Accessibility Plan

The 2014-2021 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan was re-viewed in 2020.  It outlines the policies, actions and measures that BI has put in place to improve accessibility to our Company for people with disabilities in 2012 through to 2020.

Statement of commitment

Going forward beyond 2020, BI remains committed to excellence in serving our customers in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of individuals, including those with disabilities. We are committed to living the Boehringer Ingelheim values of respect, trust, empathy and passion in meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner, and will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”).

Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to enhancing the health of and quality of life of individuals and we recognize that our company goals are similar to the overall objectives of the AODA.

Accessible emergency information

BI is committed to providing employees and visitors with publicly available emergency information in an accessible format, upon request. We will also provide employees with disabilities with individualized emergency response plans when requested. Employees are asked to raise any concerns regarding emergency response plans with their Manager, and by completing BI’s Individualized Emergency Response Questionnaire & Plan (available to our employees via our Intranet site). The Joint Health & Safety Committee and Human Resources will assist to ensure that an individualized plan is developed where necessary.

Training

BI provides ongoing training to employees in Ontario about the province’s accessibility laws and on the Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities. Training has been tailored for People Managers vs. Individual Contributors where necessary.

BI has taken the following steps to ensure that employees are provided with training regarding the Employment Standard needed to meet Ontario’s accessibility laws.  (This was completed by January 1, 2015 and is ongoing.)

•  An informative eLearning module is available for completion by employees in Ontario and also Manitoba (Accessibility for Manitobans Act).  This eLearning module is a summary of the Ontario Human Rights Code (“OHRC”) and the Integrated Accessibility Standards (“IAS”);
•  Guidance and resources are available on our company Intranet site in the “Resources for Managers” section with respect to activities to ensure an accessible recruitment process at BI.

Information and communications

BI is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities and remains open to receiving feedback. BI has taken the following steps to make our websites and content conform to WCAG 2.0 Guidelines:

→ Included information about accessibility and feedback for our organization on our external website (www.boehringer-ingelheim.ca)

→ Committed that any significant refresh done to our company website will adhere to the WCAG 2.0 Level A.

→ Beginning January 1, 2021 or earlier, all content posted conforms to the WCAG 2.0 Level AA standard.

BI has taken the following steps to ensure that existing feedback processes are accessible to people with disabilities upon request since January 1, 2015.

→ Continued access to our company via phone, Internet, in-person, and e-mail; with these methods listed on the Accessibility page of our company website.

→ Feedback forms regarding accessibility at our Head Office continue to be available in our reception area for visitors to complete, if desired.

BI has taken the following steps to make sure that publicly available information is made accessible upon request since January 1, 2016.

→ Upon request, BI will produce documents in an accessible format or discuss alternatives with an individual where required.

Employment

BI is committed to fair and accessible employment practices that are aligned with Boehringer Ingelheim’s global approach to diversity and inclusion and the BI values of trust, respect, empathy and passion.

BI has taken the following steps to notify the public and BI employees that, when requested, BI will accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment and interview processes and when people are hired and welcomed as new employees to our company.

→  As described in the Training section of this plan, an informative eLearning module has been made available for employees (that is a summary of the OHRC and the IAS)

→ Guidance and resources for Managers have been added to our company Intranet site with respect to recruitment-related activities 

In addition, BI has continued to enhance its existing approach for developing individual accommodation plans and return-to-work plans for employees who have been absent from work due to a short or long-term disability leave or workplace injury/illness by:

→ Remaining current and adhering to best practices for disability management and accommodating disabilities in the workplace.

→ Continuing to work closely with our third party providers for their expertise and guidance in the area of disability management.

→ Continued communication of BI’s existing Disability Leave Policies and Accommodation Policy & practices for ongoing employee and manager awareness.

→ Facilitating increased awareness for managers at BI about the Accommodation Policy and best practices and the key role that managers play in supporting an employee upon return to work from a disability leave.

BI has also taken the following steps to ensure the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities are taken into account during performance management and career development discussions:

→ Continuing to facilitate BI’s global talent management approach and philosophy in a manner that is aligned with the company’s values and diversity and inclusion initiatives This includes a consistent framework for assessing the performance of individuals, along with an emphasis on ongoing development for BI employees (“Your growth.  Our growth”).

→ Maintaining BI’s performance management culture of a two-way dialogue so that all individuals – managers and employees –participate in dialogue about performance at work and career development goals, along with challenges and support needed along the way to be successful in their role.

→ Ongoing emphasis on career development at BI with our existing programs such as the mentoring program, employee and manager training opportunities, access to LinkedIn Learning at no cost to employees, internal job postings,  networking and opportunities to work on cross-functional project teams, and leveraging global initiatives to foster employee growth.

BI will take the following steps to prevent and remove other accessibility barriers identified:

→ Follow a solutions-based approach to considering individuals’ need for accommodation in various aspects of work and life at BI.

Design of public spaces

BI will continue to meet the Accessibility Standards for the design of public spaces when building or making major modifications to public spaces related to our premises. Public spaces for our organization include the following:

→ Accessible parking (currently we have nine spots);

→ Service-related areas of our Head Office building such as the Reception area, washroom facilities, and the cafeteria (with accessible seating in Employee Cafeteria and on patio);

→ Office furniture available for BI employees includes accessible and ergonomic options;

→ Renovations for our Head Office are approached in a manner that considers accessible features.

BI’s Facility Management Department has implemented the following procedure to prevent service disruptions to its accessible parts of our Head Office (and will continue to enhance these procedures as needed):

→ Signage and advance notice of any service disruptions for BI employees where possible;

→ Notice of service disruptions to be communicated via BI’s Intranet site;

→ Signage and/or verbal notices at our Reception area (to inform our visitors of any service disruptions).

→ P.A. announcements made by Reception, on the advice of Facility Management, upon notice of service disruptions.

Here are some of the additional measures taken in past years to ensure accessibility at BI, and continue today:

• Team-based approach to accessibility considerations with the coordinated effort from team members in Human Resources, Corporate Communications, Facility Management, and customer facing teams.
• Review of all Human Resource policies for our organization.
• Enhanced compliance focus for our organization, including the AODA requirements within the scope of discussion by the BI Compliance Committee.
• Accessibility resources available on our intranet site (for example, tips and considerations on how to communicate with individuals with various types of disabilities).
• Increased awareness of WCAG guidelines in all customer-facing business areas in Human Pharma and Animal Health.

For more information or for accessible formats of this document, please contact

Corporate Communications 
zrburCorporateCommunications@boehringer-ingelheim.com