ROI of Gender Equity in Warehouses and Dark Stores

How does hiring women result in quantifiable benefits for warehouses?

GLOW’s analysis of more than 10,000 workers from 2 large warehousing companies reveals that:

• Women show 34% lower weekly attrition compared to men, resulting in lower recruitment and training expenses, and improved productivity due to increased share of tenured workers
• Customer complaints on women-processed orders are 16% lower, enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing returns processing
• Parcels handled by women experience 25% less ageing, enhancing throughput
• Uninformed absenteeism among women is 26% lower, reducing unplanned overtime costs
• Women’s presence also positively influences male workers’ commitment and work ethic, enhancing overall productivity
• Increasing the percentage of women in a warehouse to around 15% does not involve any additional transportation costs, as they can be hired only for day or general shifts

The experience of warehousing managers echoes the quantified business benefits of hiring women:

• “Metrics such as ageing, damages, and throughput have improved significantly since we started employing more women.” – Senior warehouse manager
• “If a parcel falls off the crate, women pick it up then and there instead of thinking they’ll do this later.” – Warehouse manager
• “As men are seeing women perform sincerely, even they are becoming more sincere instead of having a casual attitude.” – Warehouse floor manager

How does hiring women result in quantifiable benefits for dark stores? 

GLOW’s analysis of around 109,000 orders in 2 dark stores shows that, despite being paid the same, women’s higher productivity, attendance, and order quality in dark stores can result in 11.83% reduction in per-worker cost. Following are the driving factors:

• Women process orders about 5% faster than men, increasing overall operational efficiency and throughput
• Women have 8% higher monthly attendance, boosting overall productivity
• Orders handled by women have 8% fewer customer complaints, reducing shrinkage costs
• Hiring women improves cleanliness, hygiene, and safety standards
• There is no additional transportation cost involved for hiring women in day shifts, as dark stores are typically located within city limits

How can companies measure the benefits of hiring women for their business?

To effectively track and report the impact of gender diversity, companies can:

• Collect and analyse gender‑disaggregated data on key performance metrics — including productivity, attendance, retention, order quality, and attrition — for both on‑roll and outsourced employees
• Document case studies to highlight the impact of gender diversity on the staffing company (e.g., winning additional business from a client) and clients (e.g., improved retention and culture)
• Share the documented benefits internally and externally to build buy-in, with the frontline managers in the company and the wider industry, for hiring women

Regularly publishing the gender distribution and honestly acknowledging shortcomings and struggles in diversity efforts can demonstrate a genuine commitment to improvement, positively impacting the company’s credibility and reputation.^[2]

To access the white paper on the ROI of gender diversity, click here >