Our people

Over recent years, Coles has implemented many accessibility initiatives including establishing a team dedicated to digital accessibility, modifying car parks in new stores to allow better access and recognising International Day of People with Disability.

In June 2018, we launched our second Accessibility Action Plan (2018 - 2020) detailing the specific steps needed to improve the accessibility of Coles’ stores, sites, workplaces and digital assets. The Plan was developed with support from the Australian Network on Disability (AND) and highlights our commitments to improve the shopping experience of all Australians and the working conditions of team members with a disability (or who are associated with someone with a disability).

Our Accessibility Action Plan focusses on three key areas:

• Community and Engagement;
• Great Place to Work; and
• Products and Services.

We also take part in the Access and Inclusion Index. Created by AND, the Index measures an organisation’s maturity on its journey to be accessible and inclusive to people with disability and helps us focus on initiatives that make the most difference.

We offer Quiet Hour in many of our Coles supermarkets across Australia every Tuesday between 10:30-11:30am. Quiet Hour involves reduced noise, lighting and distractions in-store, making it easier for customers who find it challenging to shop in a heightened sensory environment.

Gender balance continues to be a focus area across the Coles Group. Our aim is to promote gender balance across all levels and areas of the company, ensuring that all team members have access to the same opportunities to build great careers at Coles.

In addition to company-wide gender balance initiatives, there are also particular initiatives aimed at improving gender balance within specific business and functional areas.

We are making year on year progress to meet our goal of achieving 40 per cent representation of women in leadership positions at an organisational level and at least 30 per cent representation of any gender at an overall functional level by 2023.

Coles reports to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency in accordance with the requirements of the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. You can find our Workplace Gender Equality Reports here .

Our Pride pillar aims to create a supportive environment for all team members to feel empowered to be themselves at work every day. We focus on important Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) topics, driving awareness, education, engagement and behavioural change.

Pride at Coles, our LGBTI group, is focused on four key areas: internal policies, communication, community engagement and internal events.

Coles has partnered with Pride in Diversity, Australia's first and only national not-for-profit employer support program for all aspects of LGBTI workplace inclusion. This partnership is helping us to drive positive change across our four focus areas.

We strongly believe that flexible working improves team members’ wellbeing, job satisfaction, engagement and performance which ultimately creates a better experience for our customers. We encourage our leaders to create an environment where all team members can request to work flexibly to help them achieve their personal commitments or goals and know that their request will be considered.

We provide team members and managers with resources to make it easier for them to have conversations about flexible working. We have also established a Flexibility IT Working Group to review and update IT infrastructure to continue to improve team members’ ability to work remotely.

We are proud to be Australia’s largest private-sector employer of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As at 28 June 2020, we employed more than 4,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across our stores, store support centres and distribution centres, representing 3.8% of Coles team members.

Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement plan , launched in 2011, sets out Coles’ vision to reflect the communities in which we live and work by providing more opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, organisations, communities and customers to engage with our business. The plan focuses on three key areas – employment, products and services, and customers and community.

Underpinning the plan is a focus on cultural learning and respect, ensuring that as a business, we continue to value and increase understanding and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge and rights.
 

This artwork was created by Indigenous artist Marcus Lee to represent Coles' connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities throughout Australia and the commitment and support of these communities through Coles Indigenous initiatives.

The artwork features open cut bush tomatoes which represent growth within communities as well as horticultural opportunities leading to sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enterprises. The pathways represent the fostering of Coles relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations to make a real difference.

The terms and conditions of employment of more than 90 per cent of Coles’ team members are set through collective agreements. We recognise the right of team members to negotiate either individually or collectively, with or without the involvement of third parties. Coles’ collective agreements include provisions for notice periods and provisions for consultation and negotiation.