SYDNEY – March 2024 – CHEP Australia is making strides in attracting, developing, and retaining women in operations.
In theme for International Women’s Day 2024, ‘Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress’ CHEP reflects on its progress this past year to reshape and remove barriers to gender equality within the supply chain.
Recent investments in the CHEP service center network targeting process automation have not only elevated the quality of our facilities but addressed several of the physical challenges some women may experience by improving how work is carried out. This approach supported a broader, detailed review of how we attract and retain talent in a program that has allowed for increased flexibility in the workplace, fast-tracked onboarding, and focused induction. This program has already delivered early signs of success, including unprecedented levels of applicants and a 14% increase in gender diversity when rolled out to our latest pallet repair center in Redbank, Queensland.
Renee Holbrook, General Manager at CHEP Australia, is proud of how her team has driven the program, developing a holistic people-first approach that delivers 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 because of the company’s continuous efforts to align people practices with global standards of excellence.
“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, understands 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. Jessica 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 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 as an inclusive next step in creating a culture of belonging for all our employees.
For more information on CHEP’s supply chain solutions, including employment opportunities, visit www.CHEP.com
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
