Hartford Financial Services Group (Hartford)

Hartford Financial Services
Connecticut
Insurance

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

Hartford has ended all business with companies who get more than 25% of their energy from coal and is phasing out business with companies in the coal sector. By complying with Human Rights Campaign's controversial demands, Hartford Financial Services (Hartford), 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 employee recruitment, vendor selection, marketing, and philanthropic support. Hartford 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 supports LGBTQ Pride and opposed anti-LGBTQ legislation. The Hartford is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and has donated to the Equality PAC. The company opposed various state and local legislation intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces. For these reasons, Hartford Financial Services 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

Hartford released a statement in 2019 saying they will no longer do business with companies who get more than 25% of their energy from coal (1). The company will also begin to phase out current relationship with companies in the coal sector (2). Hartford received a score of 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (3)(4).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

Hartford‘s HRC CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

Hartford‘s 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 specific benefits guide with a comprehensive explanation of transgender services funded by the company (1)(2). Hartford 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

Hartford is a strong advocate for the LGBTQ community, including being named a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the HRC for 13 years in a row (1). The company spoke out against the North Carolina state legislation, HB2, which required people to use the bathroom of their biological gender (2). Hartford opposed various state and local legislation intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces (3). The company‘s 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 (4)(5). By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders.

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

Hartford‘s 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. Hartford is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) (3). 

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

Hartford‘s 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. Hartford has donated to the Equality PAC and lobbied for ideological purposes (3)(4)(5).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 27, 2024

Company reports are intended for educational use only. Full Disclaimer

Voting History

Date
ESG Category
Proponent
Summary of ResolutionMgmt RecTotal Vote % in Favor
5/17/23EnvironmentalGreen Century Capital ManagementAdopt Policy to Phase Out Underwriting Risks Associated with Fossil FuelsAgainst8.70%
5/18/22EnvironmentalGreen Century Capital ManagementAdopt Policies to Ensure Underwriting Does Not Support New Fossil Fuel SuppliesAgainst8.74%
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