HOW WE’RE CREATING A WORKPLACE WHERE EVERYONE’S WELCOME AT COCA-COLA EUROPACIFIC PARTNERS
Julie Thomas, Director, Inclusion and Diversity at Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP)
The pandemic has impacted the way we live and work and at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), we recognise this is an opportunity to assess how we’re faring as a business from an inclusion and diversity perspective, but also to identify how we can push ourselves further. We want to create a workplace where everyone’s welcome to be themselves, feels valued and that they belong. We believe that a diverse workforce is what creates truly great work.
Inclusion is about how we welcome and create a culture where everyone, whatever their background or experience, feels accepted and valued and can contribute to the success of the business. Diversity, on the other hand, is the mix of all the great things that make each of us unique, be it age, heritage, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability – the list goes on. People feel they belong more when we all value these differences.
To accelerate our Everyone’s Welcome philosophy, we are guided by four focus areas at CCEP:
1
PROMOTE ACCOUNTABILITY
Having a key sponsor is crucial to getting initiatives off the ground. An Executive Leadership Team member is a lead sponsor for each one of our diversity dimensions (Culture & Heritage, Disability, Gender, LGBT+ and Multi-Generations), who is committed to removing barriers to inclusion and diversity. Supported by fully representative groups from all levels of the company across Europe, they identify meaningful actions that reflect the experiences of our people to drive positive change across our business.
2
EMBED AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE
Collating feedback across all levels of the businesses is important in addressing issues and concerns across the spectrum. Our ‘In Your Shoes’ listening sessions are open to all, amplifying the voices of under-represented groups in particular. Run by our I&D lead sponsors, the regular sessions seek to encourage participants to share their experiences in a safe environment, so that actions taken resonate and make a difference for everyone.
The programme also encourages everyone to share their personal stories and reflections, promote conversations and create confidence in a long and thriving career at CCEP, safe in the knowledge that the business values the strength that the uniqueness its people bring.
3
ESTABLISH DIVERSE LEADERSHIP AND PIPELINES
Diverse teams lead to more successful business outcomes. There’s a wealth of external research that demonstrates a clear link between diverse teams, improved wellbeing and greater performance. We also know that it’s important for people to ‘see’ themselves at every level of the company. We set an initial target to have 40% women in senior management and above roles by 2025 and we continue to improve on that target, at almost 36% currently, and we are exploring metrics for our other diversity dimensions.
We want to promote the free flow of talent and to do that we have introduced ‘Inclusion Nudges’. These are simple interventions that encourage managers to consider the bias that can playout during key career moments like talent discussions, interviews and performance reviews, and nudge them towards a more inclusive mindset. We believe changing these habits will have a profound impact.
4
BE DRIVERS FOR CHANGE
Creating open channels of communication is important to reach as many people as possible. Across CCEP, everyone knows they are responsible for upholding our inclusion and diversity philosophy. Our colleagues are empowered to educate, celebrate and inspire each other through the company-wide Redline channel, where real people share real news and experiences.
We have created Allyship Guides to support conversations on topics from race and ethnicity, to disability, as we know that collaboration and connection are core to a thriving and inclusive workplace.
Our Board and leadership team recognise that real inclusion means embracing and valuing everyone. This requires continued commitment and change across CCEP and this can be achieved by engaging all corners of the business. We can only be changemakers by taking every voice into account.
We spoke to three of CCEP’s current and former apprentices to hear about their experience of working at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. They have undertaken just some of the wide range of apprenticeships CCEP offers, bringing them a diverse range of opportunities within the company.
SAMAH RAFIQ
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION APPRENTICE, CCEP, 2019-PRESENT
“I joined the CCEP team in 2019. I really liked the idea of working whilst also gaining a qualification, as this would give me the best of both worlds. Having the opportunity to do six-month rotations in different departments also caught my attention.
“My first rotation within my apprenticeship was in planning where I was given the responsibility to order materials. My role in supply chain is a critical part of the business and each of the roles I learn in my apprenticeship are key to production. Since returning to site, I have started my second rotation in the QESH department (Quality, Environment, Safety and Health) – I analyse and extract data from different reports, creating quality checks for manufacturing lines.
“My apprenticeship has boosted my confidence due to talking and liaising with many different people across the organisation. Presenting to local MP James Brokenshire and CCEP Vice President & General Manager of GB at the opening of our new production line was a huge achievement.
“I’m passionate about advocating apprenticeships and opportunities for BAME Women in Supply Chain. I’m the first in my family to do an apprenticeship and I’m keen to demonstrate that going to university is not the only option. I want to break down stereotypes, which is why I’m getting involved in many different work opportunities – and I’m only in my first year! For example, I’ve set up a skills matrix to analyse skills gaps in the production team and have had the opportunity to be a Just Be Ambassador, promoting inclusion and diversity.”
TOBY SINGH,
ENGINEERING APPRENTICE, CCEP,
2014-2018
“Since joining CCEP in 2014, I have stretched my skills and knowledge so much further than I anticipated. I graduated from my first apprenticeship with CCEP in 2018 and have now started studying for a degree apprenticeship in Engineering Manufacturing Design. Because of my first apprenticeship with CCEP I was able to be fast tracked into the second year of the degree, which for me is a big achievement.
“In year one of my first apprenticeship I got to learn both in the classroom about the basic fundamentals of engineering, and hands-on with tools and electrical circuits. In my second and third years, I worked four days a week in the East Kilbride factory in Scotland and attended college one day a week to continue learning. I was given a buddy who worked in a different area, meaning I learnt more about the business, as well as learning alternative techniques I could apply to my job.
“In fourth year, I was trusted with more responsibilities, allowing me to test everything I had learnt over the past three years. By the time I finished the apprenticeship I was able to work independently as an engineer on the lines.
“When the Capri-Sun lines were installed in the East Kilbride factory I was offered a full-time role. I have loved seeing the sustainable changes that have been made, including the introduction of paper straws to remove plastic waste. It is a really rewarding job to have around my studies.”
DAVANA TOMKIN-SALMON,
INBOUND SALES REPRESENTATIVE APPRENTICE, 2017-2018
“I completed my apprenticeship in Sales and Management with CCEP in 2018, and I’m now working for them as an outside sales rep. My job allows me to be based all around the UK and I love meeting all the suppliers and putting my pitching skills to the test.
“When CCEP came to my school to talk about the apprenticeships they offered, I was really interested in working straight away and gaining a well-recognised qualification at the same time.
“I was really excited about the responsibility I would be given as this was my first job, and I was intrigued about the opportunities it could offer me in the future. The apprenticeship enabled me to utilise skills I hadn’t explored before and really boosted my confidence. I was pushed outside of my comfort zone, working with people who were much older than me, and I was given responsibility to work on big accounts that are crucial for the business’s success. Once I had mastered the skills required for the job, I was able to put my own flair to it and get creative with my selling skills.
“The skills I learnt during my apprenticeship have been invaluable for my job now; I had to problem solve under pressure, communicate with a wide range of people and use my time effectively. I am hoping in the future I can turn my hand to a different area of the business – I’m confident the skills I have learnt in the last three years will take me far in the future.”
Visit our Early Careers site www.ccep.jobs/earlycareersgb for more information
