Warehouse work presents a range of discrimination-related risks linked to subcontracting, precarious employment and fragmented supply chains. Outsourced and agency-based models can create unequal treatment between workers performing similar roles, particularly where different contractual arrangements result in disparities in pay, conditions and access to benefits.
Precarious employment reinforces discrimination, as workers in temporary or agency roles – disproportionately migrants, women or younger workers – have limited access to training, progression opportunities and representation. This entrenches occupational segregation and unequal treatment within the same workplace.
Isolation, lone working and highly individualised roles, increasingly shaped by digital management systems, further obscure discriminatory practices and reduce opportunities to raise concerns or seek support. Language barriers and unequal access to information can also limit awareness of rights and protections.
Discrimination is also built into the physical workplace. PPE designed for an average male physique, and sanitation facilities that are insufficient, unsafe or lack privacy, create unsafe conditions for women and a barrier to inclusion.
Together, these factors produce systemic inequalities in warehouses, affecting fairness, inclusion and workforce cohesion, and creating legal and reputational risks for companies operating in logistics supply chains.
For more on discrimination, see the Risks Across Transport guidance.