Roadmap to Gender Equity for Warehouse Operations

Why should logistics companies aim to improve gender equity in warehouse operations?

• Despite being paid the same, women’s superior performance in retention, order quality, and ageing can result in a 3.59% reduction in per-worker cost in warehouses
• Despite being paid the same, women’s higher productivity, attendance, and order quality can result in a 11.83% reduction in per-worker cost, in dark stores
• Can address workforce shortages by helping companies access a candidate pool of 33 million women across urban India^[1]

To learn more about the benefits of hiring more women in your warehousing operations, click here>

Why do warehouse operations have low gender equity today?

Company-level challenges

• Team leads/ managers do not prioritize hiring women due to unconscious biases
• Recruiters find it more expensive to effectively target and convince women
• Team leads/ managers are unaware of how to support women
• Certain shifts (e.g., ending post 7 PM, 12-hour shifts) are unsuitable for some women
• Some companies have low capacity to invest in additional infrastructure (e.g., washrooms, transportation) for women

Ecosystem-level challenges

• Staffing vendors are unable to hire women at scale quickly
• Majority of warehouse locations have limited public transportation options
• Some state governments do not permit hiring women in the night shift

How can logistics companies make warehouse operations more gender-equitable?

• Build the organization’s capability: Lay the foundation by setting up essential infrastructure, prioritizing roles for women, building inclusive hiring practices and training managers to tackle gender biases
• Prioritize and implement: Ensure sustained focus by strengthening infrastructure, setting up metrics and tracking mechanisms, and highlighting business benefits
• Embed and scale: Institutionalize gender diversity by providing accommodation and transport services, incentivizing staffing companies, and embedding clear accountability via diversity KPIs and anti‑bias training

How can logistics companies track their progress on gender diversity in their warehouse operations?

GLOW’s Gender Equity Readiness Scorecard (GERS) can enable companies to assess and track their progress on gender equity and prioritize areas of improvement based on four dimensions – outcomes, infrastructure and support, capability, and accountability. Read more about why and how to take the GERS survey >

To start your gender diversity journey, download the gender equity roadmap> 

If you want support implementing this roadmap, email us at GLOW@fsg.org.