Synchrony Financial

Connecticut
Diversified Financials

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

Synchrony Financial, a consumer financial services company, has not terminated business relationships due to or beliefs, despite not protecting employees from viewpoint discrimination. It pledges to vet vendors for LGBTQ policies and advocates for partisan legislation. Synchrony has embraced ESG in its business practices. The company has thoroughly committed itself to the proliferation of DEI strategies in the private sector, as the company is a member of several coalitions including OneTen and the Fintech Equality Coalition. The company has funded the National Urban League. For these reasons, Synchrony Financial 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

Synchrony has not terminated business relationships due to religious or political beliefs. It received a score of 100 on the Human rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index. Among other requirements, this means the company vets suppliers according to their LGBTQ policies (1)(2). Synchrony Financial incorporates ESG into all of its business practices. Synchrony Financial’s Supplier Code of Conduct requires suppliers to commit to embracing diversity and inclusion, and Synchrony Financial monitors supplier ESG practices as part of its overall supplier management program (3)(4)(5)(6).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

Synchrony will not donate to houses of worship but does donate to religious organizations that “serve a secular purpose,” “do not require participation in prayer, worship or other religious activities as a condition of receiving service(s) offered,” and “do not serve a religious purpose”. The company therefore may exclude certain religious organizations from its charitable giving (1). Habitat for Humanity and other religious organizations with a secular purpose do receive charitable donations from Synchrony (2).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

Synchrony does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

Synchrony has signed open letters supporting the Equality Act and transgender participation in women’s and girls’ sports (1)(2). Synchrony opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to kids in K-3rd grade (3). CEO Brian Doubles is a member of the Business Roundtable, but has not supported ideological initiatives (4). Synchrony Financial is a member of OneTen, which has a mission to spread DEI in corporate America (5)(6). Synchrony Financial holds employee DEI training, including a virtual diversity symposium featuring keynote speakers such as Robin DiAngelo (7). Synchrony Financial is one of the companies in the Great Transformation cohort “striving to become one of the world’s leading companies” for DEI and collecting data so that the cohort can “discuss best practices and collectively determine the actions needed and ways in which corporate America can continue to accelerate real change as it relates to diversity, equity and inclusion” (8). Synchrony Financial is a member of the Fintech Equality Coalition, which “is focused on redesigning a more inclusive and equitable financial ecosystem” (9). Synchrony Financial is a signatory of the NVCA Human Capital Pledge, “publicly demonstrating their commitment to advancing DEI” (10). Synchrony’s CEO signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace (11). The company has posted multiple blog posts supporting LGBT causes on its website (12)(13).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

Synchrony has a perfect score on the HRC’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index. This score indicates the company covers the cost of “medically necessary transition-related care” for its employees and their children (1)(2). Synchrony’s has pledged $5 million to the Black Lives Matter movement and related causes, including the National Urban League (3)(4). Synchrony Financial ties components of employee cash incentive compensation to ESG factors such as “increasing diverse representation year-over-year” (5). Synchrony Financial expanded its “Gender Affirming coverage to include the most common and safe surgeries available” as part of its employee benefits (6).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

Synchrony has not used its political contributions for ideological purposes (1)(2).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
November 29, 2023

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