More Awards for Irvine
Photo credit Jason Leung
This week Irvine once again found itself at the top of city rankings, earning two honors. The first reason to brag is that Irvine made the Orange County Register’s list of Top Workplaces for 2021 in their 14th Annual Top Workplaces Awards.
The Orange County Register welcomed any employer with at least 25 employees in Orange County to participate in their survey process to determine the top workplaces in our county. Survey questions ranged from ranking an employee’s opinion on the efficiency of the organization to sharing thoughts on the pay and benefits packages offered by their workplace.
“Our City was recognized as a top workplace on this coveted list, by our own employees, in a year with continued challenges and changes related to COVID-19,” says Mayor Farrah Khan. “Our employees are one of our most valuable resources, and truly the reason we continue to thrive as a city: one that I could not be more proud to represent.”
Out of 3,194 employers invited to participate, Irvine ranked No.16 on the list of Large Companies with 500 or more employees and among the 155 employers who made the overall list.
This is the first year the city has received this prestigious award. As a newcomer to the program, Irvine excelled by creating a workplace that found innovative ways to continue providing services through a Digital City Hall.
The second honor Irvine received this week was a nearly perfect score of 97 (out of 100) on the 2021 Municipal Equality Index (MEI). This score is calculated by the Human Rights Campaign rating system based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement, and the city leadership's public position on equality.
The MEI examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are for LGBTQ+ residents and commuters.
“I am proud of the work we are doing to set the standard for inclusion – including the annual display of the Pride Flag at City Hall, the creation of a Pride Month shoulder patch for Irvine Police Department, and dedicated LGBTQ+ liaisons to ensure LGBTQ-related concerns are heard and appropriately addressed,” says Khan. “We will continue to collaborate with our LGBTQ+ community to ensure we are a city that is welcoming and equitable for all.”
Irvine received perfect scores in the following MEI categories:
Non-Discrimination Laws: 30 out of 30 points, plus 4 bonus points (2 for single-occupancy all-gender facilities; 2 for youth protection from conversion therapy)
Municipal Services: 12 out of 12 points, plus 4 bonus points (2 for city provided services to LGBTQ+ youth; 2 for City provided services to people living with HIV or AIDS)
Law Enforcement: 22 out of 22 points
The full 2021 MEI report is available here. Current job opportunities with the city of Irvine are available here.