Employee Diversity and Inclusion

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We embrace diversity and inclusion at every level of the company, and take pride in a workforce that reflects the communities in which we live and work. The different backgrounds, opinions, experiences and perspectives of our employees make us a stronger business, and help to foster a truly collaborative workplace.

“We recognize that having a diverse and inclusive workforce allows us to leverage a wider range of innovative ideas to make our customers’ lives better.”

Felicia Fields,Group Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Services, Ford Motor Company

How We Manage Diversity

Building an Inclusive Environment

Our diversity and inclusion vision is to have an environment that fosters skilled and motivated people working together to drive innovation and deliver results in support of our core business and emerging opportunities.

As an equal opportunity employer, Ford considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status.

We incorporate diversity throughout our enterprise to leverage our skills, drive business success and serve our communities. The inclusive environment also encourages our employees to recognize and respect colleagues’ differences, pursue professional and personal development, and maximize the benefits derived from a diverse workforce.

Diversity and inclusion is a collaborative effort requiring cross-functional collaboration within Ford, as well as with dealer groups and supplier organizations.

Exemplifying our approach, Bill Ford, Executive Chairman, and Mark Fields, our former President and CEO, made a joint statement to employees in late January 2017, saying that the company did not support President Trump’s executive order banning those from seven Middle Eastern countries from entering the U.S. for a period of 90 days.

“Respect for all people is a core value of Ford Motor Company, and we are proud of the rich diversity of our company here at home and around the world. That is why we do not support this policy or any other that goes against our values as a company. We will continue working to ensure the well-being of our employees by promoting the values of respect and inclusion in the workplace.”

Bill Ford,Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Company

Our Five Focus Areas

Our diversity and inclusion efforts are aligned with five strategic areas of focus:

Leading the Way
Led by our CEO, our executive leadership team champions diversity and inclusion, integrating them into business objectives and human resources processes.
Diverse Workforce
Attracting, developing and retaining a diverse workforce is needed to succeed in our global marketplace. Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are essential to this strategy. They seek to foster cross-functional connections, support mentoring and networking, and provide professional and leadership development opportunities for employees from particular ethnic backgrounds; veteran and military employees; employees with disabilities; female professionals; working parents; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees; and groups for employees of faith. Employees from all backgrounds are welcome to participate in any ERG. These voluntary, employee-led groups also enhance our ability to attract and retain a diverse workforce.
Respectful and Inclusive Workforce
We promote employee accountability for inclusion by communicating expected behaviors via our Intranet site and through training, and by highlighting the winners of diversity and inclusion awards in internal newsletters. Other resources include employee assistance programs, wellness initiatives, rooms for nursing mothers and meditation rooms.
Work-Life Flexibility
Work-life flexibility creates a competitive advantage across our global, multi-generational workforce. Options including reduced and flexible schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, digital tools to improve productivity and communication tools are made available to many employees.
Strategic Partnerships
In collaboration with other agencies, our businesses around the world develop partnerships to promote diversity and inclusion within the communities and within the company:
- Working with the Robert Clack School, Ford in the U.K. provides inspiring interventions and initiatives to encourage children from the Dagenham area to aim higher. The partnership includes one-to-one mentoring, site visits, career support and work experience, as well as financial and practical support to assist students.
- UAW-Ford and Wounded Warriors Family Support provide a six-week training program in welding for U.S. military veterans at our Technical Training Center, preparing participants to pursue apprenticeships and entry-level positions in the automotive sector, as well as shipbuilding and construction.
- In June 2016, Ford launched a U.S. pilot partnering with Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) offering individuals with autism on-the-job work experience – see case study below.
- Working with the Blind People’s Association, Ford of India conducted a site audit of the Sanand plant, gaining insight and recommendations for changes that would make the site more suited to differently abled individuals.
- The Society of Women Engineers has teamed up with re-entry firm iRelaunch to create opportunities for engineers interested in getting back to their technical careers. Ford will be participating in this program in 2017.

Case Study

FordWorks for Individuals With Autism

In June 2016, Ford and Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) began a collaboration to provide individuals with autism with an opportunity to gain on-the-job experience with the company. The training program is funded by AAoM.

Five new positions in our product development organization were created to suit the skills and capabilities of people with autism, who bring a unique set of talents to our business. As part of this pilot scheme, Ford will evaluate participants for future employment, as well as the program in general. If there is a potential fit, the individual will enter into Ford’s standard recruiting process.

