BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Dec. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) today announced that it has received a score of 100 from the Human Rights Campaign on the 2012 Corporate Equality Index. This is the eighth consecutive year that Whirlpool has attained a perfect score on the index.

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The Corporate Equality Index rates American workplaces on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Equality. It is an in-depth analysis and rating of large U.S. employers, their policies and practices regarding LGBT employees. It has been compiled annually for the past ten years.

"As the first and only appliance manufacturer to receive a 100 score from the Human Rights Campaign, Whirlpool Corporation puts a strong emphasis on having appropriate policies in place to support LGBT employees," said Daniel V. Williams, Global Diversity Lead, Whirlpool Corporation. "Whirlpool has been creating innovative products that enhance the home for a century and we're proud to be an employer where all types of families are welcomed, included, and celebrated."

Criteria for the index explores the company's equal opportunity policy statements, spousal/partner benefits, diversity awareness training, and external marketing and advertising to the LGBT community, including talent acquisition and recruiting efforts.

Whirlpool's vision is Every Home…Everywhere and celebrates the fact that diversity is embraced. Whirlpool has six employee resource groups, one of which is the PRIDE Network. It was established in 1999 for the company's LGBT employees and their supporters.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of more than $18 billion in 2010, 71,000 employees, and 66 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world.  The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world.  Additional information about the company can be found at www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

About Whirlpool Corporation's 100th Anniversary

Founded on November 11, 1911, Whirlpool Corporation's time- and labor-saving appliance innovations have influenced home and family life during the last century.  Driven by the belief that everyone needs a comfortable place to call home, Whirlpool Corporation is focused on improving lives one family, one home at a time.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation