At the heart of New Relic’s operational philosophy lies a simple, yet profound conviction: when employees are empowered to bring their authentic selves to work, innovation flourishes and communities thrive. As the company has evolved from a burgeoning tech startup into a global powerhouse with a footprint spanning India, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and the United States, this commitment to equity has remained a non-negotiable pillar of its corporate identity.
This Pride Month, New Relic is not merely celebrating its history of inclusivity; it is setting a new benchmark for how global enterprises can translate corporate values into measurable, systemic, and human-centric outcomes.
The Foundation of Equity: A Global Mandate
For New Relic, the pursuit of workplace equity is not a seasonal endeavor restricted to the month of June. Instead, it is an integrated strategy that informs how the company hires, supports, and grows its global talent pool. In a landscape where the workforce is increasingly distributed and culturally diverse, the company has prioritized the creation of "psychological safety"—the bedrock upon which high-performing, inclusive teams are built.
This commitment is global in scope. Whether an employee is based in the bustling tech hubs of Bangalore or the collaborative offices of London, the expectation is that their professional experience remains untethered from their personal identity. By fostering an environment where LGBTQIA+ employees feel valued, protected, and empowered, New Relic has demonstrated that diversity is not just a moral imperative, but a competitive business advantage.
Benchmarking Excellence: The Human Rights Campaign Milestone
While cultural initiatives are vital, New Relic’s leadership recognizes that true accountability requires rigorous external validation. To this end, the company recently participated in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI). This comprehensive benchmarking survey serves as the gold standard for evaluating LGBTQIA+ workplace inclusion, measuring companies against a stringent set of criteria, including non-discrimination policies, equitable benefits, and organizational competency.
A Repeat Performance of Perfection
For the second consecutive year, New Relic has achieved a perfect score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index. This achievement places the company in an elite tier, ranking among only 534 U.S. businesses that have demonstrated a "best-in-class" commitment to their LGBTQIA+ workforce.
This milestone is the result of a deliberate, data-driven strategy. It involved a cross-functional effort to audit over 100 individual policies, ranging from health benefits and payroll tax equalization to internal cultural training and public advocacy. By securing this perfect score, New Relic has signaled to both current employees and prospective candidates that its support for the LGBTQIA+ community is codified, structural, and sustainable.
The Personal Stakes of Corporate Policy
For many at New Relic, this achievement represents far more than a check-box exercise. Tyrone Dobson, Senior Employee Experience & Community Manager, who led the effort for the CEI, emphasizes the deeply personal nature of this corporate work.
"I am proud to lead the effort to earn this award," says Dobson. "Multiple teams contribute to more than 100 questions about our benefits, business practices, and culture initiatives to determine if we are best-in-class in regard to LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the workplace. It’s a huge undertaking and a massive accomplishment. As a Black gay man, this is more than a work accomplishment—it’s personal."
Dobson’s sentiment captures the essence of New Relic’s approach: that the most effective corporate policies are those that view employees as whole individuals, rather than just human capital.
The Evolution of "Rainbow Relics"
A critical component of New Relic’s inclusion ecosystem is its Employee Resource Group (ERG), "Rainbow Relics." The ERG serves as a vital bridge between the employee base and the executive leadership team, ensuring that the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ staff are reflected in company policy.
Lisa Banks, a Senior Marketing Communications Manager and the current global co-chair of Rainbow Relics, views the ERG as a catalyst for both personal growth and organizational change. Since assuming her leadership role in 2023, Banks has been instrumental in facilitating cross-border collaboration among employees who share a passion for equity.
"Since becoming global co-chair of Rainbow Relics, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with passionate colleagues from all over the world, while growing my leadership skills," Banks notes. "Engaging directly with the leadership team here at New Relic to advocate for and represent our community has been a deeply rewarding experience."
The work of Rainbow Relics underscores the company’s "bottom-up" approach to culture. By empowering employees like Banks to lead the dialogue, New Relic ensures that its inclusion initiatives remain relevant, adaptive, and genuinely representative of the people they serve.
Implications: Building a Sustainable Future
The implications of New Relic’s sustained commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion are far-reaching. In an era where "culture" is often reduced to office perks and ping-pong tables, New Relic’s approach offers a masterclass in substance.
1. Attracting Top-Tier Talent
The modern workforce, particularly among Gen Z and Millennial cohorts, prioritizes values-aligned employment. By transparently demonstrating its commitment to equity—as evidenced by the HRC score—New Relic effectively differentiates itself in a crowded labor market. Candidates are increasingly looking for organizations that are not just "pro-diversity" in marketing materials, but "pro-equity" in their legal and structural frameworks.
2. Operationalizing Empathy
The HRC award confirms that empathy can, and should, be operationalized. By aligning internal benefits, such as healthcare coverage and family support, with inclusive standards, the company reduces the "hidden tax" that LGBTQIA+ employees often pay in unsupportive environments. When employees spend less energy navigating workplace barriers, they are free to redirect that energy toward innovation and professional development.
3. Setting a Global Standard
Perhaps the most significant implication is the scalability of these practices. While the HRC index is U.S.-centric, New Relic’s effort to export these standards to its international offices in Singapore, Japan, and beyond proves that inclusion is not a regional luxury, but a global necessity. It establishes a standard that holds the company accountable to its employees, regardless of their geographic location.
Join the Journey
For those interested in building a career at an organization where values are treated as a core business function, the message from New Relic is clear: the company is actively seeking talent that values community, authenticity, and growth.
Choosing where to work is a life-defining decision. It is about more than just the technical requirements of a job description; it is about finding a workplace where an individual feels seen, heard, and supported. For those who find themselves drawn to this ethos, New Relic invites potential candidates to explore their current career opportunities.
In a rapidly changing technological landscape, the companies that will lead are not necessarily the ones with the newest code, but those with the strongest, most cohesive cultures. Through its dedication to the LGBTQIA+ community and its pursuit of measurable equity, New Relic is proving that it has both the technical expertise to lead the market and the moral clarity to lead its people.
About the Author:
As a Talent Branding Specialist, Essence champions the authentic #RelicLife story by designing strategies dedicated to attracting the best talent to our global teams. Her role is to bring our culture to life through creative campaigns, engaging content, and recruiting events that showcase why New Relic is a truly special place to grow a career. She is passionate about making genuine connections and sharing the vibrant experiences that make our team unique.
Disclaimer: The views expressed on this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of New Relic. Any solutions offered by the author are environment-specific and not part of the commercial solutions or support offered by New Relic. Please join us exclusively at the Explorers Hub (discuss.newrelic.com) for questions and support related to this blog post. This blog may contain links to content on third-party sites. By providing such links, New Relic does not adopt, guarantee, approve or endorse the information, views, or products available on such sites.
