-In the Volvo Group, we work actively to promote gender equality not only because it is ‘fair’ and ‘the right thing to do’, but because it is essential for our business performance. Equality is not a women's concern, it's a business concern. Ensuring an inclusive culture and a diverse workforce will have a positive impact on our productivity, our efficiency and our ability to innovate. Increased gender equality will also strengthen employee engagement, enhance our ability to attract talents, and boost our reputation as a company, says Diana Niu, Executive Vice President HR, Volvo Group.
35% female leaders by 2030
For more than a decade, the Volvo Group has worked systematically to increase inclusion and improve the gender balance in the organization. With an ambitious target of 35 % female leaders by 2030, and a broad variety of initiatives designed to work towards that target, the Group is striving to move the needle towards increased gender equality, bit by bit on a daily basis.
#EachforEqual
The theme for International Women’s Day 2020 is #EachforEqual. Volvo Group is celebrating achievements and highlighting some of the many ongoing initiatives around the world, where our colleagues strive to raise awareness, challenge bias and take action for equality.
Four good examples from Volvo Group:
UD Trucks event for female drivers
UD Trucks held a test drive event for 30 female drivers on September 10 and 11, 2019. Workshops were also part of the event, addressing topics such as how to make driving more comfortable and trucking a more attractive profession for women. One participant said, "What I like best about the Quon is the automatic transmission, which reduces the stress of changing gears and allows me to fully focus on the road”. By engaging female drivers the event does not only promote equality but also supports an industry that faces a shortage of drivers.
Equality goals in Tekniksprånget
Tekniksprånget (the Technology Leap) is an internship program, run by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA), which inspires and motivates young people to invest in a future engineering career. During four months of paid internships, participants have the opportunity to discover the possibilities that a higher technical education would provide. With 50 % of the admitted participants being women, this initiative helps to improve gender balance by attracting more females to technical professions. Since 2012, the Volvo Group have hosted more than 460 internships. 54% percent of the participants were female.
#WomenofVFS
The world is filled with amazing women. #WomenofVFS is a series of 12 stories where readers get to meet incredible women from across Volvo Financial Services who share their passion, motivation and challenges. Carla Bento, Treasury and Capital Markets manager for VFS Brazil, is one of the #WomenofVFS. Her ‘dare to try’ attitude is one of the things that Carla promotes in her new team, where 40% are women. “I help them to be courageous in their careers,” she says.
Diversity and inclusion - a top priority at Volvo Buses
Volvo Buses have started their journey to increase diversity and inclusion by giving a higher focus on their strategic agenda to increase success in business performance and to become an even more attractive employer.
A unique action for Volvo Buses is to secure an inclusive and diverse work environment by setting a target to hire 50% women out of newly employed people in their recruitments.
“As far back as 2005, 55% of all university graduates in countries within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) were women. For a long time, women have met their part of the deal – they are highly educated and competent – it’s now time for us, as employers, to do ours,” says Håkan Agnevall President Volvo Buses.
