Inspired by Walgreens’ efforts to bring people with disabilities into the workforce, another Fortune 500 company is giving inclusive employment a try.
Proctor & Gamble opened a packaging facility this week in Auburn, Maine where at least 30 percent of employees will be people with physical or developmental disabilities.
Employees with special needs at the site will work side-by-side with those who are typically developing, earning the same wages and will be held to the same standards, company officials said.
Proctor & Gamble executives decided to put a focus on hiring people with disabilities at the new packaging facility after seeing Walgreens’ success with a similar program at two of its distribution centers, according to Linda Clement-Holmes, chief diversity officer for P&G.
At a U.S. Senate hearing earlier this year, Randy Lewis, senior vice president at Walgreens, told lawmakers that the drugstore chain has seen higher efficiency and an improved work environment since making a conscious effort to employ people with disabilities.
“Our expectations for hiring people with disabilities have been exceeded,” Lewis said. “These are terrific employees and they meet and exceed the same performance requirements for all employees.”
The new Proctor & Gamble facility, which will produce Tampax products, is expected to employ 60 people when it is fully staffed. If the inclusion model is successful, company officials say they may consider expanding the initiative.
“Employing people with physical and developmental challenges is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense and has benefits which will reverberate across the company and community,” the company said in a statement.
On these times of Economic Crisis and coming from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico . I do not think that the idea to Inclusive Employment Model is Gaining Steam. Yes, the inspired program by Walgreens’ on the efforts to bring people with disabilities into the workforce is about to disappear.
Programs as the Proctor & Gamble who opened a packaging facility where at least 30 percent of employees will be people with physical or developmental disabilities is not found commonly in the United States.
Yes, Randy Lewis, senior vice president at Walgreens, who told lawmakers that the drugstore chain has seen higher efficiency and an improved work environment since making a conscious effort to employ people with disabilities. “Our expectations for hiring people with disabilities have been exceeded,” Lewis said.
“These are terrific employees and they meet and exceed the same performance requirements for all employees.” Society is not yet prepared to make such change when they continue to deny basic services as transportation. Manufacturing companies are few in the United States now.
I am all for major companies stepping up to the plate and recruiting people with disabilities in the workforce. However it is important to keep in mind that many of these same companies are not paying PWDs wages that are at or above minimum wage, which only allows these corporations to make even more money. We see these workshops all too often and in our own backyards, where PWDs are essentially paid piece wages. This practice must stop! In my own neighborhood, I have learned that a major company that makes nail products contracts with a local dayhab for consumers to package their products for very low wages; this while “normal” workers are recruited locally by the actual company to also work right beside the PWDs and make up to $13.23 an hour to do exactly the same job…interesting?!
I applaud these companies for going the extra mile to employ those with physical or developmental disabilities. The statement:
“Employees with special needs at the site will work side-by-side with those who are typically developing, earning the same wages and will be held to the same standards, company officials said.”
suggests that the disabled will work with those that are in training or entry level positions. I personally think this is a good idea for the newly hired disabled worker and the company alike. Many disabled folks haven’t worked in years and may feel uncomfortable getting back into the workplace. As they develop their skills and abilities the company may (should) recognize their potential and move them into a more responsible position (and more money to follow).
Those employees limited physical skills would naturally be placed in entry level positions until they have proven their ability to complete the tasks as required. I see it as a great opportunity to improve the feelings of self-worth, self esteem and pride in a job well done.
I certainly gained some steam reading this article. The “natural proportion” has been an important principle in the disability field for many decades. Overloading a worksite with individuals identified as having a disability does those individuals a grave disservice. It also is unbelievably unlikely that a legitimate process of career exploration and person-centered planning would ever result in loads of people with the same disability all choosing to work in the same occupation at the same company.
Everyone deserves a good job with a community employer, and we all lose when the workforce does not include all of our talents. But this is definitely not the way to do it.
Considering the near record level of unemployment among persons with severe disabilities, it’s difficult to be dissatisfied with their inclusion in the mainstream workforce. The idea of Fortune 500 companies striving toward accessibility and inclusion is on it’s face a very desirable and commendable act. However, considering new legislation like The Workforce Investment Act and recent sub-minimum wage debates my skepticism of the programs legitimacy is aroused.