‘Culture starts at the top.’ It’s a well-worn phrase but encapsulates an important truth. In my 25 years of advocating for women in the meat and food manufacturing industry, I have found the most progressive, inclusive and commercially successful companies to have CEOs and MDs who are personally committed to creating a workplace where everyone can thrive.
Increasingly, however, the difference between high-performing and struggling teams isn’t senior leaders – it’s middle managers. Our 2026 Gender Representation Report, which draws on almost 1,000 employee survey responses as well as in-depth interviews with HR and business leaders, reveals a striking gap between food manufacturers that are continuing to make progress on gender balance and those that are stalling. A common factor? Middle management.
Middle managers set the weather for company culture. They interpret leadership intent, champion talent and approve – or deny – requests for flexible working. With the right training and incentives, they are engines of progress. Without them, they become gatekeepers with the power to kill off inclusion initiatives and derail talented women’s careers.
This came through loud and clear in our research. An “old boys club” attitude persists among many middle managers and supervisors, one woman working in food manufacturing told us, making it hard for women to feel supported and respected day to day.
“Throughout my time working, I have seen a shift in managers’ assumptions,” another woman said. “However, I still feel as though I have to face more barriers and assumptions than male colleagues.”
Defaulting to old behaviours
Operational pressures only make this worse. Food manufacturing is demanding work and stressed middle managers are likely to default to old behaviours. One common problem our research identified is opportunities going to “familiar names” – when managers are under pressure, they over-rely on people who are already visible, confident, similar to them or have established relationships. Capable individuals who are quieter, less connected or working flexibly end up being overlooked, despite having just as much potential.
Poor ownership and accountability compound the problem. Gender balance and inclusion are too often seen by middle managers as “HR’s job” rather than business-critical issues that require their personal involvement. A lack of training and fear of “doing or saying the wrong thing” can prevent managers from taking action even when they want to.
This may sound like an intimidating list of challenges, but food manufacturers don’t need radical initiatives or expensive programmes to address the problem. Interventions don’t need to be complex. It could start with something as simple as requiring middle managers to attend and actively participate in events that promote training and development opportunities for women.
Scripts, checklists, micro-skills and peer learning sessions – to recognise unconscious bias in feedback and evaluations, or improve communication skills – are also effective. Our findings suggest managers gain confidence to intervene when they’ve had short, scenario-based practice rather than long training programmes.
Menopause awareness training also comes consistently: women tell us they want their line managers to take the issue seriously and demonstrate a genuine desire to learn.
Creating a sense of allyship
Food manufacturers that implement such initiatives are more likely to thrive. At top-performing companies, women report feeling a “strong sense of allyship, even if you’re not in the room” and have more confidence to put themselves forward for opportunities. Middle managers at these organisations actively build diverse talent pipelines, spot potential early and create opportunities for visibility and progression.
Senior leaders tell us that interventions targeted at middle managers lead to significant improvement in relationships between female employees and managers, greater consistency across sites, and ultimately better talent retention and operational performance.
Clear vision and strategic direction from the c-suite will always matter. But food manufacturers must not underestimate the critical role played by middle managers in creating an inclusive, high-performing industry.
Culture may start at the top, but it lives or dies in the middle.
Laura Ryan is founder and global chair of Meat Business Women
No comments yet