ZF considers Diversity & Inclusion as one of the fundamental tenets of its corporate principles. The current transformation within the automotive industry and learnings from a challenging pandemic year are strong reminders of the importance of highly diverse and inclusive teams and their impact on long-term innovation, employee satisfaction and business success. Against this background, ZF reinforces its commitment to Diversity through new Key Performance Indicators and a global approach to Diversity & Inclusion.
Sabine Jaskula, member of the Board responsible for HR and Legal, said: “Diverse leadership and teams are essential for helping us to anticipate change, bring new ideas and make the right decisions for the benefit of the whole company. As a technology company operating in a rapidly changing industry and a highly complex environment, embracing diversity is a must to keep us at the forefront of innovation and master the changes ahead of us.”
Therefore, ZF has set new targets in certain areas. “For example, our ambition is to increase the share of female leaders in management positions globally midterm to 20 percent and focus on improving the ethnic diversity of candidates in the workforce. At present, we are already above this quota in some markets, but we want to balance this out across the globe,” said Jaskula.
To help further our goals of building a diverse workforce, ZF recently expanded its Diversity team with a new global function for Diversity (led from the US) and respective teams across the globe. The team is focusing on driving a more diverse mindset across the company – supporting them with initiatives such as dedicated training sessions to reduce unconscious bias, a ZF Diversity Guide which includes various training and materials, and more.
Jaskula continued: “Our renewed focus on Diversity is the right step towards an inclusive workplace reflecting the world’s diversity. It’s key to foster innovation and mastering our business transformation. It’s about building and nurturing a culture where inclusiveness is a reflex, not just an initiative.”
ZF recently partnered with the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion and Advancement (CADIA) to advance its culture of diversity, equity and inclusion within the US. ZF has also been a long-term partner with Charta der Vielfalt in Germany. These associations emphasize ZF’s commitment to improving its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). It will rely on these associations to provide tools, training and forums for discussions around DEI while helping ZF to celebrate diverse talent, drive systematic change and achieve its diversity and inclusion goals in the coming years.