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Eastern Bank was recognized by a disability rights group for its inclusive work environment.
The bank was recognized by Disability:IN as a top-scoring business in the Disability Equality Index and as a 2024 Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.
“Eastern Bank thanks Disability:IN for its efforts in driving disability inclusion and equity in business and for recognizing Eastern’s inclusive workplace practices,” Eastern Bank Executive Chair Bob Rivers said in a statement. “We also want to recognize Eastern’s disAbility Advocacy Alliance Employee Resource Group, community board members, allies and others who have been central to the inclusive culture we are building, and we remain committed to the ongoing work that makes us a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.”
Eastern has various initiatives aimed at disability inclusion. This includes providing employee health benefits to accommodate apparent and non-apparent disabilities and offering the Equity Alliance for Business to advance growth opportunities for underserved business owners, including disability-owned businesses. Eastern also has a “disAbility Advocacy Alliance,” an employee-led and executive-sponsored employee resource group. The group helps to organize workplace practices as well as community events that foster awareness and inclusion for people with disabilities and provide resources for their caregivers and allies. Most recently, it organized a company-wide panel discussion on recognizing barriers and building bridges to inclusion, Eastern Bank said.
Additional initiatives include bringing in legal experts to speak with employees on how to advocate for children with special education needs in the wake of education loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizing volunteer events centered on the disability community – including volunteering with the Special Olympics – and when designing its new offices in Boston, Eastern asked considered the impact that design decisions could have on neurodiverse employees.
“Creating a more inclusive environment at Eastern improves our ability to support and retain our employees, some of whom are people with disabilities and many of whom are like me, with people with disabilities in our families. Through our employee resource group, our HR team, the Executive team and throughout our Company, we think about how our workplace policies and practices impact the disability community and what we can do better,” Kathy Henry, executive vice president, general counsel and chief human resources officer of Eastern Bank, said in a statement. “We are honored to be recognized by Disability:IN as we continue on our path to foster awareness, inclusion and resources for employees within the disability community.”
