The Australian Network on Disability held its Disability Conference Awards recently, with Coles coming out number one in the Recruitment and Selection category.
At the industry body’s inaugural awards, Coles group was recognised for continuing to develop momentum and implement new initiatives to improve access and inclusion for people with disability, topping the list of 26 organisations in the Access and Inclusion Index 2021.
Corene Strauss, CEO of the Australian Network on Disability, said the Access and Inclusion Index is Australia’s corporate benchmarking tool for inclusion of people with disability.
“The results provide organisations with a roadmap for improvement and a national benchmark by which to measure and progress their maturity on accessibility and disability inclusion.
“This impressive result for Coles jumping up five places on the Index in two years demonstrates it’s committed to removing barriers that prevent people with disability from finding employment. Coles shows strong leadership across all areas of inclusiveness as evidenced by a well-developed Accessibility Steering Committee structure and an established disability employee network.”
Lisa Ronson, Chief Market Officer and Co-Chair of the Accessibility Committee Coles Group, said she was delighted that Coles has been recognised on the index for the work it is doing.
“Our vision for diversity is to foster a safe, inclusive and diverse workplace that is reflective of the community and customers we serve.
“Disability-confident recruiters are key to our success in hiring and retaining skilled and talented employees with disability. I want to personally commend our Talent Acquisition team for the work they have been doing to drive change and welcome and nurture more Australians living with a disability to Coles.
“These incredible team members have so much skill and knowledge to share in our workplace. They teach us about how we can make Coles more inclusive for our team, our customers and suppliers living with disabilities. We know there are so many more positive outcomes we can achieve for those living with a disability and we will use the findings of the Index to help guide future initiatives in this space.”
Coles has built relationships with employment providers to provide support to people with disabilities throughout the employment experience, including offering alternative formats to the recruitment process to ensure candidates with disability are offered a fair, equitable and supportive recruitment experience.
In addition, Coles has introduced specialised talent programs for people with disability including the program ACE for the employment of people with autism.