How Diageo is creating a culture of belonging
We believe at Diageo the most inclusive and diverse culture makes for a better business, and a better world. So as part of our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ 10-year sustainability action plan, we have committed to championing inclusion and diversity for our people, partners and communities. The responsibility to drive change is led from the top, but our employees across the world are all empowered to identify opportunities to help us achieve our goals.
The ‘We Are All Able’ employee group is a great example. At our Shieldhall packaging site in Scotland, ‘We Are All Able’ saw an opportunity to build a more inclusive workplace by introducing an employment and development programme for people living with a disability.
Now in its third year, the award-winning initiative has created six-month internships for registered disabled workers, tailored to each employee’s physical, mental and workplace needs.
Liam Coyle joined the programme in 2020. He explains “Diageo is a great place to work. The people have been so friendly, and I’ve been offered the opportunity to work in production factories, develop my working relationships, and further my career. Diageo’s culture has made me feel valued as an employee, and I am given the freedom to succeed in my own way.”
Liam Coyle, Material Store Operator, Diageo
Ensuring all 400 Shieldhall employees understand what it means to be disabled has been crucial to the success of the programme. In partnership with ENABLE Scotland, the ‘We Are All Able’ team has delivered a series of training courses covering topics such as autism awareness, sensory impairment, and assistive technology.
In India, our supply chain business has been working with local NGOs to pilot a recruitment programme for people with orthopedic disabilities and created a new onboarding process tailored to individual needs. Through a partnership with Youth4Jobs the team have also introduced changes to our manufacturing sites and more than 62 people with disabilities have joined the business.
We’re also committed to creating opportunities in the communities in which we operate. In Kenya, our partnership with Sightsavers has seen us work with more than 350 smallholder disabled farmers (of which 51% are female) in the production of our Senator Keg beer.
To show our allyship to people with disabilities and commitment to doing all that we can, Diageo sites around the world lit up purple on International Day of People with Disabilities 2021.
Our work to support people with disabilities, whether visible or invisible, continues and we know there’s more we can do to foster a culture of belonging, where everybody can thrive.
Find out more about our work to support people living with disabilities
