Chep Australia says it is making strides towards the way it attracts, develops, and retains women in operations. Chep’s program ‘Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress’ aims to reflect on its progress this past year to reshape and remove barriers to gender equality within the supply chain.
The company says that recent investments in its service centre network targeting process automation have not only elevated the quality of its facilities but addressed several of the physical challenges some women may experience by improving how work is carried out. The program has reportedly already delivered early signs of success including higher levels of applicants and a 14 per cent increase in gender diversity when rolled out to the latest pallet repair centre in Redbank, Queensland.
Renee Holbrook, general manager, said she is proud of the way her team has driven the program, developing a holistic people-first approach that is delivering results across the organisation and implementing new ways of working that support Chep’s commitment to safety, diversity, people, and teamwork.
“We are continuously evolving how we make Chep a great place to work. The investments we are making in facilities demonstrate meaningful progress towards our commitment to creating a workplace which provides equal opportunity and career development regardless of gender. I am delighted by our progress towards our gender diversity and accessibility goals, led by our frontline leaders, to attract and grow talent within our organisation.”
Earlier this year, Chep was certified for the third consecutive year as a Top Employer in Australia by the Top Employers Institute.
“Our results and the recognition of the meaningful progress we’re making towards our people-first culture is a testament we’re heading in the right direction in fostering a workplace culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Jessica Rasmussen, Redbank Service Centre manager, said that attracting women to a predominantly male-dominated industry requires a unique approach that appeals specifically to women.
“We reverse engineered our approach to attracting talent to ensure a positive experience at every point. We’ve looked at the way we write our job advertisements as well as what roles and shifts we offer in consideration of what women are looking for from an ideal employer.”
Automation and innovation across Chep sites enable women to work in any role across its timber pallet repair and plastic containers wash sites. Rasmussen added, “We’re building the foundation to grow the number of women across our operations. Women have every opportunity to build their career with Chep and we’re making it easier for women to make that decision.”
As part of designing and building infrastructure to meet the needs of women, Chep says it has approached facility design with equity in mind. New service centres have an equal number of washroom facilities and end-of-trip locker and shower spaces for both women and men. Gender neutral facilities have also been introduced, which the company says is an inclusive next step in creating a culture of belonging for all its employees.
