Providing women with opportunities for advancement and a clear path for growth can help improve the industry's gender gap, according to Alicia Copeland, vice president of operations for Standard Supply and Distributing Co. Inc., Dallas, TX, in ‘Time to Act’ on Distribution Diversity.
Women in distribution often hold administrative roles. While these positions are essential for operations, they are viewed as "cost centers not revenue centers" and do not provide many opportunities for advancement, according to Copeland, who is also co-author of the Texas A&M University women in distribution study.
“For men, they can start out in the warehouse, move to a counter position, then to inside sales, outside sales and so on. There’s a path for them to advance,” she says. “For women who start in accounting, that’s just not a skill set that is valued in distribution. They’re not likely to become CEO. There’s no path for them to follow.”
Not providing advancement options across the company not only makes a company less attractive, it can lead to losing current employees to better opportunities and overlooking qualified candidates for open positions.
Read more about the importance of taking a proactive stance on workplace diversity in ‘Time to Act’ on Distribution Diversity.
