Diversity as a competitive advantage

The demands placed by new markets and customers are becoming ever more complex, especially in times of economic difficulty. Concurrently, demographic change intensifies the competition for the best employees. In order to remain the global number one in the chemical industry, we need employees who approach topics from different perspectives and reflect the diversity of our markets and customers. In 2008, we started the global project “Diversity + Inclusion.” The goal of the program is to make clear the value of each individual employee, and to show how teams with various competencies and backgrounds can help to make BASF more successful and innovative. To this end, we developed a three point program. We want to:

• promote the skills of our employees to meet changing market demands;
• reflect the diversity of employees available worldwide in all levels of the company, especially the growing number of well-educated women and international employees;
• further develop our corporate culture through more appreciation, trust and openness. This also includes more transparent career opportunities and work-life balance measures.

In 2008, the percentage of women in senior executive positions in the BASF Group was 5.7%. The percentage of non-Germans in senior executive positions in 2008 was 30.2%. Furthermore, we achieved and exceeded our goal to increase the percentage of senior executives with international experience to over 70%. In 2008, the percentage was 73.7%. We provide equal opportunities for all employees and are committed to the equal treatment of both men and women. We do not make any distinction between male and female employees when it comes to setting salaries.
More information can be found at basf.com/diversity_e