Employees
Diversity makes us stronger
Diversity & inclusion
Different ideas and experiences broaden our horizons and make us more flexible and innovative. That’s why we promote diversity & inclusion through an appreciative and inclusive corporate culture.
Flying the flag: To mark the 9th German Diversity Day on May 18, 2021, MTU expressed its commitment to diversity in artistic terms. An employee brought the motto #Vielfaltverbindet (#diversityconnects) to the Munich premises.
Diversity is a key element of our commercial success. We firmly believe that a diverse workforce is conducive to collaboration and bolsters our innovative capabilities and competitiveness. Given the high complexity of engineering projects, it is advantageous to have mixed teams. We see diversity as more than a strength; for us, it’s part of our corporate social responsibility. As an employer, it makes us more attractive to new talent.
Promoting diversity is a key component of our corporate culture and is enshrined in the MTU Principles. To ensure an inclusive working environment within the company, MTU embraces a corporate culture based on respect and appreciation that promotes fair and cooperative conduct. MTU is actively committed to equality of opportunity and equal treatment of all employees and takes a clear stand against discrimination in the workplace. We have laid down these principles in our globally applicable Code of Conduct. We want to assign employees to positions in accordance with their skills, abilities and performance. All our employees are given the same opportunities regardless of their gender, ethnic origin, age, religion, disability or sexual orientation.→ Code of Conduct We have processes in place that allow breaches of the Code of Conduct or of internal guidelines to be reported to designated points of contact. → These are laid out in detail in the chapter Human rights.
MTU’s commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity is also demonstrated by its status as a signatory to the Diversity Charter and as a partner company of the Impact of Diversity. We also support various research projects on diversity & inclusion, and we exchange information with experts, organizations and networks on this topic. As a signatory to the UN Global Compact sustainability initiative, we commit to preventing discrimination in the workplace.
Diversity is a focus of our Innovative Culture project
With the Innovative Culture project, we want to actively develop our corporate culture in seven fields of action. In this context, cultural change also refers specifically to the promotion and use of individuals’ diversity to overcome challenges for MTU and leverage innovation potential.
Achieving diversity in any kind
Our diversity concept takes into account various aspects such as gender, cultural background, age and experience, disability, and sexual orientation and identity. The diversity officer is responsible for diversity issues throughout the Group and reports directly to the HR manager and thus to top management. They work closely with HR policy/strategy and are in continuous communication with local HR departments to effectively support the needs of local employees. The aim is to actively develop and strengthen diversity within MTU. In our internal media and via our social media channels, we regularly raise awareness for diversity and inclusion and for a discrimination-free working environment. We use training courses and presentations to draw the attention of employees and managers to the positive effects of diversity and an inclusive working environment at MTU.
We support employee resource groups (ERGs), i.e., self-organized networks and groups of employees that promote a diverse, inclusive work atmosphere. These networks offer employees a way to make their concerns visible and provide impetus for collaboration within the company. This helps us better incorporate diverse experiences and perspectives from the workforce into our decision-making. There is, for example, a Network of Engine Women (NEW) founded under the auspices of MTU’s Chief Technology Officer, as well as informal networks such as one for Spanish-speaking employees.
Getting more women excited about our tech world
Aviation has always offered numerous career opportunities of a technical nature and is still dominated by men. We consciously focus on change and actively promote equality of opportunity as well as equality for all genders. It follows that one of our key goals is to increase the proportion of women in management positions to 13% by the end of 2022 for all management levels in Germany except the Executive Board. The share here was 11.3% at the end of 2021. In contrast, almost a quarter (23.6%) of places in the Development Centers, a personal development program for high-potential employees, were filled by women in 2021.
We have set a separate goal for the Executive Board: by June 30, 2022, 25% of members are to be women. The Supervisory Board has two female members each on the employee and shareholder sides. More information available in MTU’s corporate governance report for 2021 (p. 109f.)
This puts us almost exactly at the share of women in STEM professions, which is 15.4% according to the latest German Economic Institute spring report (May 2021). It is important to get girls and young women interested in technology at an early age, so that engineering companies like MTU become an option when choosing a career.
The Executive Board is kept regularly informed about the measures that have been initiated to promote equality of opportunity as well as equality for all genders. In addition, it presents a report on equality at the works meeting at German locations once a year. In Germany, the works council is involved in decisions subject to co-determination, such as flexible working time rules.
The principal focus of our initiatives is to secure more female employees for the company, identify and promote female talent, and offer female employees greater support throughout their careers. To this end, we participate in mentoring programs, including:
- Cross-Mentoring Munich (a program organized by the City of Munich)
- Mentoring Program offered by the University of Stuttgart for women studying and in research
- “Project U” project for female students of STEM subjects at Leibniz University Hannover
- Accelerated Leadership Mentorship Program offered by the Women in Leadership Foundation, Canada
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Proportion of women GRI 102-8, 405-1 |
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|
|
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
|
Workforce |
15.6% |
15.1% |
14.7% |
|
Managers |
11.8% |
11.3% |
11.5% |
|
Apprentices |
14.9% |
16.7% |
18.2% |
|
New hires |
20.5% |
21.5% |
16.9% |
Share of women in the workforce and in management positions as a proportion of the active workforce for trainees/apprentices, relating to the Group (2020) or Germany (2019); recorded at the end of each year; we do not have figures on the proportion of women by employee group.
