Whirlpool Corporation has been recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” after receiving a 100 percent score on the 2023 Disability Equality Index (DEI) for the seventh straight year. The DEI is the world’s most comprehensive benchmarking tool to measure disability workplace inclusion for Fortune 100 companies.
“We are honored to once again receive a score of 100 on the Disability Equity Index in recognition of our efforts to ensure every employee is welcomed, valued, respected, and heard,” said Carey Martin, EVP and chief human resources officer at Whirlpool Corp. “At Whirlpool Corporation, inclusion is a key pillar of our enduring values, and we remain committed to creating a culture that supports and empowers our differences so that we can be a better company to work for, produce even better products, and truly improve life at home and in the workplace.”
As part of its long-standing commitment to inclusion and diversity, Whirlpool Corporation maintains 17 Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) worldwide which support the diverse groups and perspectives throughout the organization. As part of this initiative, in 2022, Whirlpool Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities (AVID) and Whirlpool Veterans Association volunteers partnered with Disability Network of Southwest Michigan to complete three handicap ramp builds in Southwest Michigan. These volunteers dedicated 210 volunteer hours to provide greater independence and safety for people with mobility disabilities in their own homes.
The Disability Equality Index is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. To create the annual list, the DEI ranks companies across six categories including Culture & Leadership; Enterprise-Wide Access; Employment Practices (Benefits, Recruitment, Employment, Education, Retention & Advancement, Accommodations); Community Engagement; Supplier Diversity; Non-U.S. Operations. In 2023, out of 485 participants, 294 companies received a score of 100; 66 companies received a score of 90 and 45 companies received a score of 80. There were a total of 405 top scorers.