Walgreens Recruits Emploees With Disabilities Through New, Highly
Accessible Website
DEERFIELD, Ill., July 7, 2006 -- Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ:
WAG), the nation's largest drugstore chain, has launched an innovative
initiative to hire people with disabilities at its new distribution
center in Anderson, S.C. and is recruiting through a new,
specially-designed Web site.
Walgreensoutreach.com describes jobs available at the Walgreens
distribution center and is designed to be accessible by people with
sensory, physical and cognitive disabilities.
The center has begun pre-hire training and will open in 2007.
Initially, Walgreens will hire more than 200 employees with plans to
ramp up to more than 600 employees. Walgreens goal is to have at least
one-third of the workforce consist of employees with a variety of
disabilities working in a fully-integrated team.
This "real work for real pay" environment will be competitive
employment in which performance standards must be maintained. Job
openings at the Anderson distribution center include a number of
management positions.
Walgreensoutreach.com provides information to help potential
employees understand what work will be like at the distribution center.
The site incorporates audio messages, photos, video and a large-print
text option to depict jobs and worklife at Anderson.
The site also is designed to be accessible to blind and low vision
individuals who use screen reader technology. Under the jobs section,
videos show employees performing various jobs, and the text describes
what the workers are doing. Prospective employees unsure if they can
perform the essential job functions can take a self-quiz to get an idea
of the tasks involved.
From the same page, a series of photos shows an employee arriving at
work and going through the daily routine ? going to a locker, storing
lunch, walking to a work station, taking a break and ending the day.
For potential employees considering relocating to Anderson, the site
also has information about Walgreens partnership with 13 local
disability agencies. Knowing the difficult challenges faced by people
with disabilities who want to work, Walgreens designed the Web site to
address concerns such as transportation, housing and the impact of
gainful employment on Medicaid, SSI or SSDI benefits.
"We know this requires more than a 'build it and they will
come' attitude to be successful," said Randy Lewis, Walgreens senior
vice president of distribution and logistics. Lewis, who has a son with
autism, knows first-hand the challenges of everyday life for people with
disabilities.
"Our local partners and statewide officials have worked tirelessly in
setting up a support network to make this outreach with the disability
community a success," said Lewis.
Larry Kraemer, human resources manager for the Anderson
distribution center, said, "This is a workforce that is underemployed
and has not had the same opportunities as others. This is a chance to
change that."
Walgreensoutreach.com also features success stories. One is that of
Chuck Studzienko, an employee with Asperger's Syndrome (a form of
autism) who has worked at Walgreens Lehigh Valley distribution center in
Pennsylvania since 2004. Studzienko started as a stocker and was
promoted to split-case picker, where he has a 100 percent productivity
rate.
