Gain your Next Great Employee and a Competitive Advantage
An inclusive workforce gives you a competitive advantage, and Northwest Center can help. With a history of inclusion going back to 1965, we employ our own inclusive workforce, place employees with disabilities at some of the most successful companies in the U.S., and can work with you to create a workplace where all employees, with and without disabilities, can do their best work.
Proven Experience Building an Inclusive Workplace
If you’re interested in developing a workforce that includes people with disabilities, Northwest Center Employment Services has the proven experience and approach to make it a success. We provide employers with expertise in:
We get to know your business, building a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship so we can find you the most qualified employees. We’ll help you implement creative solutions to make positions available to a wider array of candidates, and can work with you to help meet ongoing employment needs.
Job coaching is available for some employees we place with you. Our job coaches collaborate with both employee and supervisors to set workplace goals and expectations, reinforce workplace training, and help you create a seamless support system to ensure employee success.
Create a Disability-Inclusive and Anti-Ableist Workplace
Get the solutions and support you need to remove barriers to accessibility from your workplace. Northwest Center’s Employment Transformation Collective (ETC) works with businesses to create solutions so that all employees, with and without disabilities, can do their best work. ETC services include:
Accessibility Partners Service
We provide accessibility solutions for blind and low-vision employees to remove digital and physical barriers and make meetings, data, and documents more accessible.
Training & Consulting Services
We work with businesses to develop cultures of inclusion, training managers and executives to create accommodating and accessible workplaces.
Customized Option
We work with disabled employees and their employers to customize workplace solutions and support.
Work with Our Businesses and Support Inclusion
Your business can also help drive social change through inclusion at work, school, and in the community while receiving exceptional business services from one of Northwest Center’s Social Enterprises. You’ll not only receive expert services in managed staffing, janitorial, commercial laundry, printing, clothing donation, or short-haul trucking, sorting, and cross-dock logistics, but you’ll also make a difference:
- Job seekers with disabilities gain more employment opportunities to match their skills and interests.
- You make a positive social impact by supporting services for people with disabilities.
What Employers Have Said
“The employee we hired through Northwest Center is so hardworking and so eager to support the other team members. I wish all of my employees would do that.”Dan GalvinCulinary Director, Bayview Retirement Community
“The teammates we hired through Northwest Center bring dedication, positive energy, and great attitudes to work every day.”ManagerBrown & Brown Insurance
“Working with Northwest Center has been one of our most satisfying partnerships in the five-plus years we have been in business.”Jon FineCreator & Captain, Retro Donuts
Disability is Fundamental to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Make disability inclusion part of your workplace and make a strategic investment in the success of your employees and operation. Twenty-five percent of job seekers and current employees are people with disabilities, and disability intersects oppressed identities such as Black, Indigenous, People of Color, or Transgender people. It’s simply good business to unlock that potential.
While disability is too often forgotten in DEI initiatives, there is evidence that’s beginning to change. We welcome a shift from the term “DEI” to “DEIA” (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) at businesses that include the federal government.
Be part of the change. Talk to us about integrating disability inclusion into your workplace.
Better for Everyone: The Benefits of Workplace Disability Inclusion
In our own inclusive workplace, Northwest Center sees the benefits of improved morale, customer satisfaction, and employee retention. We’re not alone—companies nationwide who employ people with disabilities report improvements in retention, productivity, and quality of work.
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37% Better Quality
-The Seattle TimesEmployees that Northwest Center placed at Amazon achieved work quality 37% higher than the general population, a perfect safety record, and better attendance.
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75% Good/Very Good Performance
-Institute for Corporate Productivity [PDF]More than three-quarters of employers surveyed by the Institute for Corporate Productivity rate employees with intellectual or developmental disabilities as “good” to “very good” on most performance factors.
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20% Higher Productivity
-Walgreens Diversity & Inclusion Report [PDF]A Walgreens warehouse employing 50% people with disabilities boosted productivity 20%.
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28% More Revenue
-Accenture [PDF]Leading companies that actively seek to hire people with disabilities report 28% higher revenue, higher net incomes, and higher shareholder returns.
Research on the Business Benefits of Disability Inclusion
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Harvard Business Review: Disability as a Source of Competitive Advantage
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Accenture: Getting to Equal: The Disability Inclusion Advantage
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McKinsey & Company: Why Diversity Matters
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Walgreens: A Proud Legacy, A Promising Future: Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement
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Kessler Foundation 2017 National Employment and Disability Survey: Supervisor Perspectives
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PwC: Annual Corporate Directors Survey 2018
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Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp): Employing People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
