As we mark International Women’s Day, we also reflect on our own commitment to fostering gender equality within the logistics industry. The logistics industry has long been characterized by its male-dominated landscape (JB Andrews, n.d.), and we know that there is certainly room for improvement.
As part of our commitment to UN Sustainable Development Goal number 5: Gender Equality, we have participated in the UN Target Gender Equality programme for the past year, which has given us great insights and inspiration to where we should focus our efforts in fostering gender equality going forward.
The programme
The Programme, facilitated by the United Nations and external consultants, comprises six modules covering various aspects of gender equality. Through a blend of online learning and live interactions, participants engage in discussions, share experiences and gain knowledge and tools to help them develop a strategic approach to equality within their own company context. Notably, some of the topics discussed include unconscious bias and data quality, among other things. Additionally, the programme offers a WEP-analysis tool based on the Women Empowerment Principles, providing participants with a baseline on their company’s current status regarding gender equality.
DANX Carousel, alongside representatives from 43 other companies in the Nordics network, has so far completed five out of the six modules, with the final module coinciding around International Women’s Day.
Fostering gender equality in the future
Participating in the programme and undertaking the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPS) analysis has allowed DANX Carousel to gain objective and realistic insights, highlighting key areas of positivity and challenges that will inform future efforts toward gender equality.
Fostering gender equality is paramount to DANX Carousel’s commitment to creating an inclusive workplace and we aim to translate learnings from the Target Gender Equality programme into tangible initiatives. While we have yet to outline a concrete strategy based on the findings from the programme, it has certainly provided the necessary tools to pave the way for actionable steps – make this different.
Jen Harper, HR Director, one of the DANX Carousel participants in the programme, commented:
“Undertaking this Programme has been extremely insightful and inspiring. I look forward to translating our learnings into focused, tangible actions that will really make a positive difference to our current and future employees.”
Chief HR Officer at DANX Carousel, Malene Vig Hjarnaa adds:
“In our journey towards gender equality, the insights we have gotten from the Target Gender Equality programme so far will definitely serve as a compass guiding our future strategy. We know that we still got a long way to go, particularly within a male-dominated sector like the logistics industry, and this is where a programme like this really can make a difference in developing a realistic and actionable strategy. I look forward to start working with it.”
You can read more about the Programme by following this link or learn more about DANX Carousel’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals here.
