I’m a forklift driver: Meet the women in retail who are breaking the bias

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light on talented women in the retail industry who are thriving in categories and roles that are typically male-dominated. From forklift drivers to supply chain managers and working in the auto industry, here are the inspiring stories and insights they shared with Inside Retail.

Gail Lines, forklift driver, Amazon

Can you tell us about your previous work experience and how you began working at Amazon?

Before taking up my role at Amazon, I had been operating machinery at various companies for over 30 years. I’ve been in this line of work for a while, so it’s been great to watch it change and evolve with the times. I’ve been with the team at the Amazon Melbourne fulfilment centre since it opened. I decided to move to Amazon because of the great things I’d heard about the culture, both at the management level and on the floor, in addition to the great opportunities available for employees to upskill in.

What have been some of the interesting insights you’ve observed from working in a male-dominated sector?

I think companies have become more open and willing to hire women into stereotypically male roles. Us women are great at running heavy machinery! In my opinion, we tend to have high attention to detail which is important in this line of work.

What I’ve found is that the more diverse the team, the better. In my years of experience, I’ve seen a real shift towards making sure our teams have a great mix of people. Previously, I’ve worked in roles where men have held the leadership roles in management, whilst females have run the floor. However, it’s important to have different skills and experiences on the team – it makes for an interesting and inclusive culture and encourages the success of women to build their future careers. I feel this is really put into action at Amazon and there is visibility of all genders amongst leadership roles on the team, as well as in more traditionally male-dominated roles.

What have been some of the ways that Amazon has encouraged and supported women in the fulfilment centre?

Amazon has a great system of upskilling new and incoming employees, like offering training to achieve a forklift licence. Having that resource and opportunity really helps women to feel empowered to get involved. Since being with Amazon, I’ve seen several women approached to be trained in operating heavy machinery. It’s incredibly exciting to see these biases being broken and that the encouragement of women into these roles is now just commonplace at Amazon.

We also have a community board inside the fulfilment centre where anyone can contribute their ideas and suggestions on how we could do things better or differently at work. Whether it be team bonding ideas, or operational stuff, anything goes! We all get involved in this because our suggestions are truly listened to, with our managers taking each note into consideration. This is great for those people who prefer to speak their mind in their own time.

At Amazon, the difference lies within the people. The diverse range of women working here, goes beyond gender, and includes people of all different religions, ages, and cultures. It really is a place for everyone. We’re all different but we work as a big team to get the job done. Ultimately we’re all here to put smiles on the faces of Aussie customers as they receive their Amazon packages. I think Amazon has done a great job of making women feel supported by showing that they encourage and value all women – no matter where you’ve come from. As well as creating a culture of diversity and inclusivity for women, working with a diverse group of people allows for broader and different perspectives to feed into an approach, to make holistic decisions.

Stacey Head, founder, Shewears workwear brand

What inspired you to enter the workwear industry despite being one of the few women in it?

My inspiration was actually a worksite accident. I was property developing at the time, and I had a nail go through my foot on one of my builds. After that incident, I searched high and low for a pair of women’s work boots and was absolutely astounded at the lack of choice for women. Most stores or websites only offered men’s boots and women were told to “size down”, however sizing wasn’t the only problem. Boots were extremely heavy, ill fitting and, to be honest, boring! I imported a pair of work boots from the UK and they fell apart in 2 months, and I thought, “Surely I can do better!”

The industry has considerably changed since we entered the market, however there are a lot of “women’s” boots on the market which are still based on a man’s design and just resized. They are still not correctly designed for a woman’s foot, which is anatomically different to a man’s foot.

What have been some of the interesting insights you’ve gathered from working in your industry as a woman?

One of my greatest insights, especially gathered during my time in this industry, is the fact that this world is still made for men! There are still many biases, some subconscious, but it’s hard to believe that in 2022, so many products are still designed with men at the forefront. 

There are many examples of women not being considered correctly, such as crash test dummies. Women are more likely to be hospitalised and more seriously injured after a car accident even though more men are involved in car crashes. Crash test dummies are generally designed on an “average” size male and our weight distribution is very different.  

And then there’s feet! Women’s and men’s feet are anatomically different yet women are still being offered men’s shoes,or shoes are marketed as “unisex”, which actually doesn’t exist (it’s just a man’s foot last or mold). So that’s what our focus and purpose is and where we are passionate about creating change.  

Remya Ramesh, head of digital experience, Coles Group 

What inspired you to enter your industry despite being one of the few women in it?

