A comprehensive resource that recommends practical steps that companies can take on a variety of gender issues.”
Increasing women’s representation in management positions
As part of its strategy to address gender inequality in its supply chains, UK supermarket Tesco set a target of having at least 30% of supervisor and management positions occupied by women in all of its Tier One suppliers by 2025. To help its suppliers increase women’s representation and meet this target, Oxfam Business Advisory Service worked with Tesco to develop a practical toolkit.
Solution: The Supplier Gender Toolkit
In consultation with some of Tesco’s Tier One suppliers and workers, we developed the Gender Toolkit to help suppliers understand how to take steps towards increasing women’s representation. The Toolkit offers practical guidance on approaches and activities for companies to build a positive and productive workplace culture that benefits both women and men, and plenty of useful examples to help increase women’s representation across the supply chain.
The Gender Toolkit highlights challenges, opportunities and recommended actions that businesses can take around recruitment, progression and retention to support women and tackle the barriers that impact their representation in more senior roles. It also includes ‘spotlight’ topics taking a closer look at gender-based violence, unpaid care work and gender stereotypes and the impact these issues can have on women’s ability to actively participate and access opportunities in the workplace.
There is no one silver bullet to increasing women’s representation … I encourage all businesses to take on board the great guidance offered by this toolkit and prioritise what’s important for them.”
Jackie Lanham, Chief People and Culture Officer, Hilton Foods
Impact: Supporting suppliers to put it into practice
The Toolkit is a comprehensive resource that recommends steps companies can take on a variety of gender issues, and was presented to Tesco’s Tier One manufacturing and agricultural suppliers through introductory webinars. The Gender Toolkit was also launched publicly and made available to a wider audience, so that even more businesses are able to access and use it.
Alongside Tesco we hope to build on this activity with further guidance, advice and troubleshooting for suppliers through webinars on specific topics, strengthening the available support with additional examples as supplier companies make progress to increase women’s representation and share their learning.