Kroger's Inclusion Strategy: Achieving Top Scores on the Disability Equality Index

Kroger's Key Inclusion Initiatives

Kroger's key inclusion initiatives include significant investments in training, development, and diversity programs, substantial contributions to hunger relief, and recognition for creating an inclusive workplace. These efforts have earned Kroger numerous awards, including top rankings for diversity and inclusion, and accolades for early career hiring and workplace culture.

"Since its inception, this program has approximately $54 million to empower associates at the Kroger Family of Companies further their education with 94% of the recipients being hourly associates.Training & Development: Kroger offers on-demand, role-specific training and resources through internal channels and modern learning platforms, as well as leadership, career advancement and diversity, equity and inclusion training.Health & Wellness: Kroger continues to support associates' safety, health and well-being." --- (KR, press release, 2024/04/17)

"Since launching its impact plan in 2017, Kroger has given $1.3 billion in giving to hunger relief, which includes 582 million pounds of surplus fresh food rescued and donated more than 3 billion meals directed to communities." --- (KR, press release, 2024/04/01)

"Kroger, recognized for its industry-leading benefits, culture and commitment to creating a workplace that respects and values every community, has been honored by Handshake for excellence in early career hiring, named a best workplace for diverse professionals by Mogul, earned recognition from Newsweek as One of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and ranked among Computerworld's Top 100 best places to work in IT." --- (KR, press release, 2024/07/23)

"Interns work on real projects leading to real results, they gain business knowledge and get first-hand experience with senior leaders, valuable networking opportunities and career development skills. Kroger offers resources, benefits, and training, to support and develop associates including:" --- (KR, press release, 2024/04/17)

"Kroger, recognized for its industry-leading benefits, culture and commitment to creating a workplace that respects and values every community, has been named a top place to work by the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability:IN™, was honored by Handshake for excellence in early career hiring, named a best workplace for diverse professionals by Mogul, earned recognition from Newsweek as One of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and ranked among Computerworld's Top 100 best places to work in IT." --- (KR, press release, 2024/05/30)

Partnerships and Collaborative Efforts

Kroger's partnerships, such as with InnerView for youth engagement and collaborative sessions on Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, along with initiatives like the 'Take Care, Now' campaign and the Nourishing Change Conference, highlight their commitment to community service and inclusion, driving impactful change through collective efforts.

"By working together to fight hunger and waste, we can make a larger impact in our communities. To amplify community service opportunities related to Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste impact plan, the retailer developed the youth engagement program in 2019 in collaboration with InnerView—a leading platform to empower student volunteers." --- (KR, press release, 2024/06/25)

"Building on the successful launch of the 'Take Care, Now' campaign in 2023, the collaborators are announcing their efforts to again raise awareness, educate communities, and facilitate access to nutritious food and vitamins and minerals." --- (KR, press release, 2024/07/13)

"Each student participated in Kroger-led collaborative sessions with guest speakers, discussions on Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, and design challenges to create Zero Hunger | Zero Waste-aligned Community Impact projects, supported by a charitable micro-grant from Kroger." --- (KR, press release, 2024/06/25)

""With our upcoming Nourishing Change Conference, we're rallying innovators from all corners of business, technology, academia, government and health to discuss how we can collaborate and engage communities to address the barriers that exist for better health."" --- (KR, press release, 2024/05/29)

Comparative Analysis with High-Scoring Companies

High-scoring companies like Google focus on mindset shifts and efficiency in embracing inclusion opportunities, while Amazon struggles with high turnover due to unclear career paths, highlighting the importance of strategic, inclusive practices for achieving top scores on the Disability Equality Index.

"In terms of the challenges, I think making sure, I think we are constantly, I think it's been a mindset shift which we've been driving across the company to make sure that we are embracing this opportunity, but being very efficient in how we are approaching it, making sure we are redirecting our people to the highest priorities across the company, building on our 20 years of experience and driving machine efficiencies year-on-year so that we can put our dollars to work as efficiently as possible." --- (GOOG, earning call, 2024/Q1)

"When associates don't see a path forward, they leave. This contributes to Amazon's high turnover problem, which has ranged from 70% to 100% in recent years and is estimated to cost the company $8,000,000,000 a year." --- (AMZN, event transcript, 2024/05/22)