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Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

Ford makes diversity and inclusion a priority of our Company. We believe that building and supporting a culture of respect is a business imperative that enables all of our employees to do their best work. A critical element of our ONE Ford program is our ability to work together across a global enterprise. Diversity and inclusion play a key role in creating the culture that brings our different perspectives and experiences together. This helps us work as a unified team to most effectively improve our business.

Ford values the skills, strengths and perspectives of our talented and diverse team. Our customers are located around the world, and we believe our diversity will help us achieve global automotive leadership, enabling the Company to be more innovative and focused on individuals in the workplace and marketplace.

Our employees recognize Ford's efforts in this area. According to our 2009 employee Pulse survey, 81 percent of our workers believe Ford's management is committed to diversity.

For detailed information on our U.S. workforce by minority groups and gender, please view the minority data charts.

Our definition of diversity includes all those things that make each of us unique individuals. Our backgrounds, opinions, experiences, perspectives and life situations are just some of the distinctions we bring to the global workplace. At Ford, diversity is:

  • Respect – for our employees, customers, communities, dealers, suppliers and retirees
  • Appreciation – of our differences
  • Inclusion – of every person and every perspective
  • Integrity – to do the right thing, always

We integrate our diversity strategy into our business using five focus areas:

  • Leading the way – The executive leadership team, led by our CEO, champions diversity and inclusion at Ford. To work together effectively across the global enterprise, the leadership team ensures that diversity and inclusion perspectives are integrated into business objectives and key human resources processes.
  • Supporting our diverse workforce and strengthening our external partnerships – Ford currently supports a number of employee networks, including 11 Employee Resource Groups that help to foster diversity and inclusion. These include groups for employees of African ancestry; Hispanic, Asian-Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern employees; veteran and active military employees; employees dealing with disabilities; female professionals; working parents; gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered employees; and employees of multiple religious faiths. In addition to supporting our employees, these Resource Groups organize community volunteer activities and provide us with an opportunity to better understand the consumer needs and wants of individuals of diverse backgrounds. These groups operate in our business units throughout the world.
  • Fostering a respectful and inclusive environment – Ford's commitment to inclusion is incorporated in ONE Ford expected behaviors and communicated in ongoing forums such as town hall meetings and training. As a part of these efforts, we have held a Diversity & Inclusion Summit each year since 1999. In 2009, we had a record-breaking number of employees from around the world who were nominated for their efforts in leading and cultivating a diverse and inclusive workplace and community. Thirty-one of these teams and individuals were recognized at a global ceremony, with participation from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, India, Mexico, Spain and the United States.
  • Supporting work/life flexibility – We recognize that our employees are key to our business success, so Ford has numerous policies and programs to support them. We encourage employees and managers to discuss both business and personal goals. Work/life flexibility solutions vary depending upon locations, teams and employees. Examples include the following:
    • In Canada, we have a number of work/life flexibility programs, including "Summer Hours," which gives employees an opportunity to work with their managers to identify a compressed work week schedule during the summer months.
    • In the United States, almost 100 percent of the salaried workforce use "flextime," which allows employees to vary their daily work times. We have approximately 3,000 employees on formal work programs that involve telecommuting, part-time work and compressed work arrangements. Many more employees develop informal arrangements with their supervisors for occasional work from home. Our Flexible Work Network provides "flex mentors" to help advise employees on effective ways to work differently.
    • In Europe, we offer a variety of flexible working patterns. In the UK and Germany, for example, we support part-time working and telecommuting and offer child care facilities for the children of our employees.
    • Ford South America established different programs aiming to leverage work/life flexibility, including flexible work locations and lactation areas for nursing mothers.

Other corporate employee resources that the Company provides include Employee Assistance Programs, "mothers' rooms" and wellness initiatives.

Ford has longstanding policies clearly stating that harassment in the work environment because of race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or veteran status is a violation of the spirit and intent of the Company's nondiscrimination policies, and Ford has a commitment to zero tolerance of this type of behavior. These policies apply to all individuals, including part-time, supplemental and agency employees. Ford understands its responsibility to foster a respectful work environment free of harassment or discrimination at all levels of the organization. We take this responsibility extremely seriously and thoroughly investigate any claim of violation(s).

Our collective bargaining agreements address this issue and allow union-represented employees the right to use the grievance process. Ford's Code of Basic Working Conditions, as well as several global Policies and Directives, directly address the issue of respect and inclusion. These include:

  • Local Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement
  • Policy Letter No. 2: "Relationships with Employees"
  • Policy Letter No. 6: "Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action"
  • Directive B-110: "Anti-Harassment/Zero Tolerance"

In the United States, a number of avenues are available to employees who wish to make and/or document a complaint. These processes are communicated to all employees through the Open Door Policy and through various policies posted online. Some of these avenues are:

  • Reporting the incident or concern to a supervisor or any other member of management
  • Filing a complaint with the local human resources office
  • Contacting the human resources representative at the division office or at World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan
  • Calling the corporate hotline, which is answered at World Headquarters
  • Using peer review, which is an internal alternative dispute resolution process

The Company also has longstanding strong relationships with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and state civil rights agencies. In 2004, the Company signed a Universal Agreement to Mediate with the EEOC, which enhances our pledge to address claims of discrimination and/or harassment quickly and efficiently. We stand committed to cooperating with those civil rights agencies that provide resources to the people of our diverse communities in an effort to eliminate discrimination or harassment in the workplace.

Furthermore, the Company tracks data internally, which enables us to measure the effects of our policies and practices for prohibiting and preventing discrimination, harassment and any other unwanted or illegal behavior, and to leverage those policies to address issues efficiently and improve the overall morale of our workers. The internal tracking data and results are proprietary to Ford Motor Company.