I grew up in India, and in India everyone does tech. When I moved to Australia, I realised I was one of very few women in my technology class. I studied cyber security, so as you can imagine that’s an extremely niche field in tech. 

At the time. I was one of maybe two or three women in a 60-student cohort. That gender imbalance pushed me to go further into the tech industry because I really wanted to create a space where women can thrive. 

In helping to do so, I created Girl Geek Coffee Club. This is a university level initiative aimed to support, connect, and promote a diverse group of women in tech disciplines through regular forms of discussions, faculty advice, and industry insights. It’s an accidental passion for me. I accidentally fell into tech, and when I came to Australia, I became more passionate about creating a thriving place for women.

Has your sector evolved over time to include more women and what has that journey been like? 

The technology scene 10 years ago was significantly different to how it is now. In my personal experience, the past decade has been fundamental in evolving the sector. An example of this is, ten years ago, we started a group called Ladies that UX, a small collective of female designers in tech coming together to support each other. It started as a team of three and by the time I finished up, we were a team of 2500 women across Melbourne. That really does highlight to me the fact that more women want to enter the design and technology industry and proof it has evolved.

Coles has developed many effective measures and programs to help evolve the technology sector. The Coles Relauncher program aims to help people that have taken periods of absence from work, due to reasons such as parental leave, care giving, or taking on further study, return to the workforce in the technology sector. Additionally, Coles offering a graduate program is hugely effective in evolving the sector. This allows new talent to develop skills in tech and form a career in this industry. The more people we encourage to enter tech, the more it will evolve.

Amy Cowper, general counsel and company secretary, Winning 

Has your sector evolved over time to include more women and what has that journey been like? 

Yes, when I first came out of law school in 2004, it didn’t take long to notice there was a significant number of male lawyers compared to female lawyers, particularly at mid to senior level.  

Although there has been a shift, particularly in recent years with women in leadership roles, including in law, the number is still much lower than men, and I am not convinced it is for lack of wanting.  

I think what has been great to see and be a part of including in our own business, is this incredible movement towards improving diversity and inclusion in the workplace and many companies are benchmarking these numbers and creating policies to deal with diversity, not just gender diversity, but diversity more broadly.  

Aimee Green, head of program management office, Mycar Tyre & Auto

What have been some of the challenges or opportunities that you’ve experienced in your career due to the fact that you’re a woman?

Having worked in multiple male-dominated sectors of the retail industry, the journey hasn’t always been easy. My greatest challenge has been in seeking out role models who truly embrace diversity, including gender. While many leaders adhere to the company line when sharing their views, very few are willing to go out on a limb and truly embrace the challenging conversations at the heart of inclusivity and equality. Being a woman in a male-dominated sector has provided me the opportunity to stand out with a different voice to my peers, even when I haven’t realised it at the time.  

Who have been some of your greatest supporters and heroes in the industry and why?

Recently, I came across the story of Alice Anderson who is Australia’s first female mechanic, who in the 1920s opened the first all-female auto workshop in Melbourne. Alice led an incredible life, and her workshop included a chauffeur service where she even invented a flask to attach to the car radiator to keep her customer’s coffee warm. Alice’s story shows the ingenuity, customer centricity and resourcefulness women bring to the industry. At Mycar, we’re celebrating Alice’s pioneering life and sharing her story with our team this International Women’s Day, to help break the bias.  

Riikka Dunn, central fulfilment unit manager, IKEA Australia

How has your sector evolved over time to include more women and what has that journey been like?

There have been huge changes in the logistics and warehousing industry over the years and it’s been an amazing journey to be on

At Ikea, we’ve had a real focus on ensuring women feel welcome in our workplace. For us, this means a clean, light, and safe warehouse; great canteen; clean and tidy change rooms and amazing co-worker areas.

Also, the work done in the warehouse has changed. We have several different types of roles from picking and packing, driving a forklift, working with the warehouse management system, inventory and systems specialist roles. The work is not about brute force or the traditional idea of truck drivers and huge machinery.

Shedding gender stereotypes and challenging bias takes time, and we still have a big task ahead of us. There needs to be a societal shift, where young girls can see supply chain, warehousing and fulfilment as a career path. I want my daughter to grow up knowing this industry is one of the options for her and she doesn’t need to stick to traditional gender stereotyped careers. We’re leading the way as we get more women in fulfilment at Ikea. But it’s going to take more than one company.

