Committing to Diversity is Part of Walgreens Culture

Dr. Shauna Markes-Wilson is a Healthcare Supervisor with Walgreens in Atlanta who presented to the students in the retail leadership class about Walgreens’ commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for all associates. DE & I is an integral part of the Walgreens culture and Markes-Wilson taught students that companies with a more diverse workforce perform better with better financial returns than national industry medians. Developing a diverse workforce is not only the right thing to do for the people within a company, but it also is the right thing to do for the business.

Markes-Wilson shared that in keeping with the culture of diversity as the center of the company values, all members of the Walgreens community are encouraged to be a part of continuous learning through their Business Resource Groups. The purpose is to build empathy and inclusive behaviors like listening and learning. Walgreens strives to attract, develop and retain a diverse workforce that reflects the communities served and additionally, they work to build inclusive brands and services by creating equitable opportunities for diverse suppliers.

Dr. Markes-Wilson mentioned the excitement and pride of the DE&I achievements of the company but recognized there was more work to be done. For example, Walgreens is committed to increasing the number of women and people of color into leadership positions and being intentional about how the company markets products.

Changing culture is hard to do, as there are so many things that have to be put into place. Walgreens is aligned for this progressive change beginning with leadership and being intentional with its investments in its people.

Live Career Mixer Was Great Success

With the past two years of managing recruiting events on numerous virtual platforms, the Miller Retail Center partnered with the Sales Minor team to successfully execute a live internship and career mixer. Sixteen companies gathered to for an evening reception attracting nearly 100 students. Opportunities offered at this event ranged from sales to management to merchandising to marketing. Students reported being excited to “finally meet people” and “share my skills”. Recruiters were thrilled with the turnout from interested and engaged business students.