The Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities
June 6, 2005
By the Editors of DiversityInc 2005.
This year, for the first time, we have added a specialty list for people with disabilities. This group is an increasingly important workplace and marketplace constituency, although it has been difficult to obtain quantifiable data from companies on their efforts to recruit, retain and market to people with disabilities.
So here's how we did it: We asked in our survey if companies had special recruiting programs and affinity groups for people with disabilities (next year, we plan to add several more questions on this group). We also talked with leading disability-rights' organizations about their criteria and we surveyed the Web sites of companies under consideration for this list to see if they included people with disabilities.
After the list was completed, we found a few commonalities between these 10 companies. All the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities actively recruit people with disabilities, compared with 70 percent of The Top 50 and 40 percent of companies ranked 91+. They all have a strong commitment to women in management. The Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities promote 17.3 percent more women than The Top 50 and 37 percent more than companies ranked 91+ on the survey.
Here are the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities:
No. 1: Merrill Lynch & Co. The New York-based financial-services company has a company-funded resource group, the Disability Awareness Professional Network. Merrill Lynch has a special-needs financial-services program with specially trained advisers for people with disabilities or people with relatives with disabilities and lists this first, with a photo, on its Advice and Planning page on its Web site. The company also has services for hearing- and visually impaired clients.
No. 2: Procter & Gamble, No. 27 on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based consumer-products giant has a company-funded affinity group called the People With Disabilities Team. The company has a People With Disabilities Task Force, whose mission is "to enable hiring, on-boarding, retention, advancement and contributions to people with disabilities. We seek to achieve this by providing guidance and recommendations in five main areas: Accessibility/Work Accommodations; Education and Training; Policy; Recruiting, Hiring and Retention Practices; and Business Partners."
No. 3: Hewlett-Packard, No. 1 on the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, also on the 25 Noteworthy Companies list. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based technology company has an employee-resource group for workers with disabilities. The company's excellent Web site lists disability organizations, educational institutions and other resources for people with disabilities. Hewlett-Packard also has an Accessibility Program Office, a worldwide effort to improve accessibility to technology and information.
No. 4: JPMorgan Chase, No. 25 on The Top 50 Companies for Diversity list, No. 9 on the Top 10 Companies for Latinos. The New York-based financial-services company has an employee-resource group for people with disabilities. The company's mission statement on its diversity page specifically mentions people with disabilities.
No. 5: Verizon Communications, No. 9 on The Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. A long-time Top 50 winner, New York-based Verizon has a Disabilities Issues Awareness Leaders (DIAL) employee-resource group. Its supplier-diversity efforts specifically include companies owned by people with disabilities.
No. 6: SSM Health Care. The St. Louis, Mo.-based health-care company actively recruits people with disabilities and includes companies owned by people with disabilities in its supplier-diversity initiatives.
No. 7: General Motors, No. 48 on The Top 50 Companies for Diversity, No. 5 on the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity. With its People With Disabilities Affinity Group, the Detroit-based automaker is a leader in this area. Its GM Mobility program specifically markets to people with disabilities.
No. 8: Sodexho U.S.A., No. 10 on the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, also on 25 Noteworthy Companies. The Gaithersburg, Md.-based hospitality-services company makes a strong effort to use suppliers owned by people with disabilities and to partner with disability organizations.
No. 9: Merck & Co., No. 24 on The Top 50 Companies for Diversity, No. 6 on the Top 10 Companies for GLBT Employees. As a pharmaceutical company, the Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based company naturally markets to people with disabilities. But Merck also is a national leader in recruiting and promoting people with disabilities.
No. 10: Prudential Financial, No. 32 on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.
With its Abled and Disabled Associates Partnering Together (ADAPT) employee-resource group and its long-term financial-planning products for people with disabilities, the Newark, N.J.-based financial-services/insurance company is a leader in this area.