Milton Keynes, 20 March 2024 – Volkswagen Group UK has become the first automotive company to receive the Inclusive Employers Standard Gold award, recognising its commitment to diversity, equality and inclusivity. Established in 2011, Inclusive Employers is the first and leading membership organisation for employers committed to prioritising inclusion and creating truly inclusive workplaces. It works with hundreds of organisations across the world to audit, train and embed workplace inclusion.
Volkswagen Group UK joined Inclusive Employers in February 2020, and in 2021 went through its first rigorous assessment process, providing evidence-based responses to 35 questions that cover all areas of DE&I. It achieved Silver Standard, along with a comprehensive action plan to ensure ongoing improvements. Over the past three years, it has worked tirelessly at all levels in the organisation to embed workplace inclusion, and the Gold assessment of the thorough submission is testament to the progress made.
Commenting on the achievement, Dr Emily Pattinson, Senior IES (Inclusive Employers Standard) Programme Lead, said: “A huge well done on your excellent, focused and intentional inclusive action, which is well embedded throughout the employee cycle. You have succeeded in not only sustaining action plans but also excelled at trialling creative and innovative solutions with clear understanding and communication of return on investment.
“Volkswagen Group scored 100 per cent in three of the six pillars which is testament to your robust approach to diversity data and analysis. You act as a great positive role model to your industry and beyond, and by actively sharing your inclusion knowledge you are pushing inclusion well beyond the walls of your organisation. You are ahead of industry expectations on a number of targets and a role model for inclusion in general.”
Volkswagen Group was praised in particular for its robust data collection and analysis, exemplary approach to communications, active Employee Network Groups, DE&I-related training and policies, and hitting gender targets ahead of schedule. In the Inclusive Employers assessment, Volkswagen Group far exceeded industry averages in all six of the evaluation pillars. Only four per cent of companies which have been through the Inclusive Employers Standard assessment have achieved the top Gold standard.
Volkswagen Group UK’s Managing Director, Alex Smith, said: “I’m delighted to receive this recognition from Inclusive Employers on behalf of the whole organisation, and grateful for the support and constructive feedback they have given us since we achieved the Silver Standard three years ago. Their advice has helped to shape our activities, driven our focus on DE&I, and accelerated our journey.
“While we will celebrate this achievement, we know it’s not the end. There is much more to do, but I am incredibly proud of the tangible changes and progress we have made in order to fulfil our ambition of making the UK’s leading automotive group the UK’s most inclusive automotive group.”
Volkswagen Group UK is the importer of Audi, SEAT, CUPRA and Škoda cars as well as Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The company directly employs around 900 people in the UK, and a further 25,000 roles in its associated businesses which include retail networks, logistics, customer services and financial services.
