In 2019, Coles Group, one of Australia’s largest supermarket chains, embarked on an ambitious journey to transform its approach to disability inclusion.
Recognising the need for expert guidance and authentic perspectives, Coles Group chose to partner with Get Skilled Access (GSA). We are a leading disability inclusion consultancy with a unique approach that blends lived experience of disability with deep consulting expertise to drive meaningful change. This powerful collaboration has blossomed into a multi-year partnership, yielding significant improvements across Coles Group’s operations and setting new standards for disability awareness and inclusion in the Australian retail industry.
This case study explores the key initiatives, strategies, and outcomes of this remarkable partnership, showcasing Coles Group’s commitment to creating a more welcoming and accessible environment for both customers and employees with disability.
Our partnership with Coles Group began by providing disability inclusion consultancy services. A cornerstone of this initial work was developing and launching four disability confidence training videos for Coles’ customer-facing team members.
This training sought to empower staff with the knowledge and confidence to effectively support customers with disability, fostering greater disability awareness at the frontlines of customer service. By year’s end, over 40,000 team members had completed the training, including 94% of service team members.
Source: 2020 Sustainability Report
In 2020, Coles Group further solidified its dedication to fostering a truly inclusive environment by establishing a bold objective: to have 90% of its customer-facing team members complete GSA-developed disability confidence training by the end of 2023. This ambitious target underscores Coles’ unwavering commitment to creating a workplace and shopping experience that welcomes people with disability.
In 2021, Coles Group and GSA continued to build on their initial successes. The disability confidence training program was further refined and expanded to reach an even larger number of team members.
By investing in comprehensive training for its team members, Coles Group not only enhances its ability to provide exceptional service to customers with disability but also cultivates a culture of empathy, understanding, and respect throughout its organisation.
Source: 2021 Sustainability Report
In 2022, GSA and Coles Group partnered on the RecruitAble pilot program, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at increasing employment opportunities for Australians with disability. This collaboration involved identifying existing vacant positions within Coles’ technology arm that could be filled by candidates with disability. To support this effort, GSA provided targeted disability inclusive recruitment training to Coles Group recruiters and hiring managers, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to create a more inclusive hiring process. This initiative further strengthened Coles Group’s commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.
During the launch of RecruitAble, then Coles Group CEO Steven Cain emphasised the company’s dedication to being a champion for accessibility and disability inclusion, stating, “We encourage and support the employment of people with disability and we’re committed to building a team that’s representative of the local communities we’re part of. We know that more than 3% of our workforce identify as having disability and we want to ensure that our management team take our learnings from this pilot to help our disability hiring acumen across Coles Group more broadly, and ultimately seek to increase the number of people with a disability that we hire.”
The year 2023 marked a significant step forward in Coles Group’s journey towards greater inclusivity. The partnership with GSA deepened, focusing on enhancing the accessibility of Coles Own Brand products. GSA conducted extensive research, including focus groups with individuals with diverse disabilities, to gain firsthand insights into the challenges they faced when interacting with everyday products. The valuable feedback from these focus groups, coupled with a comprehensive desktop review of global best practices in accessible design, informed the redesign of 45 Coles Own Brand products!
These redesigns, driven by direct input from people with varied disabilities, aimed to address specific barriers identified by users, making the products easier to open, use, and understand. As one participant eloquently put it, “These changes aren’t just about making products accessible; they’re about making us feel seen, heard, and valued.” The initiative showcased Coles’ dedication to ensuring that its products are not only high-quality and affordable but also accessible and inclusive for all Australians.
By the end of 2023, Coles had surpassed its goal, with over 90% of customer-facing team members having completed disability confidence training. This achievement highlights the company’s unwavering commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where both customers and employees with disability feel welcomed and valued.
Source: 2023 Sustainability Report
“One of the things we started was disability confidence training because so many of the team felt a bit afraid going up to someone and asking if they needed help… We wanted to grow their confidence and now over 90% of our team have completed that training and it is now mandatory.”
The ongoing partnership between GSA and Coles Group exemplifies a shared commitment to creating a more accessible and inclusive environment for customers and employees. Through various initiatives and a collaborative approach, GSA has helped Coles Group make significant strides in improving accessibility, fostering inclusivity, and enhancing the overall customer experience. This case study serves as a testament to the power of collaboration and the positive impact that can be achieved when organisations prioritise disability inclusion and awareness.
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