A top talent strategy in logistics should hinge on gender equity – here’s why

Hiring managers within the logistics industry have faced monumental challenges over the past few years, from the staffing and transport limitations posed by Brexit, to the resourcing and safety issues that arose during the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the same time, various factors have combined to make gender diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) increasingly important for employers. Ultimately, building a robust and authentic DE&I strategy is not only the ethical thing to do – it’s also essential for building an EVP that will attract top talent to your company.

The team here at Michael Page Logistics speaks every day with top professionals in the sector from a range of backgrounds. Read on for top tips on driving DE&I and using it to attract high-calibre, diverse talent.

The challenge: The current state of DE&I in logistics

Logistics companies face an uphill battle to attract female talent due the to the industry’s hard-to-shake reputation as a male-dominated space. Indeed, less than one-quarter of the UK’s 1.5 million logistics and transport employees are women, and they are clearly underrepresented in roles seen to be more physical or arduous.

Traditional word-of-mouth recruitment is not enough to help logistics employers access the wide pool of talent they need. A specialised and focused approach is necessary to ensure that opportunities in the industry are visible and attractive for female and non-binary talent.

The opportunity: The benefits of a more diverse workforce in logistics

No employer can deny the advantages of a robust DE&I strategy, with proven benefits ranging from improved hiring, retention, and performance to better decision-making and innovation.

Indeed, a Gartner survey found the number of logistics companies with no focus on DE&I metrics dropped from 21% in 2021 to 11% a year later. Meanwhile, Glassdoor revealed that 76% of job hunters see a diverse workforce as an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers.

Competition for top talent is fierce across the industry. Following the landmark shift to remote working during the pandemic, freight companies must now attract skilled employees who have the option of working in multiple sectors anywhere in the world. Hiring managers are no longer merely competing with other logistics organisations in their town or city.

A strong DE&I strategy will open up a wider talent pool and help logistics businesses to appeal to more candidates at a time when staffing shortages are posing huge challenges.

Strategies to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive

If logistics organisations are to be seen as an employer of choice to women and those outside of the gender binary as well as men, they must prioritise building a diverse workforce. Here are five strategies to help you on the way:

1. Automation and robotics

At a baseline level, working conditions must be improved in order to promote inclusivity and address the gender imbalance in the industry. Much of this can be tackled through automation and robotics.

For example, employers can provide operator-controlled robots capable of handling heavy loads, utilise collaborative robots to support teams, and introduce exoskeletons to reduce the physical strain of manual tasks.

Adopting automated systems for unsociable shifts can also help to provide a more attractive EVP for people with childcare responsibilities. The importance of work-life balance should not be underestimated – in fact, our recent Talent Trends survey found that it is one of the major factors driving candidates right now.

2. Recruitment: Busting cliches

Before the recruitment phase begins, make sure your colleagues and employees understand the importance of DE&I and the significant rewards it could bring to their team and the wider organisation.

Employers could also make training mandatory for interviewers to ensure they are fully aware of unconscious bias, and be sure to highlight the many positive statistics available surrounding DE&I.

During the recruitment phase, hiring managers should strive to disassemble the presumptions job seekers may have surrounding the logistics industry. To begin with, any gender-specific job titles need to be converted to gender neutral, and recruitment channels should be diversified to avoid only using the traditional word-of-mouth network.

The entire interview process should also be considered from a DE&I perspective in order to identify and eliminate any potential areas of bias that may disadvantage people from certain backgrounds.

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3. Training

Training plays a huge role, from training HR teams to align with DE&I priorities, to company-wide internal training, to upskilling diverse staff where necessary to create equal access to logistics positions.

Employers should ensure the amount of training taken by employees of all genders is equal, but also offer internal training with the specific goal of improving the access that different groups have to skilled logistics roles.

4. A seat at the table

When looking at something like gender diversity, it is not enough to simply hire women into logistics roles. In a truly equal organisation, there would an equitable gender split across all levels of seniority.

In order to move closer to this figure, employers should first conduct an audit of internal promotions by gender split. Next, define a target for increasing the number of women and/or nonbinary people in positions that are currently male-dominated, and set out a plan for monitoring progress towards this target. Then encourage people of under-represented gender identities to apply for roles of increased responsibility, and where necessary, provide training to help them meet criteria.

5. Building your EVP

A desirable employer sees employees not as numbers, but as humans and individuals. Recognising their value is a vital part of an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) in logistics; invest in your employees to build a loyal, productive workforce.

Your DE&I strategy must be front and centre of your EVP. This makes it clear to candidates that the organisation embraces the diversity of different demographics, promotes the fair and equal treatment of all employees, and is inclusive, both in terms of accessibility and overall company culture.

Practically, your EVP will depend on the needs of your employees. You could build an LGBTQIA+ network, a fast-track management programme for women or people outside of the gender binary, or a mentorship scheme for young employees from low-income backgrounds.

If you make sure these initiatives are prominent within your EVP, then when candidates from diverse backgrounds will research your organisation, they will feel they would be comfortable - and happy - within the workforce.

What’s next?

Want to become an employer of choice? As a part of our latest Talent Trends survey, we spoke to 70,000 workers around the world, including over 2,000 in the UK, asking them what is most important to them in an employer. In our report, ‘The Invisible Revolution’, we break down the eye-opening results.

Download ‘The Invisible Revolution’ today