The Logistics industry: a fertile ground for Diversity and Inclusion 

Logistics core business, which offers jobs at all types of qualification levels, enables the integration of people who often have greater difficulties finding job opportunities: people with disabilities, seniors, foreign nationals, etc.

Convinced that D&I is the winning recipe for business performance, FM Logistic is pursuing its efforts to become a genuinely inclusive and diverse company. 

More and more companies around the world are implementing a D&I strategy and the industrial and logistics sector is no exception. “The situation varies according to the country, as well as a company’s size, maturity and core business,” explains Claire Schmauch, FM Logistic Organization Development & Communications Director. “If logistics is a fertile ground for diversity, the situation varies according to the activities: we see more gender parity within order picking and co-packing activities than in transport. The sector needs to progress on some diversity dimensions such as women in leadership positions. Large international digitalized logistics players, such as FM Logistic, are increasingly active on this topic. Not only are we convinced that this is the right thing to do, but it also allows us to better align with our future employees expectations, especially Generation Z, and thus address pressures on the job market.” 

D&I approaches vary from country to country: Anglo-Saxon countries seem to lead the way on all levels; Brazil places a stronger emphasis on LGBTQ+ issues; and India focuses more on gender parity issues. Population ageing is another trend impacting the workplace. According to the WHO, 1 in 6 people worldwide will be 60 years or over by 2030. People are living longer, but they are also staying healthier for longer, and hence have a lot of valuable experience, expertise, and maturity to offer to companies. Disability-inclusive strategies are also increasing due to higher awareness of this issue, which concerns 15% of the world’s population (World Bank).

The benefits of hiring people with different backgrounds, gender, age, culture, and identities, no longer need to be proven. It enriches the work environment, helps people make better decisions, fosters innovation, and improves performance. As a family company, FM Logistic has a longstanding cultural diversity. “D&I is embedded in our DNA,” explains Pénélope Laigo, Group QHSE and Sustainable Development Director at FM Logistic. “We have always been people-orientated, and we have launched many D&I initiatives across the Group, such as a network of adapted facilities (called FMEA) for employees with disabilities. These FMEA are integrated at our sites with specific equipment and schedules so that employees with disabilities can carry out conditioning activities.” 

FM Logistic’s partnership with Les Apprentis d’Auteuil foundation is another great initiative to foster professional insertion and support the most vulnerable, especially young people. Last year, FM Logistic decided to go further and embarked on a journey to formalize its D&I commitment. “A more structured D&I approach will help us boost our performance and better respect international standards. This also plays a key role in attracting and retaining employees as well as meeting our clients’ requirements. Some of our clients, especially in the pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries, question our practices and request us to integrate their D&I criteria into our operations.”

The first step of FM Logistic’s formal D&I strategy was a global survey in 2022 of employee perceptions about D&I within the company. The aim of the survey was to understand the actions contributing to D&I and the barriers in all the business processes: recruitment; career management; work environment; freedom of speech; etc. “We wanted to address all D&I dimensions and go beyond gender parity”, explains Pénélope Laigo. “The survey’s results showed that we have already made good progress in creating an inclusive workplace (see focus). Globally, our employees feel that we give everyone their chance, that FM Logistic is a good company to work for and that they can rely on an efficient discrimination reporting process if necessary.” 

Regarding areas of improvement, the survey showed that FM Logistic needs to improve the work environment (such as offices accessibility), its ability to take different perspectives on board, and to hear other opinions. “Our D&I survey revealed that we are solid D&I practitioners, but we need to go further to create a truly inclusive culture where everyone feels free to speak up so that they can contribute their full innovative potential,” concludes Claire Schmauch. “Our D&I survey constitutes a solid base to help our subsidiaries implement relevant and concrete action plans for their countries.”