“Let me tell you a story,” says Randy Lewis, former senior vice-president at US retailer
Walgreens, in a Texan drawl. And it’s quite a story. It’s the tale of how a man who led logistics at America’s largest drug-store chain, supporting it as it grew from 1,600 to 8,000 outlets with the most advanced logistics network in its sector, did so while giving job opportunities to thousands of disabled people. In Walgreens’ distribution centres today, an average 35% of the workforce comprises people with disabilities, and it has set targets to make sure one in every 10 in-store hires is also disabled. The model has been adopted and rolled out by British retailers including Boots and Marks & Spencer.
Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at HR Magazine – Randy Lewis: ‘We haven’t found a disability we can’t employ’.
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