We Are All Able is just one of the Employee Resource Groups based in Scotland and Ireland focusing on building a more inclusive culture at Diageo.
As a priority focus, We Are All Able (WAAA) supports the employment and development of people with a disability at Diageo while driving the understanding of disability across the business through education and training.
We Are All Able has partnered with Fairstart Scotland, a government funded employability agency who support people, bespoke to their physical, mental and workplace needs, into employment in Scotland.
Offering career opportunities to registered disabled workers
This fruitful partnership has assisted Diageo to offer career opportunities to registered disabled workers in Scotland, and successfully hire three interns and one apprentice to join the manufacturing site Sheildhall, the world’s largest Scotch Whisky bottling facility. The team at Shieldhall has also been educating its employees to support people of all abilities through a series of training courses in partnership with Enable Scotland covering topics such as autism awareness, sensory impairment and assistive technology.
The site was recently awarded an Inclusive Workplace Award through SUSE, the lead partner in the Disability Employment Gap Public Social Partnership (PSP), commissioned by the Scottish Government.
Representing everything that Diageo stands for
Shieldhall Operations Manager, Claire McKendrick, shares what it is like being part of the We Are All Able initiative at Diageo.
“I absolutely love being a part of the WAAA group. The passion everyone has for making a change is unbelievable and I really feel that we represent everything that Diageo stands for. The difference the internships have made to Shieldhall is not measurable in normal KPIs [key performance indicators], it is in how the culture and attitudes have changed," she says.
"We are delighted to have been recognised by SUSE and we will continue to look for new and improved ways to make our workplace more diverse and accessible for all. The perspective and understanding that is brought when different people come together has been the best part of the programme. Personally, I have learned lots too - it has been great helping the interns and having my thinking stretched on how to get the programme up and running," adds Claire.
Work for an inclusive company
Diageo believes inclusive and diverse culture makes for a better business and a better world - so Diageo champions inclusion and diversity across the business, with partners and communities, to celebrate diversity and help shape a tolerant society.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.