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Diversity and Inclusion

We are proud that our workforce reflects the communities in which we live and work. We embrace diversity and inclusion at every level of the company. Employing people with different backgrounds, opinions, experiences and perspectives makes us a stronger business, and helps to foster a truly collaborative workplace.

Building an Inclusive Environment

Inclusion has been as much a part of our history as the products our diverse employees have created. We take pride in a workforce that reflects the society in which we live and work. And, by embedding diversity and inclusion in every aspect of what we do, we make ourselves stronger, leveraging our employees’ talents and opening up to fresh ideas, perspectives, experiences and new ways of thinking in a truly collaborative environment.

Diversity and inclusion requires cross-functional collaboration within Ford, as well as with dealer groups and supplier organizations.

Watch a video about diversity and inclusion at Ford

 Case Study

Taking Action in Chicago

We have investigated and taken action in response to complaints we have received of harassment and discrimination at our Chicago plants. Regrettably, some of the alleged misconduct was true. As Ford President and CEO Jim Hackett indicated in his open letter issued earlier this year, we are deeply disappointed that at any time any of our employees may have thought that harassing conduct was acceptable behavior, and we are sorry for any instance where an employee was subjected to harassment or discriminatory conduct. We are intent on rooting out this conduct and handling it appropriately.

In addition, starting more than two years ago, we have taken further actions at our Chicago plants to reinforce our policies and to ensure an appropriate workplace there. Those actions include conducting more than 20,000 hours of training for all hourly and salaried employees to reinforce a standard of respect that is non-negotiable, as well as providing additional leadership and diversity training for all salaried employees and delivering additional training for our human resources teams. We have also increased human resources staff to provide additional investigations support and oversight, including a staff member who oversees investigations at both plants and reports directly to Personnel Relations at Ford headquarters in Dearborn.

Further, last summer, we entered a substantial agreement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to address the complaints that were raised at our Chicago area plants, institute further changes in the workplace and provide meaningful relief to employees who are determined to have experienced harassment. We have agreed to pay up to $10.125 million to resolve claims through the claims process, under which employees will receive a financial award if an independent panel agrees with their harassment or discrimination complaint. If there is money remaining, we will use it for equal employment opportunity purposes, such as training. We are actively working with the EEOC right now to implement that agreement, which also establishes the panel of three independent monitors, none of whom work at Ford, to oversee compliance related to harassment and discrimination for the next five years.

We are providing more than 20,000 hours of training for all employees, as well as additional leadership and diversity training for all salaried employees.

 

Salient Issue

Harassment and Discrimination

During our first formal human rights saliency assessment, we identified harassment and discrimination as one of our nine most important issues – those at risk of the most severe negative impact through Ford’s activities and business relationships.

Going forward, we’re taking steps to develop action plans to manage and remediate these issues, and to expand our reporting on them.

  Find out more about our human rights saliency assessment

Our Five Focus Areas

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

  • Leading the Way

    Our executive leadership team, including our Chief Diversity Officer Meeta Huggins, champions diversity and inclusion, integrating them into business objectives and human resources processes, and employees exhibiting respectful and inclusive behaviors.

  • Diverse Workforce

    All employees are welcome to participate in our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). ERGs 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.

  • Respectful and Inclusive Workforce

    We promote employee accountability for inclusion by communicating expected behaviors via our Intranet site and through training, and by celebrating the winners of our diversity and inclusion awards in internal newsletters. Additional resources include employee assistance programs, wellness initiatives, rooms for nursing mothers and meditation rooms. In 2017, we began reporting harassment metrics to the board, and strengthened our harassment reporting process around the world.

    For example, we recently recommunicated the expectation that employees and bystanders need to report incidences of harassment, discrimination and retaliation. In addition, the company launched “Speak Up” at the end of May 2018. With a website and email address that will be communicated to all hourly and salaried employees globally, Speak Up offers a single, streamlined way to report harassment.

  • Work-Life Flexibility

    Among the options made available to many employees are reduced and/or flexible schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, digital tools to improve productivity and communication tools.

  • Strategic Partnerships

    In collaboration with other agencies, our businesses around the world develop partnerships to promote diversity and inclusion within communities and within the company.

 Case Study

Ford’s Career Re-Entry Program

Ford currently participates in a “re-entry” program that was developed in 2016 through a partnership between the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and iRelaunch. Ford’s career re-entry program, similar to an internship, is for experienced professionals who have voluntarily taken a career break and would like to return to the workforce. The program allows Ford to tap into resources focused on science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM), while increasing the pipeline of diversity candidates.

Participants are placed on a six-month program and, based on performance, can become full-time employees. Throughout the program, participants build upon their past work experience and gain new skills through work aligned with their area of expertise. They experience a robust curriculum, with an emphasis on professional development, mentoring, networking, and exposure to senior-level management, preparing them to shift gears back into the workforce while learning more about Ford and our culture. In 2017, positions were filled across information technology, manufacturing and product development.

“This program helps us build our talent pipeline, plus it’s a great way for individuals re-entering the workforce to gain the professional development and mentorship they need to navigate their return to work in a technical field.”

Meeta Huggins

Meeta Huggins,Chief Diversity Officer & Talent Acquisition Operations Director, Ford Motor Company

2017 Diversity Performance

 More information on our U.S. workforce can be found in the GRI Content Index (pdf, 269kb)

Of our global salaried workforce:

  • 26.9% were female
  • 19.1% of managers1 were female
  1. Middle management and above

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

  • 31% were members of minority groups
  • 23.6% were female

Of our 12-member Board of Directors:

  • 3 were women
  • 2 identified themselves as members of minority groups

Of our 48 corporate officers:

  • 7 were women
  • 8 identified themselves as members of minority groups

Another Perfect Score in Corporate Equality Index

In December 2017, Ford once again earned 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign 2018 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 2018 Index rated 1,084 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.

Ford Global Pay Equity Statement

A core principle of our talent management strategy is a longstanding commitment to equal opportunity in all aspects of employment, including the way Ford compensates its employees. Ford employee compensation in each market should be fair and equitable, irrespective of gender, race or similar personal characteristics. This applies to all forms of pay, including base salary, incentives, bonuses and other forms of compensation.

Ford reviews and updates people processes on a regular basis to help protect against bias and promote a diverse and inclusive environment.

Related Pages

  Unleashing the Best in Our People

Find out how we are transforming our culture to bring out the best in our people.

  A Force for Good

From supporting the communities where our employees live and work to investing in the talent of the future and empowering women around the world, we aim to make a positive impact on society.