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Why is hiring people with disabilities good for business?

At Lockheed Martin, we believe that hiring and retaining a talented employee population – inclusive of people with disabilities – is a business imperative. In a highly competitive market, we’re focused on creating an environment where everyone is welcome and able to apply their abilities and skills.  

Actively recruiting people with disabilities is an important component to Lockheed Martin’s overall approach to maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment. We believe this environment supports our business strategies by allowing us to leverage our individual attributes to deliver on customer commitments and power innovation.

How important is it to have a workforce that reflects the composition of the general
population?

The nature of our workforce is fundamentally shifting. There is expanding diversity in today’s talent pool - and we are better and stronger for it.  As a global security leader charged with integrating very large, complex systems, Lockheed Martin benefits from the greatest diversity of views in looking at how to solve problems.

Besides working with GettingHired, what other ways are you working to bring diverse populations to your workplace? (Military, veterans)

Lockheed Martin is committed to attracting, developing and retaining a diverse workforce that has the opportunity to leverage and develop their skills and abilities:

• We support non-profit organizations such as Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities, Careers and the Disabled, and the American Association of Persons with Disabilities.
• We also support National Disability Employment Awareness (NDEA) month. Our support includes partnering with government and non-profit agencies, creating inspirational and educational communications for employees and participating in student mentoring.
• We endorse the AbilityOne Program - a federal initiative to help people who are blind or severely disabled find employment by working for nonprofit agencies that sell products and/or services to the U.S. government.
• For the veteran community, we created a Transitioning Military website (http://www.lockheedmartinjobs.com/transitioning-military.asp) and employ a Military Relations team— consisting of five veterans— that guides Lockheed Martin’s veteran recruiting and outreach efforts.
• We host dedicated virtual chat sessions for Wounded Warriors that allow dedicated time for asking questions about employment opportunities at our company.
• We also partner with external organizations dedicated to fostering best practices in hiring veterans and wounded warriors such as: The 100,000 Jobs Mission Coalition and The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes Initiative.

Have you instituted any kind of diversity training program for staff or management or both?

Yes. Our Effective Leadership of Inclusive Teams (ELOIT) learning labs create a safe place for insightful and profound dialogue, where all participants realize his or her self-interest in being full partners in diversity change efforts. The sessions have fundamentally transformed work partnerships for those who have attended. Leaders are better able to create a culture of inclusion which maximizes business results.

What kinds of reasonable accommodations have you provided to employees with disabilities?

Lockheed Martin employees can self-identify as a person with disability, a disabled veteran or a special disabled veteran during new employee orientation or at any time during their employment utilizing our online system. Our policy providing reasonable accommodations and workplace modifications is available to all existing and prospective employees and facilitates appropriate accommodations that provide an inclusive environment.

Additionally, Lockheed Martin has instituted an enterprise-wide process for employees to request both workplace modifications as well as accommodations. Examples of approved accommodations include: telecommuting and flex-time options; medical and disabled parking; assistive devices, (e.g. screen readers, ergonomic chairs, keyboards, zoom text magnifier, adjustable work stations, voice recognition software, hands free and visual phone accessories, air travel upgrades,  phone amplifiers, facility modifications for improved accessibility, etc.) 

Finally, Lockheed Martin’s enterprise-wide process to better serve hearing and/or speech-impaired employees offers an option to engage on-site American Sign Language interpreters. Also, now available is an-easy-to use, high-speed video relay service, which enables U.S.-based employees with hearing or speech impairments to participate in real-time phone conversations with the assistance of a certified American Sign Language translator.

Mark Your Calendar:

• April 23rd, 2014
• 11:00AM EST

GettingHired.com’s Online Career Expo is FREE to job seekers with disabilities, looking for a unique and accessible opportunity to engage with inclusive employers in real-time.

The Online Career Expo will provide attendees with the chance to directly connect with GettingHired’s exclusive employer partners, who are actively looking to hire to expand and diversify their workforce.

Registration starts now, so secure your spot and increase the likelihood of being discovered by some of the nation’s most diverse employers!

Register Today!

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