2023 ESG Report
Representation
We are building a culture that is inclusive of all people living in Canada. One where our colleagues and employees can be who they are. Where discrimination is denounced. Where we break barriers so that everyone can thrive.
As we deliver on our goal of being Canada’s most diverse and inclusive employer, we will provide transparency on our progress towards our representation targets. As of 2023, we have achieved:
39% of executive roles represented by women (on track to achieve 40% by 2024)
46% of management roles represented by women, exceeding our 2024 goal of 43%
28% of executive roles represented by visible minorities, exceeding our 2024 goal of 25%
32% of management roles represented by visible minorities (exceeding our 2024 goal of 30%).
DEI governance
Education and training
We are making Loblaw a more representative workforce at leadership levels and creating a culture of empathy and inclusion by training our entire workforce on priorities like inclusiveness and allyship.
Since 2021, over 166,000 of our colleagues completed two courses covering fundamental DEI topics – Building a Culture of Inclusion and Being an Ally, well on our way to achieving our goal of 200,000 by the end of 2024
Employee programs and resources
Loblaw employs Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practitioners who lead and support DEI programs and consult with our organization. They work alongside an Inclusion Council of more than 20 senior leaders who meet regularly to discuss ways to advance DEI, and report routinely to Loblaw’s Management Board and Board of Directors.
Each of our Inclusion Council members meet frequently with their own committee as a divisional lead or executive sponsor for one of our four employee resource groups (ERG):
ABLE
Embrace Your Roots
Go Further Women
PROUD
Championing disability inclusion
ABLE at Loblaw
ABLE at Loblaw acts as a voice and support centre for hiring people with disabilities. ABLE monitors representation and accessibility in our business, celebrate the unique abilities of people with disabilities, and educates leaders on hiring and managing people with disabilities.
To improve inclusive experiences for our customers, we continued with two pilot programs to provide a more accessible in-store experience:
Leveraging loop system technology¹ to provide a more inclusive experience for customers using hearing devices and;
Utilizing a booking service to allow customers with disabilities to pre-book an appointment to have dedicated assistance when shopping.
¹ Loop system uses hearings aid technology to cut out background noise.
Anti-racism and celebrating cultural diversity
Embrace Your Roots at Loblaw
Embrace Your Roots is the multicultural and Indigenous colleague resource group. It celebrates the many cultural backgrounds that exist in our business and promotes the importance of having multiculturalism at all levels of our organization.
Since 2020, representation of members of visible minorities or racialized groups increased 7% in executive positions and 11% in management.
Gender equity and advancing women
Go Further Women at Loblaw
Go Further Women focuses on empowering women of all backgrounds to realize their full potential and grow their careers at Loblaw.
Since setting new goals in 2020, representation of women in executive positions and management have increased 5% and 3%, respectively.
Our focus on new talent is enabling us to build a more gender diverse pipeline. In 2023, 50% of our interns and 63% of Loblaw Scholarship recipients identified as women. Plus, 45% of executive successors identified as women, as did 44% of Top Talent.
2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive spaces
PROUD at Loblaw
PROUD at Loblaw’s mandate is to create a positive space where colleagues of all genders and sexual orientations feel welcomed and can be their authentic selves to enable them to contribute fully.
We've implemented several initiatives to create a more inclusive space for colleagues and customers, including:
Encouraging store colleagues to add pronouns to their uniform badges
Expanding inclusive washroom signage across the store network
Modifying business applications to support name changes for transitioning colleagues
Indigenous reconciliation
In 2022, we updated our commitments and actions for Truth and Reconciliation with a focus on:
Building allyship through education
Championing employment of Indigenous peoples
Driving the wellbeing and economic development of Indigenous peoples and communities
To support and celebrate the accomplishments of Indigenous women, we again sponsored the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) Indigenous Women in Leadership Award.
We continue to work closely with CCAB to help build stronger representation of Indigenous business within our supplier network.
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