Diversity and inclusion: People first at Filshill
New diversity, equity and inclusion committee reflects wholesaler’s commitment to its people
As Filshill’s commitment to staff wellbeing is widely recognised as industry leading, creating a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committee was a logical next step for the foodservice wholesaler.
“At Filshill, prioritising people has always been part of our family business ethos,” says Sue Man, group marketing manager and DEI lead, as she explains the culture of the Glasgow-based wholesaler.
“The DEI committee originated from employee suggestions during wellbeing committee meetings, where issues like Pride month and inclusive practices for neurodiverse individuals were raised,” she continues. “This signalled to us that DEI was an area our colleagues felt strongly about.
“As we delved deeper, it became clear hat the wide scope of DEI warranted a dedicated committee and concentrated efforts to truly make a difference. We are still in the initial phases but we are committed to setting new standards and being DEI pioneers in the sector.”
With an ambitious three-year plan, Filshill has already made significant inroads, including the following DEI actions in 2024:
- Creation of a DEI and wellbeing calendar
- DEI topics added to monthly colleague newsletter
- Compulsory DEI courses for all colleagues (plus extra courses for all line managers) introduced through a training portal
- Celebrating events across various cultures, including providing themed products for Lunar New Year and dates and protein drinks for all colleagues as well as Click & Collect customers for their iftar
- Sessions on adult autism delivered to colleagues, with sessions on racism planned for later in the year
- Gender neutral toilets added to Westway.
“The sessions delivered by Hope for Autism were scheduled to fit our teams’ different shift patterns and colleague feedback has been very positive,” said Sue.
“The team from Hope said this was the biggest male audience they’ve ever presented to, which shows its relevance for our colleagues.”
Diversity and Inclusion Diversity in Wholesale JW Filshill Sue Man wellbeing
