Celebrating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Manufacturing
Over 170 attendees joined Connect.Share.Inspire in February 2024
Daphne Vlastari, Head of Communications and Government Relations, UK & Ireland
| BASF
Today, 25 September, is Manufacturing Day, when companies across the UK are opening their doors to showcase the amazing innovations and products of our manufacturing sector.
Initiatives such as Manufacturing Day, run by the trade body MakeUK, are a fantastic opportunity to talk about a sector that is critically important for growth in the UK. It’s also a chance to challenge lingering stereotypes about our sector – an important step in attracting the next generation of talent and ensuring we bring the best minds into the industry.
For example, the chemicals sector is frequently thought of as male-dominated and homogeneous. The reality, however, and the aspiration of companies like BASF, one of the world’s largest chemical companies, is very different. Just like our sector’s innovators should not be thought of as only working in labs surrounded by beakers conducting experiments when in reality they are integrating novel AI and machine learning processes, our workforce is made up of many different people – and our success depends on it.
This year, therefore, we are celebrating Manufacturing Day by looking at the steps BASF in the UK is taking towards a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Our actions stem from a core value that diversity and inclusion make the difference. Only when people with diverse backgrounds come together, contribute their various experiences and attitudes, and look at challenges from different perspectives, can creative innovations and groundbreaking solutions be developed.
Employee-led action
In the UK, this core value is brought to life by empowering and supporting our employees. Passionate employees across our organisation, with the support of our UK leadership team, have organised themselves into a number of Diversity and Inclusion Action Groups.
Today, dedicated Action Groups have been set up to make progress on the following topics: gender, LGBTQ+, race, generations, non-visible disabilities and societal engagement. The aim of each group is to raise awareness and share experiences via blogs, events, webinars and other internal communications channels to support a culture of inclusion.
Creating a culture of inclusion
As a result of the work of these groups, BASF in the UK is a proud signatory of the Menopause Workplace Pledge, showing our commitment to supporting employees who are going through the menopause, and has also joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to ensure that colleagues who have a non-visible disability know this is an important issue to the organisation.
Additional initiatives include anything from external speakers and ‘shed talks’ over coffee and some cake to setting up a ‘Diversity and Inclusion Library’, a virtual library for colleagues to share thought-provoking book, article or podcast recommendations and introducing a bite-sized, self-directed learning package designed to raise awareness and facilitate conversations across all BASF employees.
Working across schools through our societal engagement group, our teams have made science more accessible to students from underprivileged backgrounds, showing them that science is not only fun and interesting, but a potential career pathway – anyone can be a scientist!
Chemetall Ltd invites local school to first ScienceXperience at BASF’s Bletchley site
To ensure our employees across the organisation have the opportunity to be involved in such activities, our approach to diversity and inclusion is not only part of every employee’s welcome information day when they join, but each year for the last five years, we have celebrated Inclusion Week in September – just a week ahead of Manufacturing Day! The groups come together and organise a series of events – in-person, virtual or hybrid – with fun activities such as quizzes or interactive games to highlight issues around diversity and inclusion.
Activities are adapted so they can also be enjoyed by our colleagues who work in production roles in our sites, as well as those who are home-based. External speakers are also invited for the teams to hear new perspectives and approaches.
In 2022, we also launched our Inclusion Award, which recognises employees who actively create an inclusive environment. Even after five years, Inclusion Week remains a highlight across the organisation.
Working with partners
Over the years, we have also partnered with a number of external organisations to support best practice and benchmarking. Today, we work with Inclusive Employers, who supported us in developing our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy. This is underpinned by five broad pillars: Awareness, Processes, Communication, External Engagement and Evaluation.
In 2024, BASF in the UK received Bronze Accreditation from Inclusive Employers, providing not only an independent validation of our commitment to DEI, but also confirmation that this is leading to culture change and has impact.
In addition, BASF is working with its peers. For example, it co-hosted a conference for women in manufacturing, Connect Share Inspire, while our societal engagement group based at our UK headquarters in Stockport invited local companies to work on STEM engagement activities for local students. In addition, we work with our trade associations, such as Make UK, to recognise and support the new generation of skilled apprentices who will be essential for the future of our company and sector.
Looking ahead
As we mark Manufacturing Day, this is an opportunity to reaffirm that diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to the future of our industry. BASF’s progress to date shows what’s possible when employees are empowered, partners are engaged, and inclusion is embedded into everyday practices. But the work continues: by keeping openness, learning and collaboration at the heart of what we do, we aim to ensure that everyone can belong, contribute and help drive the next wave of innovation across manufacturing.
