Bayer Continues to Earn Top Marks in 2020 Disability Equality Index

Company earns score of 90 and recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion

WHIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the second consecutive year, Bayer U.S. was recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion, earning a score of 90 in the 2020 Disability Equality Index (DEI). Bayer’s DEI score improved from 2019, recognizing the company’s continued growth. DEI is the most comprehensive disability inclusion assessment tool designed and embraced by both business leaders and disability advocates across the United States.

“Improving our policies and benefits for employees with disabilities has always been a priority for us,” said Philip Blake, President of Bayer U.S. “Increasing our score and being recognized as one of the best places to work for disability inclusion is a true honor and testament to Bayer’s commitment to bettering the lives of its employees and their families.”

Bayer is committed to sustaining an inclusive culture with a diverse workforce, which represents the communities it serves. As part of this commitment, the company partnered with Inclusion Works of Disability:IN, the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. In addition, the U.S. Bayer Diversity Advisory Inclusion Council (BDAIC) and Business Resource Groups (BRGs) are critical aspects of Bayer’s Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) strategy. ENABLE, one of Bayer’s Resource Groups, is dedicated to the overall wellness and development of employees and their families with disabilities.

“Aligned with our inclusive vision of Health for All and Hunger for None, we embrace and encourage our employees’ uniqueness and continue to work to build a culture where every employee feels a sense of belonging,” said Shakti Harris, Head of Bayer’s Inclusion & Diversity in the U.S. “This DEI recognition represents the hard work, passion, and commitment everyone at Bayer has given to get to this point. Not only is disability inclusion the right thing to do, but it’s naturally aligned with the communities and patients we serve.”

Created six years ago, the DEI guides businesses to impact the unemployment and underemployment of people with disabilities. This year the DEI evaluated inclusion criteria for culture and leadership, enterprise-wide access, employment practices, such as benefits, employment, education and accommodations, in addition to community engagement, and supplier diversity.

“The best way to attract, retain and grow talent with disabilities is to create an accessible, inclusive workplace. This year’s top scoring Disability Equality Index companies are demonstrating their commitment to many of the numerous leading disability inclusion practices featured in the DEI, recognizing that there’s still room for improvement,” said Jill Houghton, President and Chief Executive Officer of Disability:IN. “We are proud to have developed strong partnerships with corporate allies who are committed to advancing disability inclusion and equality across their businesses in the United States and around the world.”

In 2020, 247 corporations, including 143 Fortune 500 and 154 Fortune 1000 utilized the Disability Equality Index (DEI) to benchmark their disability inclusion efforts. Companies that scored an 80% or higher were recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.”

For more information on the 2020 Disability Equality Index, visit https://disabilityin.org.

About Disability:IN®

Disability:IN, formerly known as the US Business Leadership Network, is the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. Partnering with more than 220 corporations, Disability:IN expands opportunities for people with disabilities across enterprises. The organization and 30 affiliates raise a collective voice of positive change for people with disabilities in business. Through its programs and services, Disability:IN empowers businesses to achieve disability inclusion and equality, with the goal of advancing inclusion to the point when the organization is no longer necessary. Learn more at: www.disabilityin.org.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2019, the Group employed around 104,000 people and had sales of 43.5 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.9 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

Bayer® and the Bayer Cross® are registered trademarks of Bayer.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.