Coles Group has achieved some of its “most important” gender equity commitments nine months ahead of schedule. This includes 40% of its leadership roles filled by women and a company-wide gender pay parity gap of less than 1%.
These milestones come just one week after Coles was awarded Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency for its active commitment to achieving gender equality.
According to Coles, it has achieved its targets through the development of programs and initiatives that create clear pathways towards equality such as:
- RelauncHER, supporting women wanting to return to a career in technology
- Store Manager Accelerator Program, increasing the representation of women in store manager roles
Last year, Coles increased secondary carer’s leave from two to four weeks, with flexibility in how the leave is taken, to encourage partners to play a greater support role with families and in the home. The business says it continues to promote flexible working so all team members can achieve success in their careers.
Coles Group CEO Steven Cain says he’s proud of the progress Coles has made to achieve greater gender equity after setting clear and ambitious commitments as part of the ‘Better Together’ strategy.
“These achievements are a testament to the dedication of our Gender Equity Steering Committee and wider leaderships team,” he says.
“Their important work has led to Coles being a place where team members with diverse skills and backgrounds feel like they can feel confident with their opinions, thrive in their roles, and become leaders of the organisation.
“I am also delighted that my successor, Leah Weckert, will be the first woman to be CEO of Coles in our long 109-year history.”
