Bayer Once Again Earns Top Marks in 2021 Disability Equality Index

Company earns score of 100 and recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion

For the first year, Bayer earned a score of 100% in the 2021 Disability Equality Index (DEI) and was recognized for the third consecutive year as a Best Place to work for Disability Inclusion. The DEI is the most comprehensive disability inclusion tool designed and embraced by both business leaders and disability advocates across the United States. Since 2019, Bayer’s DEI score has improved year-over-year, recognizing the company’s continued growth.

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“This recognition demonstrates the hard work and dedication we’ve put into improving our policies and benefits for employees with disabilities,” said Patrick Lockwood-Taylor, President of Bayer U.S. “Earning the top score of 100% and being recognized as a best place to work for disability inclusion showcases Bayer’s commitment to creating an inclusive culture where every employee feels a sense of belonging.”

As part of Bayer’s inclusive vision, Health for All, Hunger For None, the company is committed to creating an environment that embraces and encourages the unique identities of employees and represents the communities it serves. The U.S. Executive Inclusion and Diversity Council and Business Resource Groups (BRGs) are a vital part of the Inclusion and Diversity strategy. ENABLE, one of Bayer’s Resource Groups, is dedicated to the overall wellness and career development of employees and provides support to families with disabilities.

“Creating a workplace where all employees feel included is core to establishing a great place to work,” said Shakti Harris, Head of Bayer’s Inclusion & Diversity in the U.S “This recognition reflects our commitment to continue advancing disability inclusion at Bayer and in the communities we serve. Along with our fellow DEI top scoring companies, we recognize and appreciate that disability is a natural part of the human experience.”

Created seven years ago, the DEI guides businesses to impact the unemployment and underemployment of people with disabilities. This year, the DEI evaluated inclusion criteria for culture and leadership, community engagement, supplier diversity, enterprise-wide access, and employment practices, such as benefits, employment, education and accommodations. Following the global pandemic, the DEI added additional criteria including innovative technology to advance digital and remote accessibility, mental wellness benefits, services for Deaf and hard of hearing employees, and flexible work options.

“Part of corporate commitment to disability inclusion is recognizing your stance and using it as an 'aha moment' to drive the business investments needed to scale change,” said Jill Houghton, President & Chief Executive Officer of Disability:IN. “Inclusion and accessibility cuts across the enterprise, from cultural representation in the workforce, to technology acceleration, to incorporating supply chain diversity. These are tangible opportunities that leading companies can leverage to create sustainable impact for their business and brand.”

In 2021, 319 corporations, including 67 Fortune 100, 164 Fortune 500, and 180 Fortune 1000 utilized the DEI to benchmark their disability inclusion efforts. Companies scoring an 80% or higher were recognized as “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion.”

For more information on the 2021 Disability Equality Index, visit https://disabilityin.org.

About Disability:IN®

Disability:IN is a global organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business. More than 270 corporations trust Disability:IN to activate and achieve disability inclusion across their enterprise and in the broader corporate mainstream. Through the world’s most comprehensive disability inclusion benchmarking; best-in-class conferences and programs; and expert counsel and engagement, Disability:IN works with leading businesses to create long-term business and societal impact. Join us at disabilityin.org/AreYouIN #AreYouIN.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2020, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 41.4 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 4.9 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

Bayer® and the Bayer Cross® are registered trademarks of Bayer.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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