FEATURE
Empowerment – the Women’ s Network Group has become one of PD Ports’ most influential employee communities since its launch in 2024.
Protection – PD Ports has worked with suppliers across the country to find PPE suitable for women.
such as PPE designed for male bodies, few facilities for women or a lack of visible role models.
The group has tackled the PPE issue head on, working with suppliers across the country to find PPE suitable for women of all shapes and sizes, across all roles.
Patti says:“ Women’ s bodies are different – that’ s not a problem to work around, it’ s a reality to cater for.
“ For too long there’ s been a one-sizefits-all approach. I’ m so proud to have been involved in helping to tackle the issue at PD Ports – we’ re now in a place where every woman in the company can order properly fitting, safe PPE, just like the men can.”
Just as importantly, the network has created space for mentoring, informal support and shared learning across departments – connecting women who might otherwise never work together to encourage career development.
The encouragement to consider operational and leadership roles for women across the business has become a key element of PD Ports’ commitment to developing talent from within.
Visibility and ally-ship For LGBTQIA + colleagues, allyship is often about a sense of belonging.
The company’ s Pride Network Group has a renewed focus on accessibility, communication and collaboration across the business.
The group’ s work centres on creating a supportive space for colleagues and allies, while also influencing how inclusive practice shows up in policies, language and internal communications.
By encouraging teams to think differently about the words they use, the emphasis is on small changes that can make a big difference.
Group lead, PMO manager Katie Jones, said:“ We’ re aiming to build a space where LGBTQIA + colleagues and allies feel supported and included across the organisation.
“ It’ s a space where people can speak openly about their journey, their experiences and their needs within the business.”
The group, which is sponsored by business unit director- warehousing Chris Leonard, has hosted training, including Proud Allies training, as a chance for people across the organisation to listen, learn and build confidence in supporting one another.
Different thinking The Neurodiversity Network Group marks another important step in PD Ports’ inclusion journey, recognising that diversity comes in many forms.
An estimated one-in-five people are neurodivergent, which means understanding different ways of thinking, learning and processing information is increasingly vital in complex operational environments.
Led by subject matter expert – accounts payable Amy Sullivan, and supported by chief operating officer Paul Foreman, the group is focused on awareness, advocacy and practical support – from promoting assistive tools to influencing workplace design and processes.
By working alongside other network groups and external partners, the group argues that inclusion works best when it is built in by design, not added on as an afterthought.
A sense of belonging For PD Ports’ chief people and compliance officer Michelle Robson, the company’ s commitment to supporting colleagues through inclusion and wellbeing is central to its future successes.
She says:“ Inclusion is not about labels or one-off initiatives. We want to see real change where it’ s needed to make sure people feel secure and supported at work – to know they have someone to talk to and are empowered to make real change happen.
“ It’ s important that the network groups are colleague-led, which means they’ re tackling the issues people across the group really care about.
“ Our work around inclusion is also a commitment to the next generation – we want to show young people they belong here at PD Ports.
“ We have proud traditions as a business and a sector, but we’ re even prouder to be a workplace that’ s welcoming to everyone.”
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