Coles is recruiting thousands of team members to help move more stock into stores and onto supermarket shelves, as COVID-related supply chain issues continue to impact the availability of essential food and groceries.
New recruits are being fast-tracked into Coles stores and distribution centres to help existing team members replenish stores quicker and address ongoing product shortages seen across the country.
To supplement the efforts of Coles’ own recruitment team, Coles has partnered with external employment service providers including Jobs Victoria to help identify suitable candidates and fill thousands of roles including in online order fulfilment, stock replenishment, customer service, order delivery, distribution centre operations and forklift drivers.
Con Hondrogiannis, an order picker and forklift driver at Coles’ Laverton distribution centre, began working at Coles during the pandemic after registering with Jobs Victoria and said he would recommend anyone looking for work to do the same.
“This has been the best job I’ve ever had in my life”, said Hondrogiannis, adding that he enjoys working with the diverse group of team members at Coles.
“The job is financially and physically rewarding and they provide good opportunities to grow,” he said.
Coles has also offered additional shifts to eligible team members, providing them with an opportunity to earn extra income, and training them in new skills so that they can work in different roles when needed to cover for colleagues in isolation.
Kevin Gunn, Executive General Manager of Central Operations and Transformation at Coles, said the recruitment drive would help Coles to recover from the supply chain issues of recent weeks.
“Every part of the food supply chain has seen increased numbers of staff isolating, from farmers, food processors and the transport sector to our distribution centres and stores – and the end result has been fewer products available for customers,” Gunn said.
“Our team members are working very hard but they need extra help. So we’re looking forward to welcoming thousands of new recruits to our stores and distribution centres to help us fill our shelves as quickly as possible,” he said.
Source: Coles