Last month, Women in Convenience’s strategic lead, Megan Humphrey chaired a panel session at the annual Nisa Expo, alongside four leading female industry figures, to discuss their experiences of working in retail, and the changes they’ve made in their businesses to shine a light on gender equality, and better champion women.

Panelists included:

• Sinead Bell, commercial director food, Co-op
• Elit Rowland, founder, Women in Wholesale
• Monique Munro, business improvement coordinator, Greencore
• Julie-Ann Whyte, owner, Whytes of New Pitsligo

What has your experience been like working in retail as a female?

Sinead: It’s been a challenge. I see it as a journey whereby I’m trying to pave a way forward for others who come after me. I’ve worked in many companies where I’ve been the only female, but it’s allowed me to look at my own development, and not be influenced by those around me. If we can all lean into it, we can create a better position for others.

Monique: It’s been very male dominated. Often I’m the only female in meetings or at the factory which can mean my opinion isn’t always heard. It can be hard, because when a male says something similar, they tend to get praised for it because they can shout a little louder. I do enjoy the challenge, though.

Julie-Ann: I used to work in the oil and gas sector, and I was the only female in the senior management team. I can into this industry about a year ago, and so far, it’s been brilliant. Nisa have supported me from the very start.

How have you overcome those challenges?

Monique: Last year, I gave myself a New Year’s resolution to say yes to more things, and because of that, I realised that I was actually capable of lot more than I give myself credit. I quickly learned that the only person holding myself back, was me. I would recommend to others to do a lot more and they will see a positive change in themselves.

What have you done in your roles to help shine a light on women?

Sinead: It’s important to look at things from across all levels. I’m incredibly proud that the Co-op are the first group to have a female CEO. She has done a lot to promote being yourself at work, not just from a gender perspective, but also with ethnicity, sexual orientation, and age. Unbiased recruitment is also really important. We make sure to remove gender bias words from our job adverts, but also how we can ensure we aren’t alienating any minority group in the process. When I’m at work, I present myself as Sinead, and that’s how I want to be known, the attributes of who make me who I am are secondary. It’s about creating environments where people can challenge and learn, but feel included, not just when you tell them they are.

Monique: We have a diversity, equity and inclusion team, and a catalyst team. We make sure to speak to everyone across all our different sites and get their views. We have a diversity calendar which marks 96 events, but we focus on seven, and when doing that, we get information from those who want to speak to us about what it means to them. We then publish that, alongside their photo. Everyone really likes getting involved, especially when it’s something that means something to then.

Elit: Women in Wholesale is the wholesale equivalent of Women in Convenience. A lot of our focus is around spotlighting women. We should all be profiling and spotlighting minorities within our business, whether that’s through interviews, in newsletters or on blogs. Not only does this help raise visibility for emerging or existing talent, but it also help celebrate and boost the confidence of those involved. It then helps them connect with others, and helps support their overall career progression. Something really simple, can have a massive ripple effect. In addition, as a manager we have a responsibility to sponsor minority women. It might be that yo have a free training opportunity, and you put someone forward who doesn’t usually get an opportunity like that. Selecting someone you don’t normally pick is really important.

Julie-Ann: I have someone with me here today who is 19 and currently at University wanting to become a teacher. She has absolutely loved coming along. We have 12 employees, and we are all female. It’s great to have conversations about periods and the menopause, as it helps break down the taboo of certain topics. Everyone in the team knows they are able to talk about anything they want to, and we are all mindful of what everyone is going through.

What changes still need to be made to improve gender equality across the sector?

Sinead: We have all stepped forward, but there is a lot more of that journey to do. From a Co-op and Nisa perspective, we have rolled out our own diversity and inclusion policy, whereby to work with us, you have to show to be making this a priority in your business. It doesn’t matter where you are on that journey, but that you are thinking of it. We want to partner with suppliers with similar values to us. We want to set up business plans with inclusion at the heart of it.

Elit: The use of language and imagery on recruitment adverts can have a real impact. In the past when we were recruiting for a branch manager at JJ Foodservice, we used words like ‘at the heart of the action’ and ‘can you lead a team’. We realised that we needed to change that to be inclusive. Now, we use phrases like ‘do you feel like you can make a difference’ and ‘can you bring fresh ideas’. This came from feedback we got from female workers, who said that they weren’t motivated by salary, but rather by feeling like they were making a difference.

Julie-Ann: It puts me off when I see events being marketed towards men. Lots of images of men wearing suits can be really off putting, and it doesn’t make me want to attend. Imagery is so important in making females feel like they want to go to something.

Monique: We have standardised all our roles. We have changed all our language to be gender neutral, and as a result, have seen an increase in females applying for roles. It has been proven than women are more likely to apply to a job if they feel like they can achieve 80-100% of the criteria list, whereas men apply if they feel like they can achieve a minimum of 60%. It’s really important to have a distinction between desirable and necessary traits.

What advice do you have for females working in the sector who feel marginalised?

Sinead: We work in an amazing industry, and have a huge network of colleagues. If you are struggling, whether that be because of gender, or performance, from a diversity and inclusion perspective, it’s so important to reach out to your network. Don’t just sit there and do nothing if something doesn’t feel right, as it’s probably not. When I’ve felt like I’ve been excluded because of my gender, I ask why that is until I understand. If I don’t do this, then I’m not helping the future generation. At the Gala Dinner at the Nisa Expo, I made some great connections, and using LinkedIn to follow up on these, is always helpful. I’d also suggest being really curious about going to events, Whilst I’ve been scared to approach someone, no one has ever said no to talking to me.

Elit: We all have a responsibility to create a culture that we want to see, no matter what job role we have, we all have a part to play. If you are experiencing something that doesn’t feel right, then you have to call it out. If you feel like you don’t have the courage, think about everyone else who comes after you, and I promise, after that you will feel like you have more courage to do something about it.

Julie-Ann: There is no harm in speaking up if something is annoying you. I have been lucky to have a really supportive team at Nisa who introduced me to a great network, and invite me to events.

Monique: Be the authentic you. Don’t downplay your worth by feeling like your opinions don’t matter. If it’s bothering you, it’s probably bothering someone else. There’s no harm in asking for help and support.