Fostering a More Inclusive Workforce and Changing Lives

As part of our commitment to fostering an inclusive culture and work environment where everyone can thrive, Travelers has partnered with a several organizations to support individuals of all abilities in the workplace.

In 2018, we joined the Neurodiversity @ Work Employer Roundtable – a collection of cross-industry employers committed to promoting the inclusion of people of all abilities in the workforce. These companies share best practices for hiring in the workplace and help other companies see the return on their investment in hiring people with autism.

We also partner with local nonprofit organizations, such as Lifeworks and Viability, to provide job training placement programs for individuals with disabilities. These partnerships have allowed Travelers to help people with disabilities find financial security, gain independence, build confidence and, most importantly, feel empowered and valued for the skills and perspectives they bring to work every day. As program participants have noted, the program can be life changing. In 2019, Lifeworks, a Minnesota nonprofit that provides support to individuals with disabilities, recognized our commitment to this work by naming Travelers its Employer of the Year. We have been partnering with Lifeworks for more than 20 years.

Through these programs, we are able to leverage the unique skills of previously untapped sources of employee talent to help our business succeed, while providing a more inclusive culture where our employees can bring their best selves to work.

Our Disability & Allies Diversity Network, an employee resource group with 2,200+ members, focuses on building disability awareness, appreciation and connectedness at work and in our communities. It engages employees to support our communities through volunteer work for the Special Olympics Connecticut, Donny Marshall Charity Classic and the Ryan Martin Foundation. In addition, the network connects employees who have family members with autism or multiple sclerosis through its Puzzle Pieces of Autism and Multiple Sclerosis groups.

As a result of our successful efforts, Travelers has become a thought leader with respect to disability inclusion, sharing best practices as guest lecturers for Cornell University’s Workplace Disability Inclusion: Innovations and Initiatives course, and as a founding partner of the University of Connecticut Werth Institute’s Center for Neurodiversity & Employment Innovation. Additionally, we partner with the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Spectrum Support Program and assist as guest lecturers at the institute’s annual Employment Boot Camp.