Diageo launches disability inclusion guidelines and disclosure for employees

As Diageo teams around the world celebrate our annual inclusivity ‘INC Week’, we’re proud to announce the launch of our disability inclusion guidelines for employees.

We believe that everybody should be able to thrive in an environment that values their contribution and celebrates what makes them unique and we embrace diversity in the broadest possible sense, this includes gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, and importantly disability.

Our disability inclusion guidelines:

These guidelines have been created by employees from around the world, and in consultation with Disability:IN, the leading non-profit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide, as well as our We Are All Able employee resource group.

Available now in 15 different languages, the guidelines include important and up-to-date information about the global disabled community – more than one billion people worldwide live with a disability – the types of disabilities and impairments that exist, as well as guidance on the appropriate disability inclusive language to enable our teams to have confident conversations.

The guidelines also provide practical tips and advice for improving digital and physical accessibility across Diageo, as well as considerations and adjustments to bear in mind during the recruitment processes, access to further training modules, and examples of how we are supporting people with disabilities within our teams across the world, with the partners and communities we work with, and through our portfolio of brands.

Disability disclosure:

We are also today launching disability disclosure, where employees are invited to share their disability voluntarily and confidentially. Disclosure enables us to better understand our current workforce and ensure that Diageo is truly an environment where all our people can thrive and be at their best.

Disability disclosure will be launched in phases. From today it is live in the United States of America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Hungary, India, Kenya, Uganda and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Further markets will follow, where local laws allow, throughout the next 12 months.

The introduction of disability disclosure follows the roll out of confidential ethnicity disclosure in 2021. Today, 82% of our global workforce and 96% of our leadership population have disclosed their ethnic background.

Caroline Rhodes, Global Inclusion & Diversity Director at Diageo, said: “Last year we came together across Diageo to celebrate International Day of People with Disabilities. Building on this celebration, we want to continue to raise awareness and create greater understanding in how we can all play a role in supporting those with disabilities – these guidelines provide our teams with further knowledge, tools, and guidance, to support those who need it. I’m proud of today’s announcement, another important step in creating equal opportunities for all.”

Leslie Wilson, EVP, Global Workplace Initiatives at Disability:IN, commented: “Disability:IN applauds Diageo for its Disability Inclusion Guidelines. Diageo’s efforts to create a culture of accessibility by raising awareness of the more than one billion people with disabilities around the world will internally and externally advance disability inclusion.”

Claire McKendrick, Chair of Diageo’s We Are All Able Employee Group added: “It has been the highlight of my 30-year career with Diageo to witness the collaboration across our business in the creation of these guidelines and the commitment to welcoming people with disabilities. I benefit from lived experience of disability with my daughter being disabled, and love the fact that through initiatives like this, and our internship programme in Scotland, we are breaking down barriers on understanding disability across Diageo and becoming more inclusive.  Being disabled or interacting with a disabled person isn’t something to be afraid of, we don’t have to worry about language we use when we are positively intended, we need to be inclusive and interested and the rest takes care of itself.”

Read more about how we marked International Day of People with Disabilities 2021