Ebrahim Mukadam is the managing director of LWC Drinks
I have always considered LWC to be an inclusive and diverse company to both work for and with. But as the business has grown, it has become more important than ever that we continue to bolster our commitment to DE&I and deliver real, tangible progress.
The past 12 months have been incredibly busy for us with new acquisitions, new products, new projects and new people. Throughout this period, our focus on DE&I has also become sharper and more targeted, with the rollout of new policies and initiatives that aim to build an even more inclusive LWC.
So, what have we been up to? One area we have put a razor-sharp focus on over the past year is the progression, inclusion and support of women within LWC, and the drinks industry in general. The first step we made was to update our parental leave policy to better support new parents and families during those crucial first few months of parenthood.
We then went on to launch our own internal Women’s Network – an initiative I am incredibly proud of – creating a supportive and inclusive community where more than 100 male and female colleagues connect regularly to listen, learn, collaborate and support one another, without any fear or judgement. We hosted our first big ‘in-person’ event in March to celebrate International Women’s Day, where network members from across the country travelled up to Manchester to spend a day connecting, networking and learning from a line-up of incredible, inspiring speakers. As a firm ally and support of the network, I felt honoured that I was able to both open and close the event, and am thoroughly looking forward to the next one.
Something else I’m equally proud of is the fact that we are also about to roll out free sustainable ‘TOTM’ period products across each of our depots. To ensure women never have to face any uncomfortable circumstances around their time of the month, when at work or at home, we are going to place these free provisions in all our toilet facilities and constantly replenish.
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Alongside these internal developments, we also signed Budweiser Brewing Group’s #ITSTOPSWITHME pledge to stamp out discrimination of any kind within the hospitality and drinks industry. As part of this, we conducted our own survey to gain a better understanding of the experiences of our colleagues around this topic and took away a number of learnings to build upon.
We have also been looking at how we better connect with and support our colleagues that don’t operate online as part of their day-to-day role. How do we make sure they feel included, how do we better support their needs and how do we make them feel connected with the rest of the business? Typically, these are colleagues working right at the coalface, ensuring our customers receive the best service possible, day in, day out. From drivers and second men to pickers and packers, these are the people that keep the cogs turning and are the backbone of the business.
We recently launched an internal communication, recognition, discount and rewards platform called ‘Cheers!’, which everyone in the business has access to. Colleagues simply log in with their own unique ID and instantly gain access to thousands of discounts with their favourite retailers and brands. Whether it’s money off their weekly shop or discounted family days out, we encourage everyone at LWC to make the most of the discounts on offer, to save money where they can. We also encourage everyone to use the platform to connect with, recognise and reward each other. From an e-card saying ‘job well done!’, a simple ‘happy birthday’ message or through the allocation of Cheers! ‘credit’, everyone has the opportunity to connect and cheer on one another.
DE&I isn’t just a tick box and once it’s done, it’s done. It’s a culture, and something that must be continually built upon and embedded across all facets and levels of the business. With so much more in the pipeline for LWC, I truly feel confident in saying that we are building a business for everyone. And as clichéd as it might seem for a family-owned business to say that we are ‘one big family’ at LWC, we really are.