What have been some of the challenges or opportunities that you’ve experienced in your career due to the fact that you’re a woman?

When I first stepped in front of several hundred co-workers to introduce myself as a leader, I’m sure there were some eye rolls and questions. At that stage, the unit was still mostly made up of men and all previous unit managers had been male. As a female leader of a male-dominated unit, I did feel I had to prove myself. I had to show that I was capable of learning quickly, taking decisions, listening to co-workers and wanting to make our workplace great. I’m a ‘roll up your sleeves and muck in’ type, which I’m sure won some people over.

Michelle Robledo, director of operations (fulfilment and logistics), The Iconic 

What inspired you to enter your industry despite being one of the few women in it? 

To be honest, I never thought about being one of the few women in the industry when I first started out 14 years ago. I just love warehousing and processing, and have never really viewed myself as one of a small number of women in the field.

I simply think of myself as exactly that – myself. A woman with a solid work ethic and strong family values. A woman who takes great pride in both my professional and family life. A woman who was inspired to enter warehousing because I love working with customers. My number one goal has always been a happy customer. I’m proud of being a leader of culturally-diverse and gender-diverse teams, and of leading them to achieve success. Having just reached eight years at The Iconic Fulfilment Centre, I take great pride in reflecting on my ongoing contribution to The Iconic’s continued success.

Jessica Abraham, marketing manager, Cricks new and used car retailer

What inspired you to enter your industry despite being one of the few women in it?

I saw an opportunity to really do something different in this industry; I knew it would be a challenge and that’s what I wanted. Not only is automotive very male-dominated, but it’s very traditional in the way it’s operated and marketed, particularly when it comes to the customer’s digital retailing experience. I knew I could bring something to the industry that it hadn’t seen before and make a real impact, but I needed to be something different in order to do that.

What have been some of the interesting insights you’ve gathered from working in your industry as a woman? 

Working in a male-dominated industry has really shown me the different ways that we communicate, work together and lead. Prior to this role, I have always worked with and for women, and looking back, I can recognise that often we would discuss things in far more detail and length, were more sensitive to conflict or questions or we would take a long time to get to our point because we’re over-contextualising or analysing the topic. 

I’ve found working with men much different, and while it was definitely an adjustment at first, I have become more confident in myself and what I have to say, and am conscious of communicating much more clearly and concisely, without all of the emotion or explanation. Working with men has taught me to back myself, without justifying why someone needs to believe me.

Sophie Hopkins, founder, BITS lingerie

Why do you think the lingerie industry has been mostly led by men in the past and what are some of the problems with that system?

I think the lingerie industry is no different to any other, where due to a combination of traditional gender roles and a lack of affordable childcare, senior roles have historically been held by men.

Probably the most notable example within the lingerie industry is Victoria’s Secret; a male-founded brand with a team of male executives. There is no doubt that Victoria’s Secret is one of lingerie’s biggest success stories, and they really did build an incredible brand, however as society evolved, they quickly lost relevance and their connection with the customer. It makes you wonder, if they had more women involved in strategic decisions, would the same outcome have occurred?

A lot of research has been done on the benefits of diversity (of all kinds) in leadership, however when it comes to male-led lingerie brands specifically, I think the key risk is a lack of genuine understanding of the customer. When you are the customer you are serving, you innately have an understanding of the problems the customer experiences and therefore have a head start on finding the products to help solve them. I think this is true of any product or category, irrespective of gender. In most instances, the most successful brands are founded or led by people who use and advocate for that product or service.

Without that innate customer and product understanding, you can see how it may be easy for brands to miss the mark. I think this is the reason lingerie has been presented through a male gaze for so long, with many businesses offering what they “think” women want, rather than the products, service and experience women “actually” want.

Having said that, the lingerie category (and intimates space more broadly) is in such an exciting place right now. There are so many brands advocating to change the conversation around intimates, there are more women in leadership roles and there are bespoke and independent female-founded brands like NICO by Lis Harvey, Peach by Emily Redmond and Rosewell by Alisha Williams, to name just a few.

It’s one of the reasons we were drawn to the industry; there’s a lot happening and it’s an exciting time of change and innovation and we want to be part of that change.

Who have been some of your greatest supporters and heroes in the industry and why?

I’ve been fortunate to have worked closely with so many inspiring female leaders – from Jo Horgan at Mecca to Tania Austin at Decjuba. I’d also like to shout out to two incredible leaders: Lisa Rogers from the Cotton On Group and executive coach Naomi Harrison. 

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