a perfect score of 100 percent on the HRC's annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI).

The CEI is a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Monsanto is one of 391 major businesses across all U.S. industries to earn the top score.

'This honor is special because building an inclusive culture is a total team effort at Monsanto,' said Steve Mizell, Monsanto's executive vice president of human resources. 'We're committed to making sure everyone feels comfortable bringing their whole self to work. That's vital to our business because it helps us attract and retain talented people. But more importantly, it's simply the right thing to do.'

The 2016 CEI rated 1,024 businesses in the report, which evaluates LGBT-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBT community. Monsanto's efforts meet all of the CEI's criteria and results in a 100 percent ranking and the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.

For more information on the 2016 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visithrc.org/cei .

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