Walgreens named Disability:IN’s 2023 employer of the year

Walgreens has been named Disability:IN’s Employer of the Year for 2023. The award recognizes a company’s achievement in exemplary policies, strategies, and initiatives that have resulted in measurable results in the areas of disability inclusiveness in the workplace, marketplace, and supply chain. Walgreens was recognized with the award on July 11, during Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the strengths and achievements of people with disabilities around the world.

For the second year in a row, United Natural Foods Inc. earned a top score of 100 in the 2022 Disability Equality Index and is being recognized as a DEI Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion. UNFI is the only North American grocery wholesaler to achieve the score and recognition in 2023. 

"Thank you, Disability:IN for this honor and for the work that you do to promote disability inclusion in the workplace," says Holly May, executive vice president and global chief human resource officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance. "We are so proud of Walgreens Boots Alliance's leadership in the space, which we credit to our values, commitment, signature Walgreens disability hiring, and inclusion programs and partnerships."

This follows seven consecutive years of recognition from Disability:IN and The American Association of People with Disabilities with a 100% score on its Disability Equality Index. Disability advocates and business leaders developed the index, which is the most comprehensive benchmarking tool for corporate disability inclusion. 

Walgreens has a commitment to hiring individuals with disabilities and equal opportunity, and the retailer's “same job, same expectations, same pay” operating model was developed more than 16 years ago with two programs: Transitional Work Group (TWG) and Retail Employees with Disabilities Initiative (REDI). Since then, Walgreens has further expanded its commitments to disability representation through work with Turning Pointe Autism Foundation, the establishment of a neurodiversity hiring program for corporate roles, and the redesign of the annual incentive plan to create leadership accountability for diversity representation.

In addition to training and work placement programs, Walgreens sponsors a disAbility Alliance business resource group (BRG) that educates and supports individuals with disabilities and allies by providing informational content, fostering an inclusive workforce and furthering disability-related initiatives. The BRG hosts educational programming and learning experiences for team members throughout the year, welcoming those with all abilities to join, learn, and network.

Last November, Walgreens became the first company in the S&P 500 to redesign its annual U.S. bonus plan to include a standalone disability representation metric.