Leading diversity & inclusion for 12,000 people at The Warehouse Group
May is diversity & inclusion month at Groov! We pass the mic to one of our customers, The Warehouse Group, to hear what it’s doing to champion diversity & inclusion.
When it comes to diversity & inclusion, “there is no right or wrong approach – there’s just different,” says Danielle Flatman from The Warehouse Group.
Danielle is The Warehouse Group’s Employee Experience and Development Partner. She’s one of many people championing diversity & inclusion across the organisation’s 12,000-strong team.
“We have an incredibly diverse employee base. Everyone comes from a different range of backgrounds. So one of the most important things for us is to offer a breadth of opportunities for people to get involved with,” says Danielle.
“No one celebration, training programme, or awareness-raising event is going to impact everyone. We focus on having a variety of programmes that appeal to a diverse group of people.”
D&I in daily work life
Some of The Warehouse Group’s current diversity & inclusion initiatives include:
Championing Te ao Māori throughout the organisation, for example by celebrating Māori Language Week and providing formal opportunities for their team to learn te reo Māori.
Promoting gender equality through events like International Women’s Day and Lean In circles.
Cultivating a strong sense of belonging by participating in Pride Month, Sign Language Week, and other diverse events.
Planning for the future of work and how this will impact their people by upskilling their team.
Running a diverse range of training programmes, including a recent eight-week programme about neurodiversity.
Creating inclusive policies, such as a parental leave policy that’s not gender-specific.
Creating psychological safety
Whether running a training programme or celebrating an event, The Warehouse Group strives to create an environment of psychological safety where everyone feels like they belong.
“In order to feel like you truly belong at an organisation, you need to be able to bring your whole self to work,” says Danielle.
Putting wellbeing first
And that’s where Groov comes in – to help organisations create wellbeing-first cultures that are psychologically safe for everyone.
“Wellbeing enables our diversity & inclusion culture to thrive,” says Danielle.
“If you don’t feel mentally fit and well, you might struggle to bring your whole self to work. You need both to thrive.”
