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“Gender Diversity” and “Race and Ethnic Background Diversity” are the main focus of FST’s current “Diversity & Inclusion” efforts

People are different in terms of many characteristics that make each and every one of us unique. Freudenberg focuses its efforts on improving “Diversity & Inclusion” inside the company on six dimensions of “Diversity.” Our aspiration is clear: All employees are equally valued, equally appreciated, respected, heard and have equal opportunities regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual orientation, mental and physical abilities.

After all, as Dr. Mohsen Sohi, CEO of the Freudenberg Group, says in the “Board of Management Foreword” in the 2021 Annual Report: “The diversity of our employees is also a source of Freudenberg’s strength. People from over 130 nations work together at Freudenberg. In 2015, we launched our “Diversity & Inclusion” initiative. Since then, we have attracted more women to leadership positions – and our goal is to improve the ratio. In the US, we are working to attract even more minority group members to Freudenberg.”

He is addressing precisely the two issues that Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) is currently focusing on. The first can be summed up as “More women in management positions.” FST is pursuing this goal globally. All divisions have set themselves specific targets and report to the management on their progress in regular business reviews. Gender diversity thus becomes a business indicator for the success of a division. These efforts also include the overarching plan to make the language used in job advertisements at FST gender-neutral and not to discourage female applicants by the choice of words alone.

The topic of “Race and Ethnic Background Diversity” is a particular focus in the US. The principle here is that the workforces of the sites should reflect the ethnic composition of the societies surrounding them. In other words, each site has set itself specific orientation marks, depending on the region it is located in.

But why is FST focusing on these two characteristics of diversity? Because deficits and successes can be clearly measured and tracked. The latest data on the percentage of women is available at FST worldwide at the push of a button. The same applies in the US to the ethnic composition of the workforce. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) requires that this data be recorded.

The topic is complex and sensitive, but utmost important. Because it’s about people. About uniqueness and diversity, appreciation, and dignity. And it involves the professional careers of individuals and the business success of the entire company. In a nutshell: It’s about diversity and inclusion at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST). Besides the abbreviation “D&I,” the abbreviation “DEI” is also used, particularly at our US sites. The “E” in the middle stands for “Equity.”

The Guiding Principles of Freudenberg clearly state that “we reject all forms of discrimination and personal disparagement. We show and demand understanding and respect in our dealings with one another. We ensure a culturally diverse working environment in which employees from a wide range of countries contribute their skills in teams to enhance our expertise and thus enrich our company culture at the same time.”

Such aspirations must be exemplified by managers and lived by employees. Day after day. “D&I” has been part of Freudenberg’s DNA for more than 170 years. Employees should be aware of this and take it to heart.

But what does that mean exactly? No one may be discriminated against on the basis of gender, age, race and ethnic background, culture, religion, sexual orientation or physical or mental impairments. “We want to reflect the diversity of the surrounding societies in our organization. We take this very seriously and make a clear commitment to it in our Commitment Statement,” says Claus Möhlenkamp, CEO of FST.

He then adds: “The diversity of our employees enriches our collaboration because it lets us look at things from different perspectives. When different perspectives come together, we become more innovative and agile. To be and remain the first choice among our customers, we want to have the best people working for us: with the most diverse life paths, backgrounds, interests, and preferences possible. We want them all to feel valued, respected and included."

FST therefore creates the general conditions to give all employees the opportunity to contribute their individual experiences, talents and perspectives in the spirit of diversity and inclusion. For years, for example, bringing women into management positions had been an important aspect. Even though there is still a long way to go here, the first steps have been taken. Cross-organizational communities have existed for some time, e.g., the "Tech Ladies," and a focus on D&I has been included in management training for several years. In 2021, gender diversity objectives were set for the divisions at management level and regular reports on the implementation status were made at the quarterly business review meetings. This year, FST also established a "D&I Committee" to give further momentum to the topic. Communication activitites also being stepped up, including a series of articles on the FST portal. On September 19, an interview with Jürgen Noll and Gill Hogarth, two of the facilitators of the "D&I Committee", will be published.

“I dared to apply for this position, even though I didn’t take the standard – technically oriented – path in my education and even though I didn’t meet all the classic criteria of the job profile.” This is how Lea Back describes her approach, which could encourage other women. Before she became Manager Strategic Projects/Board Assistant, she was one of the few women working for Automotive Sales as a key account manager for major customers.

Thanks to her determination, she was preaching to the choir at Automotive Sales. The sales channel formulated a vision several years ago and developed a set of values based on openness, diversity and inclusion. Their motto is “Automotive Sales is an amazing place to work, where people and their ideas come first.” The goal: a team that works together in an atmosphere where employees feel comfortable, accepted, understood and appreciated. No matter what and how they are – young or old, women or men, Indian or American ... – or what life model they follow.

This basic understanding has given rise to many “Diversity & Inclusion” initiatives with a focus on “Gender Diversity.” The two objectives are to attract diverse talent to Automotive Sales and to retain them for the long term. “If we want to be successful, we need different experiences, perspectives and ways of looking at things in our ranks. If everyone thinks the same way, we will always come up with the same results. In the end, we would always just do the same thing. In a fast-changing world, this means standing still or even falling back,” Back says.

Does the language used in job postings reflect the value-based culture of Automotive Sales? Or do they contain terms that – according to scientific studies – discourage women from applying? This is one of the issues Automotive Sales is addressing. A women’s workshop sparked the “Techladies,” a network of women with a technical background or working in a technical environment that quickly spread throughout FST.

“Culture training” is another example that promotes the “one-team idea” at Automotive Sales. These are aimed at making different ways of thinking, approaching and acting understood by people from different regions of the world and cultures. “The first step toward inclusion is to create awareness of such differences. This makes it possible to accept different perspectives,” adds Back.

She serves on FST’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee by contributing her ideas and those of Automotive Sales. Conversely, she applies the topics discussed in the committee to her work. “‘Diversity & Inclusion’ requires leadership, therefore it particularly concerns our managers. They have to live it. I exchange ideas with our top management, i.e. Matt Chapman and Carsten Hartmann, regularly, and we discuss what we should do next,” notes Back in citing an important prerequisite for Automotive Sales to move forward on the topic of “Diversity and Inclusion.”