According to the case study, Walgreens dominates all other firms in regard to hiring people living with disabilities. Because of the employment of individuals from such a vulnerable group, Walgreens realizes several benefits, both tangible and intangible. Before discussing the benefits, it is vital to understand the meaning of the two terms. Tangible benefits refer to the benefits that a firm realizes directly and immediately whereas intangible benefits are those arise from the periphery or from the external environment. That means that tangible benefits are realized within the firm.
The most prominent tangible benefit in the case study is that Walgreen’s efficiency has increased by 20 percent. With employment of people with disabilities, many people would expect that the operations of the firm would slow down. On the contrary, after the overhaul of technology and systems to accommodate people with disabilities, the company reports that the rate of operations have improved (Medical News Today, 2006). The most likely explanation for the rise in efficiency is that people with disabilities want to prove a point that they are also capable. The beneficiary of the increased efficiency ultimately is the company because there is a high probability that more revenue will be collected.
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Concerning intangible benefits, other companies begin to emulate Walgreen’s model and hire more people living with disabilities. Although the trend does not benefit Walgreen directly, clearly it’s a sense of pride for the company to start a positive movement. More people living with disabilities will get employed, thus reducing some of the social and economic problems (Otto, 2013). Most of the time, people living with disabilities get little motivation to pursue certain careers or get practical skills because of the notion that they will not get employment. Employing them will make them get empowered and view themselves as equal to other people.
Nevertheless, to address the problem of unemployment of people living with disabilities more succinctly, it is important to discuss some of the barriers they face. The main barrier they face is the notion that they lack the ability to perform like normal people (Wells, 2008). It might be true for example, for someone who has disabled hands or legs to be employed in the military. It might be justified in that perspective especially if the military recruits only people who can fight. But the notion has been extended to other places that do not involve physically strenuous activities. Most corporate jobs require only mental ability which people with disabilities also have.
Secondly, most organizations do not have facilities for persons with disabilities. People with physical inadequacies, for instance, cannot use stairs in multistoried buildings. They therefore find it increasingly difficult to move from one point to another (Wells, 2008). Additionally, it is challenging for such individuals to use critical facilities such as toilets with able-bodied people. Although it is a requirement currently that buildings ought to be constructed with the needs of people with disabilities in consideration, many organizations refuse to adhere to the requirements disputing that it is costly to implement such designs.
Lastly, the community from which people with disabilities live ought to take a fair share of the blame. Most people will not inform those with disabilities of employment opportunities whenever they get the information. Even when they are aware that the person has relevant skills in the field being advertised, it is rare for them to inform the person living with disability. Thus, the society itself is full of stereotypes concerning such individuals (Medical News Today, 2006). It is also perhaps the reason why many persons living with disabilities do not pursue education to as high levels as able-bodies people. The community sees their progress in education or acquiring skills as unnecessary.
References
Medical News Today. (2006). Walgreens recruits employees with disabilities through new highly accessible web site. www.medicalnewstoday.com .
Otto, B. (2013). Walgreens is not always the answer. Huffington Post. www.huffingtonpost.com
Wells, S. (2008). Counting on workers with disabilities: The nation’s largest minority remains an underused resource. www.shrm.org
