The slogan on the t-shirts the Loblaws team wore for the Calgary PRIDE parade on September 4th is more than just words, it’s a river of culture, values and principled leadership that forms the foundation of the food retailer’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, “Everyone is Welcome”.
“It was the first time we participated as an organization and our t-shirts really spoke to how we want people to feel working and shopping with Loblaws. Welcome,” says Leah Stewart, CPHR, Human Resources Business Partner with Loblaws.
The company began its journey of intentionally maturing DEI throughout the organization in 2008 with the public release on its website of its first Social Responsibility Report. Since its release, Loblaws has achieved recognition as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 10 consecutive years.
It’s a people-driven movement embodied through its purpose, Live Life Well®. As one of Canada’s largest private-sector employers, leadership is committed to fulfilling on its responsibility to make a positive impact as an employer, retailer, and community partner. “The people who work with us and shop with us are a reflection of Canada’s diversity,” says Stewart. “We are continuously assessing our stores, and our practices, through the lens of how can we think differently so that we are a place where people can be their best selves.”
Sometimes that means incorporating assistive technologies or making it possible for those for whom applying for a job online is a barrier. “Recently, we started advertising employment opportunities over the intercoms in our stores,” she adds. “Not only can potential applicants apply at the Customer Service Desk in the store, we also have Managers and Assistant Managers on-site to conduct interviews and offer immediate employment contracts on-the-spot to successful applicants.”
Meeting people where they’re at and ensuring they have the tools and training to be their best selves was the impetus for the development of Loblaws’ Online Academy and its Internal Social Media Platform. “We have to teach people the value and importance of DEI so that together, we can build more inclusive workplaces and communities.”
“Education is key, as is the power of sharing our stories,” says Stewart. “Recently, we offered a course on American Sign Language through our Online Academy. It was taught by one of our colleagues and got a lot of momentum. It was great to be able to feature one of our own team. “
Partnerships play an important role in building more inclusive workplaces. “Prospect provides our teams continuous education on how to be inclusive employees and employers,” says Stewart. “We need partners like Prospect to ensure we’re able to continue to reach new candidates and grow the diversity of our workforce. It’s exciting to see the lifecycle of the over 40 hires we’ve onboarded through Prospect and to be able to keep stretching our reach into communities across Alberta.”
From online training courses, innovative hiring practices and adaptive work environments and opportunities, to walking in a PRIDE parade, no matter how or where people interact with Loblaw, “Everyone is Welcome” is a lived experience.