It is no accident that the strong trend towards DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) in the workplace starts with “diversity”, recognising the importance of different ethnicity, gender, background and experience as an essential step, not only towards cultivating equity and inclusion, but to building long-term business success.
The case for driving diversity is multifaceted and compelling, touching on societal, organisational and individual well-being. And as we face the ongoing challenges of attracting and retaining talented people, it makes absolute sense to widen the scope for recruitment and focus on ensuring our workforce feels valued, respected and heard.
DEI is proven to foster innovation, bringing together teams of people with different perspectives and views, all equally respected, who can challenge one another and provide alternative approaches towards developing a ‘best idea wins’ culture.
Embracing DEI certainly enhances business reputation and brand value, demonstrating CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and securing not only the best employees, but also attracting more customers who share and look for the same values in their supplier base.
A diverse, inclusive workforce empowers employees, increases engagement, motivation and productivity, while also mitigating against legal risks. So how can we achieve better DEI in warehousing?
The answer is to look beyond our traditional methods of recruitment. Those candidates whose first language may not be English, for instance, or who are neuro-diverse, could struggle with face-to-face interviews, group tasks or psychometric tests, yet may have the attributes to make a valuable contribution to a business.
As our sector becomes increasingly driven by technology, surely we should be taking steps to attract neurodiverse people with extraordinary cognitive abilities who can provide exceptional value in the tech space. Logic, speed, precision, sustained concentration and an ability to intuitively spot errors are all qualities often associated with neurodiversity. Despite this, estimates suggest less than 29% (ons.gov.uk) of autistic people are in any form of meaningful employment that aligns to their educational achievements.
Similarly, those who may not at first glance seem an obvious fit, are often being lost to us because we may not understand how to bring out the best in them, or we are simply not seeing the bigger picture. At UKWA we are proud supporters of Tempus Novo, a charity established by former prison officers to place ex-offenders into sustainable full-time employment. According to Tempus Novo, employment is the key to breaking the cycle of crime, and the charity cites a 95% success rate.
Warehousing has been fertile ground for Tempus Novo, with UKWA member GXO Logistics (formerly Clipper) being one of the charity’s longest-standing corporate partners, employing hundreds of ex-offenders, and reporting these employees to be hard-working, highly motivated, loyal members of their workforce.
Next month, we will hold our Year of Warehousing Golf Challenge, which will raise funds for Tempus Novo and features founders Steve Freer and Val Wawrosz as guest speakers.
This is the first such event for UKWA for a while, and I would encourage anyone keen on promoting diversity in their warehousing operation to come along on Thursday 19 September at Belton Woods Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort to support the sector and find out more at what promises to be a memorable and hugely entertaining event!
Clare Bottle
UKWA, CEO
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