Our vision is to become one of the safest places to work and shop. We are committed to maintaining a workplace that safeguards the health and wellbeing of our people, customers and visitors. Our aspiration is ‘Destination ZERO’: a place where people go home every day free from injuries or illness.
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We are committed to maintaining a workplace that safeguards the health and wellbeing of our team members, customers and visitors.
Focusing on mental health
Mental distress or illness impacts one in four Australians, which is why we have identified it as our number one safety and health risk. To protect and nurture our team members with mental health issues, we have worked with several industry experts to introduce a range of appropriate risk prevention and safety response options.
To combat the stigma that goes with mental health issues, we have created a positive workplace that encourages early intervention and an open platform for conversation regarding mental health. Partnering with leading mental health groups such as Lifeline, beyondblue, and R U OK, we support mental health on a larger scale outside of our team member network.
We have implemented a Mental Health First Aid Program that equips all levels of team members with the skills and knowledge to help peers showing signs of mental health issues. They can then use our confidential employee assistance program to help get back on their feet.
CONFINED SPACES TRAINING
Our studies showed that the biggest risk to working in confined spaces is an inability to rescue workers should something go wrong. In line with world best practice, Endeavour Drinks have commissioned new rescue equipment for each of their manufacturing sites and all team members who work in confined spaces have completed Emergency Rescue Simulation training using this equipment.
NATURAL DISASTER PREPARATION
To prevent a major incident in the face of an earthquake in New Zealand, we have collaborated with specialist engineers to dramatically improve the design of our warehouses. These will keep our workers safe and enable us to continue to serve the broader community should disaster strike.
PREVENTING PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS
To reduce the risk of people being hit by moving vehicles in areas where machinery is at work, we have invested in physical barriers and suspended walkways. We are also trialling proximity sensors in our MeatCo and Supply Chain businesses to further protect workers.
TRUCK BRAKE ALERT
Our warehouses see over one million trucks pass through each year, and one of the risks is vehicles rolling from parked positions. Our Supply Chain business is working with our transport providers to install park brake alarms on vehicles so drivers remember to apply the brake before leaving their truck.
LIGHTENING THE LOAD
To reduce risk of injury when handling heavy loads, we use Rotatruck – a non‑traditional trolley system that can reduce the physical effort required to move a load by up to 78%. A breakthrough in ergonomic design, it improves both productivity and safety and is being used across BWS stores nationwide.
We want all our team members to feel valued and respected at work, regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, beliefs, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. To address LGBTI issues and equality in the workplace, we have implemented a range of initiatives to demonstrate our commitment to the LGBTI community.
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Achieve Gold Tier employer status in Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) inclusion.
LGBTI community support
Woolworths Group are members of Pride in Diversity, Australia’s national not‑for‑profit organisation which provides support and advice across all aspects of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and/or Intersex (LGBTI) inclusion. Our 2020 target is to achieve Gold Tier employer status in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) for LGBTI inclusion. During FY17, Woolworths Group received Participating Employer status for our first AWEI submission. We received positive feedback and support for our current initiatives. We will continue our partnership with Pride in Diversity, who will assist us with key projects for our FY18 submission to help on our pathway to Gold status by 2020.
LGBTIQ WINNERS
This year two of our team members, Chelsea McPhail‑Rosenberg and Kate McLaren, were awarded co-winners of the 2017 LGBTIQ Young Professional Role Models of the Year award, hosted by Out for Australia. The duo were recognised for co-founding the ‘Proud @ Woolworths’ initiative and were praised for their commitment and passion to the project, which resulted in Woolworths Group formalising our commitment to LGBTI diversity.
BWS AND MARDI GRAS PARTNERSHIP
In celebration of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, BWS showcased its support for equality and the local LGBTI community by painting its inner-city Sydney stores in rainbow colours, and creating a BWS Pride radio station on Pandora, our in‑store radio network. It’s the first time Australia’s largest drinks retailer has partnered at this scale in the celebration of Mardi Gras.
COUNTDOWN’S TRANSGENDER POLICY
Countdown launched a transgender transitioning policy aimed at supporting transitioning team members across New Zealand. It not only outlines our responsibilities as an employer and commitment to providing an inclusive environment, but also offers practical assistance to team members who are transitioning genders.
‘LETS TALK GENDER’
So that BIG W is a workplace where our team members can truly bring their full selves to work, we have launched ‘Let's Talk Gender’ sessions in partnership with Pride in Diversity. Our aim is that all of the BIG W Support Office team members will have attended one of these sessions by the end of 2017.