Through FordWorks, individuals with autism gain work experience, and also contribute to business objectives and enhance diversity and inclusion at Ford. The program supports the company’s goal to contribute to a better world and support the communities in which it operates.

“For so many individuals with autism spectrum disorder, getting and keeping a job is a challenge. Often, companies lack understanding of the unique characteristics associated with autism. I applaud Ford for taking these critical steps to understand autism, and for giving those who have struggled to find competitive employment real career opportunities that could be life changing for them.”

Colleen Allen,President and CEO, Autism Alliance of Michigan

Watch a video about the program.

How We’re Doing

2016 Diversity Performance

Of our global salaried workforce:

27% were female

18.8% of managers¹ were female

Of our U.S. employees (hourly and salaried):

30.3% were members of minority groups

23.6% were female

Of our 15-member Board of Directors:

2 are women

2 identify themselves as members of minority groups

Of our 44 corporate officers:

7 are women

10 identify themselves as members of minority groups

More information on our U.S. workforce can be found in the GRI Index

Find out more about our diversity and inclusion performance

Middle management and above.

Internal Awards and Recognition

Global Diversity and Inclusion Awards

In 2016, we honored 40 teams and individuals from 12 countries through our annual Global Diversity and Inclusion Awards, which recognize those employees who “Go Further.” More than 600 nominations were received from colleagues across the business. The Diversity and Inclusion Awards highlight how utilizing our diverse talents and experiences can help to build a stronger company.

The winners included:

The Ford Chinese Association, an ERG that has helped attract, develop and retain a diverse workforce and partnered across skill teams, countries and regions to facilitate diverse teams that capitalize on business opportunities in the Chinese market.
The Global Data, Insight and Analytics Forecast Team, for creating a data-driven analytical framework to identify key drivers and develop forecasts, and for displaying great resilience in the face of adversity, when power and infrastructure were severely disrupted during flooding in Chennai.
Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation Corporation (AFCC), a joint venture with Daimler AG located in Vancouver, Canada, for its transition to a Coaching Culture, in which 25 senior leaders and managers have been trained in the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) “Co-Active” whole-life coaching model.
The Asia-Pacific Work Flexibility Team, for identifying initiatives to apply across the region and providing guidelines for flexible market implementation.

Chairman’s Leadership Awards for Diversity

Ford of Europe holds the annual Chairman’s Leadership Awards for Diversity (CLAD), which also seek to celebrate the success of our diversity, inclusion and work-life efforts. These awards highlight the achievements of individuals and teams who have contributed to the overall success of Ford of Europe in its aim to build a diverse and inclusive culture that drives business results. 2016 was our most successful year yet, with 136 nominations (covering almost 1,000 people) across nine countries – a 60 percent increase over 2015.

External Recognition

We have received many awards from publications and organizations for our efforts on diversity and inclusion. Those received in 2016/17 include:

Human Rights Campaign 2016 (U.S.)
Equal Opportunity magazine: 2016 Top 50 Employers (U.S.)
Latino Magazine: Top 100 Employers (U.S.)
U.S. Veterans Magazine: Top Veteran-Friendly Employers (U.S.)
Black EOE Journal: 2016 Best of the Best Top Diversity Employers (U.S.)
Top 100 Employers magazine, The Globe/Mail (Canada)
2016 Working Mother & AVTAR Best Companies for Women in India (India)
Taiwan Council of Labor Bureau: Work-Life Balance Award (Taiwan)
51 Jobs: Best Employer Award (China)
ENEI: Community Impact Award 2016 (U.K.)
Trailblazing Transparency Award – Best Practice Employer (Ford of Europe)
Universum: World’s Most Attractive Employer List – Engineering, Business (Global)
Universum: Most Attractive Employer List – Engineering (Germany)
Universum: Most Attractive Employer List – Engineering, Business (Mexico)
Great Place to Work Institute: 2016 Top 20 Places for Women to Work “Woman Award” (Ford Credit Brazil)

Another Perfect Score in Corporate Equality Index

In December 2016, Ford once again earned 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign 2017 Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality in the workplace. Ford has received a perfect score every year since 2004. The 2017 Index rated 1,043 businesses on LGBT-related corporate policies and practices such as nondiscrimination protection, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBT community.