XPO puts "differently abled" employees to work

Transport and logistics company XPO Logistics Inc. is known for its aggressive growth strategy, frequent corporate acquisitions, and early adoption of warehouse technologies.

Now comes word that the Greenwich, Conn.-based company has launched a pilot program that's expected to pay off in an entirely different kind of way. An XPO distribution center in Easton, Pa., recently rolled out a program in collaboration with a local nonprofit group to place "differently abled" employees in warehouse jobs, where they work alongside the main labor force. XPO says the pilot program is already paying dividends by providing both the new hires and their colleagues with an expanded sense of mission about the importance of employment and teamwork.

XPO started the "Differently Abled Employment Opportunity Initiative" in March through a partnership with the Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties Inc., a Bethlehem, Pa.-based group that provides advocacy and support services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The pilot program now has three associates, and the company is working to recruit more workers, XPO says. Participants work in XPO's consumables sector and are cross-trained in other areas, working four-hour days from Monday through Friday. XPO says it intends to use the program to provide permanent long-term employment.