When it comes to the proportion of women in the workforce, we see an ongoing upswing over a three-year period (2019–2021). The current share is 15.6%. We were able to slightly increase the proportion of women in management at MTU as a whole to 11.8% at the end of 2021. We actively consider diversity and equality of opportunity when filling positions and selecting new employees. The share of women among new employees across the workforce was 20.5%. The share of women among apprentices was 14.9%.
Our efforts and progress are rated annually by the Women’s Career Index (FKI), an external tool for evaluating career opportunities for women in business enterprises. MTU has had itself certified since 2016 and has always finished among the top ten since then.
In addition, we are involved in educational initiatives aimed specifically at young female talent. For instance, we are a project partner in Komm, mach MINT!, a German STEM initiative that aims to inspire more women to pursue qualifications and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Women Researchers Camp, organized by the Bavarian Business Education Association, has also been an integral part of our promotion of young female talent for years. Each year, we give female school students an insight into the working world of female engineers and research at our company.
Programs and initiatives (in-house and external)
- Talent management
- Development Center
- Network of Engine Women
- Munich Memorandum for Women in Management
- Cross-Mentoring Munich Program
- Women in Leadership Foundation
- The MTU “Studienstiftung” foundation for female students in scientific and technical fields
- Girls’ Day
- The Lower Saxony Technical Internship (“Niedersachsen Technikum”)
- Komm, mach MINT! (a German STEM initiative)
We have a range of offers open to all employees to improve their work-life balance, including flexible working hours, services to assist families and mobile working opportunities. → More information under Collaboration and leadership.
In 2021, MTU was awarded the Success Factor Family progress index seal of approval issued by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. We live by a family-friendly corporate culture and we are committed to achieving work-life balance.
Inclusion involves everyone
As an early signatory to the Charter of Diversity, MTU has for years been committed to creating a working environment that is free from prejudice, one that recognizes and supports people’s diverse potential. We want to be a positive example of diversity, create a culture of impartiality and ensure all employees have equality of opportunity in the workplace. This approach is inclusive of employees who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, transgender or intersex. We embrace diversity and welcome all employees who wish to enhance the company. Every person should be able to openly declare their sexual orientation or gender identity without experiencing any disadvantages as a result.
Individual talent should be able to unfold within a respectful and appreciative environment with an emphasis on solid performance and personal commitment. We support public initiatives to prevent bullying and discrimination, for instance by participating regularly in Pink Shirt Day in Canada and observing the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. We also express our appreciation for our employees in inclusive language. Since spring 2021, we have used inclusive language in our in-house and external corporate publications and in our communications with employees. We developed a guide for this purpose, which provides recommendations, examples and good reasons for use.
As part of our inclusion efforts, we recognize the importance of integrating employees with disabilities. In 2021, the proportion of our employees in Germany with disabilities was 5.1%, which meets statutory requirements. At our sites in Germany, we have elected representatives for employees with severe disabilities as well as dedicated inclusion officers who act as points of contact for issues relating to disability. Our locations, and especially new buildings, are designed with accessibility in mind. A case in point is the new company restaurant in Munich.
Strengthening cross-generational collaboration
Cross-generational collaboration makes it possible to combine valuable experiences and new impulses in a productive way. This is why we believe in good relations between young and old, and we take age diversity into consideration in our company. At our company, three generations work together hand in hand. We are meeting the challenges associated with our aging workforce in Germany and the fact that people are working longer from career entry to retirement. To secure the long-term performance of our employees, we operate a company health management system (→ Occupational health and safety). Employees in every age group receive equal access to training and development. We offer a variety of career opportunities geared toward younger generations: Apprenticeships, dual work-study programs, trainee programs and development programs for high-potential employees (→ Employee development). The interests and needs of young employees in particular are also represented by an elected youth and apprenticeship council. In 2021, we established a new network for young talent in the company, called Young Professionals.
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Age groups GRI 405-1 |
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|
|
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
|
< 30 years |
16.2% |
16.4% |
18.2% |
|
30 – 50 years |
55.1% |
53.7% |
52.8% |
|
> 50 years |
28.6% |
29.9% |
29.0% |
Measured in terms of active workforce, at year-end in each case. For composition of workforce sizes, see the GRI Index.
Inclusion of diverse cultural backgrounds
As a globally active company, we consider internationalization to be a key dimension of diversity. Our engine business has a global outlook, and having an intercultural workforce helps us to succeed in different markets. The 2020 McKinsey study “Diversity Wins—How Inclusion Matters” comes to the conclusion that ethnic diversity among employees has a positive effect on a company’s profitability. We promote internationality in our workforce and intercultural understanding, e.g. through intercultural training and cross-site dialogue formats. → Learn more about our training programs here Secondments to international locations form an important part of our HR policy for promoting intercultural skills. In 2021, some 70 employees were working for MTU abroad. Apprentices are also given the opportunity to gain international professional experience.
We have strong roots in Germany, but our character draws on a variety of cultural backgrounds. Employees of 82 different nationalities work together at MTU. We take an active stand against xenophobia and in favor of diversity and equality of opportunity, for instance as part of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
is the number of nationalities represented by our employees. They work successfully together, with their individual cultural background adding different experiences and perspectives to the mix.
By promoting diversity & inclusion, we can help achieve the following Sustainable Development Goals:
→ Learn more about our contribution to the SDGs of the UN’s 2030 Agenda
