Diversity & Inclusion

At The Warehouse Group we are committed to providing a work environment where every team member can bring their whole self to work. We recognise and value different skills, ability and experiences and where people are treated fairly in order to attract and retain talented people who will contribute to the achievement of TWG’s corporate objectives.

Our initiatives

Gender Pay Equity

Category	Number of Employees in each category	Median Pay Ratio¹	Gender Pay Gap²
TWG - Total	11,725	100%	0%
Sub Category - TWG Leadership TWG’s executive Leadership Squad and their direct reports	46	87%	13%
Sub Category - SSO Agile Team members that work at TWG’s Store Support Office in the Agile structure	1,124	100%	0%
Sub Category - SSO Non-Agile Team members that work at TWG’s Store Support Office in the Non-Agile structure	424	87%	13%
Sub Category - Stores Team members that work in TWG stores including store management	9,110	103 %	-3%
Sub Category - Distribution Centres Team members that work in TWG’s distribution and fulfilment centres including management	1,021	104%	-4%

1. The median pay ratio measures the median hourly salary or wages of female team members against male team members. A percentage below 100% indicates male team members’ median hourly rate is higher than female team members. A percentage above 100% indicates female members’ median hourly rate is higher than male team members. A percentage of 100% indicates gender pay equity.

2. Gender Pay Gap is the difference between average gross hourly earnings of male and female employees as % of male gross earnings. A positive percentage indicates a gap where male team member median pay is higher than female team members. A negative indicates the median female pay is higher.1. The median pay ratio measures the median hourly salary or wages of female team members against male team members. A percentage below 100% indicates male team members’ median hourly rate is higher than female team members. A percentage above 100% indicates female members’ median hourly rate is higher than male team members. A percentage of 100% indicates gender pay equity.

Closing the gender gap

Making progress on providing a level playing field for all team members at The Warehouse Group has been a long-term area of focus for us. There are many important elements that contribute to achieving this goal and a highlight for us was in December 2021, when we launched a revised parental leave policy which sees 26 weeks of fully paid parental leave offered to permanent team members, by topping up the government’s parental leave payments to 100% of a team member’s salary or wage.

Pay is also a very important consideration. As well as gender pay equity, we also share information on the median pay ratios across the Group. We feel that both these measures play an important part in the ongoing work to ensure our team members are paid fairly for their work and where pay discrimination based on ethnicity, gender or ability no longer exists. We have made good progress in both areas and have ongoing programmes of work to further address outstanding areas.

Gender pay ratio

The median gender pay gap is based on the percentage difference between the median hourly pay of male and female employees. While at a Group level TWG has 100% gender pay equity, we believe we need to achieve gender pay equity across each of our key team member groupings where similar roles are performed. Moving to an Agile model with remuneration staircases and fixed pay points for different levels of TWG’s contribution model has been extremely effective at reducing the gender pay gap for those team members that operate at our Store Support Office in our Agile structure. The Agile remuneration model is highly effective at ensuring equal pay for equal work. A more traditional remuneration model is used for our team members at Store Support Office who work in the Non-Agile structure. We are currently exploring moving these team members onto remuneration staircases and fixed pay points which we believe will help reduce the pay gap even further. The key drivers of TWG’s median gender pay gap for senior leadership roles is the greater number of males in our leadership positions.

Women in leadership

We continue to make progress in growing the number of women in senior leadership roles and note that between 2021 and 2022 the number of females in leadership roles increased from 39% to 42%. In 2020, The Warehouse Group began its transition to an Agile working model. In an Agile model, traditional senior leadership roles, such as GMs or Heads of, are replaced by Chapter Area Leads, Chapter Leads and Tribe Leads. In doing so, we revised our approach to how we assess and categorise talent in the organisation, bringing in the three dimensions of Craft, Mindset and Delivery that underpin our contribution model. Not only has this created more diverse teams that use their different skills, experiences and perspectives to solve complex customer problems, it has also seen increased participation of females in senior leadership roles.

Cultural education

We work with Precious Clark, MD of Maurea Consulting, to train our leadership team in immersive courses covering te reo Māori, Māori history and how to incorporate more te reo Māori into their day-to-day lives. Precious also supports us as a sounding board for our internal and external events relating to Māori culture, ensuring that our tone, actions and intentions are culturally appropriate.

LGBTTQIA+ inclusion and support

We recognise that the best business outcomes start with a team that feels engaged, welcomed and free to bring their whole selves to work. We’ve long been a supporter of the LGBTTQIA+ community, and with our Rainbow Tick certification, we are formally recognised as such.

Every year we play a role in Pride events to show our support to the LGBTTQIA+ community in our organisation and beyond through sponsorship of Big Gay Out and Pride Parades in Wellington and Auckland.

We were one of the first major organisation in New Zealand to have a formal gender transition policy, and we work to support our team choosing to undergo the transition by developing a personalised plan to ensure they feel supported and heard throughout the process. All team members are able to use the name and gender of choice and can alter this themselves via our payroll system.

Breastfeeding policy

We care about ensuring all of our customers, including parents and carers, feel comfortable within our stores. We want all mothers to know that they’re welcome to breastfeed in The Warehouse stores, and all parents and carers are invited to utilise our changing rooms to take care of the needs of their young ones.

Diversity & Inclusion Communities

We believe Diversity & Inclusion Communities have a key role to play in helping formulate and implement TWG’s D&I strategy. Each D&I Community has the best insights and experience to guide how we can ensure that people feel comfortable bringing their whole self to work and that TWG embraces any and all differences.

Learning and development

Our internal Learning & Development platform is the first stop for our team members looking to expand their knowledge and sharpen their skills. From courses on management development to mental health, wellbeing and inclusion, our team has a library of developmental courses to choose from for free training.

Accessibility

We believe a diverse, inclusive and accessible workplace brings out the best in our people. That’s why we’re committed to creating an environment where all team members feel safe and confident to bring their whole selves to work. With approximately one in four New Zealanders limited by a physical, sensory or learning disability, mental health or other challenges, this touches all aspects of our business.

Stay tuned for more information on our work in the accessibility space.

Our cultural celebrations

Throughout the year we host internal events for our team members around our stores, our distribution centres and our Store Support Office. With 13,000 team members around the country, we feel we have a duty to not only celebrate the various cultures and ethnicities that encompass our organisation but to educate others as well.