Diversity in the Workplace

Throughout the history of Ford Motor Company, inclusion has been as much a part of the company's success as the great products our diverse employee base has created.

Ford is a leader in diversity & inclusion, and both remain key Ford business strategies. You’ll find diversity at every level of the company, from the boardroom to the design studio, from the plant floors to the engineering centers. Our diversity makes us a better company, a stronger company, by bringing in fresh ideas, perspectives, experiences and life responsibilities, and by fostering a truly collaborative workplace.

When we say that Ford is a leader in diversity, this isn't just our opinion. We have received more than 200 awards in recent years from publications and organizations recognizing the value the company places on building a diverse and inclusive culture.
Read more about external recognition of Ford’s diversity achievements.

Strategic Areas of Focus

Our Diversity and Inclusion Vision is to have a “diverse and inclusive environment."

To focus our activities on achieving our vision, we identified five strategic areas of focus. All official activities focusing on diversity and inclusion at Ford must align with one of these strategic areas:

• Leading the Way
• Diverse Workforce
• Respectful and Inclusive Work Environment
• Worklife Integration
• External Partnerships

Our History of Diversity

In 1913, to help increase employee ranks to meet production demands, Henry Ford offered the innovative $5-a-day wage — more than double the industry average at the time — and thousands of African Americans and immigrants joined the company. As a result, Ford helped create a new American middle class and established Ford as one of the first American companies to reflect the growing diversity of the United States.
Read more about the history of diversity at Ford.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

For more than a decade, our ERGs have provided support, outreach and development to employees who share ethnicity, race, religion, life experiences, disabilities or backgrounds. ERGs hold educational and cultural events and support many diversity-related efforts such as college campus recruiting. Membership is open to all Ford employees.
Read more about Ford’s ERGs.

Worklife Flexibility Programs and Benefits

Our worklife programs and benefits promote flexibility and balance between work and personal life through transitional work arrangements (such as part-time work), job sharing and flexible schedules.

Dealer Diversity

Today, Ford leads the industry with the total percentage of Minority Dealers. Ford utilizes several focused initiatives in the areas of Continuing Education, Dealership Support and Connecting with Dealers/Operators, and the Community to ensure that we not only lead with the number of Minority Dealers, but that we increase the profitability of our minority dealer portfolio.
Read more about Dealer Diversity.

Supplier Diversity and Empowerment

Our Supplier Diversity Program encourages large suppliers to work with smaller, minority- and women-owned businesses to empower diverse communities through wealth creation. Additionally, Ford has partnered with CVM Diversity Question to create an interactive, internet-based reporting program called M-Tier, which is the next evolution in Supplier Diversity Reporting. This system will track diverse supplier spending at all levels of Ford’s value chain and assist Ford suppliers in establishing their own Tier 2 reporting programs.
Read more about supplier diversity.