Whatever their gender, skin colour or religion… everyone is welcomed at Ford under a policy of diversity and equal treatment for all.
Highlights:
The US multinational Ford Motor is a world-famous car manufacturer, present in more than 200 markets, with 350,000 employees on every continent. One of the company’s core values is diversity.
– Why? Diversity to reach every market.
– How? Diversity and fairness.
(i) No limits on ethnicity: Europeans and Asians are all welcome.
(ii) No limits on gender: gay people also have their own association.
(ii) Disability and age are no barrier: 900 employees are people with disabilities.
The boom in multinational corporations and the growing global diversity of small companies has meant that people from different lands and cultures now work together in one office, one company.
Because the differences are so great, conflict is very likely to occur. However, if a business can master diversity, it can not only minimise conflict but also make the most of all the benefits it brings. One of the companies most successful at making use of a globally diverse workforce is Ford Motor.
Why does Ford value diversity?
To build good relationships with customers and partners… around the world, you need to understand their needs. Having and maintaining a multinational workforce is the key to solving this problem. From the very beginning, the group’s founder, Henry Ford, placed great importance on diversity.
Once a company has diversity in ethnicity, nationality, gender, age… fairness is absolutely essential. If there is discrimination, both employees and the company suffer. Employees have no chance to show what they can do, and the company does not gain the maximum benefit when employees’ contributions are held back by discrimination unrelated to their work.
Strategy: Diversity and fairness
Diversity is reflected in every aspect, not only in factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, age and disability… but also in culture, religion, education, experience, views, beliefs, language, nationality and much more.
No limits on ethnicity
In 1920, Ford was the company employing the most hourly African-American workers.
In 1914, thousands of immigrant workers, especially African Americans, flocked to Ford because wages were twice the prevailing industry standard. This was a revolutionary event in the US economy, giving birth to a new middle class and making Ford one of the first US companies to rise through diversity.
Ford’s employees come from more than 62 countries and territories, including ethnic minority groups such as Hispanics, Asians and African Americans… In 1920, Ford was the company employing the most hourly African-American workers.
Ford has a useful tool called a “cultural guide”, which allows employees to take part in international projects and work in multinational teams. Ford’s human resources director, Pam Paglino, said: “We encourage them to understand the value of other cultures, especially in today’s world.”
Language training: aimed at helping employees whose first language is not English, but open to anyone who would benefit from improving their communication skills.
Fairness in gender
In 1946, gender was included in the non-discrimination clause, and the female workforce there has grown steadily ever since. In 2005, Anne Stevens became vice president and COO of Ford in the Americas. She was the highest-ranking woman in the car industry.
At Ford, there is a very clear phenomenon: the contribution of women and minority groups is very stable and steadily increasing. This is also the greatest benefit for the company, as all talent and human resources are used to the full.
At Ford, the contribution of women and minority groups is very stable and steadily increasing.
People with disabilities and people near retirement are also treated well
As many as 900 of Ford’s workforce are people with disabilities. The group is proud to be one of the few businesses able to offer them a comfortable and suitable working environment.
Not only is there fairness in gender and nationality, Ford also has a fair policy on age. In 2013, Ford continued its pilot phased-retirement programme, allowing people about to retire to work part-time for six months.
“They need to prepare for life after retirement, and the company also benefits from the handover and transfer of experience from people who have devoted thirty or forty years to those who are about to take on responsibility”, Paglino said.
Here, difference counts for zero
Ford always wants to give all employees from different places a sense of fairness. The group sets up separate groups, organisations and associations and allows employees to join them and make their voices heard.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) were founded in the early 1990s. The ERG network now includes thousands of employees in 10 organisations, such as: the Veterans Network, the Ford Employees with Disabilities Network, the Ford Gay Group, the Ford Chinese Association, the Ford Middle Eastern Community, the Ford Asian Indian Association and the Ford Multi-Faith Association.
All of these groups have an executive sponsor and leader, and meet monthly with human resources director Paglino.
Conclusion
Many businesses should have diversity in their workforce, because everyone is human and deserves to be respected and treated equally fairly. Thanks to fairness, everyone feels encouraged and attached to the company.
Thuy An – Source: Tri Thuc Tre