Staples

Massachusetts
Retailing

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

By complying with Human Rights Campaign's controversial demands, Staples increases the risk of dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. The company covers transgender-related medical costs for its employees and their children and provides specific sexual orientation and gender identity-based benefits. It also uses sex and gender ideology criteria in marketing. Staples forces employees to undergo multiple ideological trainings and uses its reputation, corporate funds, and political influence to support controversial sex and gender ideologies, organizations, and legislation. The company is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and educates its employees on social justice. For these reasons, Staples receives a High Risk rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

Staples has a written policy pledging to vet vendors for LGBTQ policies. It requires vendors to include sexual orientation and gender identity in its nondiscrimination policy (1). Staples has a Supplier Diversity Program by which the company gives preference to suppliers that are “at least 51% owned, controlled or operated by a diverse group,” including LGBTQ+, minority, and women-owned (2). Staples has not publicly fired customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs.

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

Staples will donate to religious organizations if “they are engaged in a significant project which benefits a broad base of the community” (1). Staples has a grant program for employees suffering various hardships; the program does not appear to discriminate against religious organizations in its charitable giving (2).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Staples HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology. The company provides gender transition guidelines for its employees and a specific benefits guide with a comprehensive explanation of transgender services funded by the company (1)(2). Staples does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Staples HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company agrees to allow a controversial stakeholder group focused on sexual identity issues to dictate marketing or advertising strategy (1)(2). By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Former CEO Sandy Douglas signed the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion (3). Staples regularly promotes “a bi-monthly employee-led social justice video series” (4).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Staples HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. Additionally, the company has pledged philanthropic support of at least one organization or event that promotes sex and gender ideology (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Staples is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (3)(4).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Staples HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company publicly advocated for controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Staples does not operate a PAC at this time (3)(4).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
February 12, 2024

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