Diversity and inclusion
We aim to be a leader in diversity and inclusion (D&I) as it makes us stronger, more innovative and a better employer.
About our D&I work
Our work with D&I is part of our Goal Act ethically, lead in diversity and respect human rights. At Electrolux, we take a broad approach to D&I. This includes ethnicity, race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, disability and other characteristics.
Read about our progress with D&I in 2021.
Our D&I roadmap
- Develop a diverse talent pool by, including under-represented groups, achieving a balanced gender representation among leaders, and enabling D&I while ensuring qualification-based recruitment and talent growth.
- Nurture an inclusive culture by recognizing individual differences, educating employees on bias and inclusiveness, and enabling employees to achieve a good work-life balance.
- Treat people equally and with respect by eliminating structural pay gaps, educating employees on non-discrimination, and providing equal opportunities.
The case for action
Respect for people and equal treatment are not only the right thing to do – they are key to innovate and win as a company in an ever-changing world. To continue to shape living for the better today and tomorrow, we build diverse teams and take decisions based on the different perspectives around the table.
Our approach
Governance
Our Group management has set the overall ambition to become a leader in diversity, and they oversee our progress through the Sustainability Board. The HR Executive Team has overall responsibility for D&I and makes strategic recommendations to Group management and monitors progress. A D&I taskforce develops proposals, drives our D&I culture and coordinates the work throughout the organization. Our business areas and Group functions are responsible for the implementation of our D&I work.
Our D&I Objectives
New D&I Objectives were developed and approved in 2021 that are based on three pillars as per the roadmap above:
- Diversity: Develop a diverse talent pool.
- Inclusive culture: Nurture an inclusive workplace.
- Equal treatment: Treat people equally and with respect.
Aspirational objectives, enablers and metrics are in place for each of three pillars, and progress is monitored in dialog with business areas and functions.
Challenges
- Overcoming behavior and biases that are sometimes deeply engrained in society.
Our D&I progress
We measure our D&I progress with the following metrics:
- Proportion of female people leaders.
- Participation in D&I training.
- Gender pay gap.
- Internal survey results on equal opportunity and work/life balance.
Progress on diversity
Our aspirational objective is to achieve a gender balance among people leaders of between 40 and 60 percent of the under-represented gender, throughout the company by 2030. At the end of 2021, the overall proportion of female people leaders was 28.3%. See our gender distribution here.
The baseline and preconditions for different functions, geographies and tiers of the company vary greatly, and guiding values are developed in response to this. We recognize these differences, but nonetheless aspire to achieve a gender balance of 40:60 among our people leaders.
Other aspects of diversity are not measured in the same way. Here, the objective is for all business areas and Group functions to establish and implement plans with actions aimed at ensuring improvements with respect to under-represented groups where appropriate.
In parallel, global and regional processes for recruitment, performance, and development are being reviewed and D&I "proofed", something that is planned to be finalized by the end of 2022.
Progress on inclusion
During 2021, a global parental leave standard that grants all new parents access to four weeks of paid parental leave was agreed. The standard, which will be rolled out in 2022, will apply to mothers, fathers, same sex parents, and adoptive and foster parents.
Inclusive leadership was promoted in global webinars held by Mindgym, our partner on behavioral change. Toolkits based on these webinars are available and have been promoted globally. International Women's Day and Pride month were highlighted with activities together with our employee networks. From 2022, we will host a global "As you are" day to celebrate diversity and inclusion within Electrolux.
D&I training
In 2021, we launched our global e-learning on diversity and inclusion with a focus on managing biases. The objective is that as many of our employees as possible complete the e-learning by the end of 2022. At the end of 2021, close to 8,000 colleagues, equivalent to 43% of the eligible global workforce had completed our global e-learning.
In 2021, our Challenge Bias Workshop was made available digitally and is designed to enable employees to acknowledge and address the cultural and social conditioning that can subconsciously affect their decision-making and attitudes toward others. Close to 1,000 colleagues had completed the virtual workshop by the end of 2021.
We will continue to promote D&I training in 2022.
Our employee-driven D&I networks
We have several employee-driven grassroots D&I networks all around Electrolux that promote diversity, inclusion and equality based on local needs and priorities. The networks play an important role in coordinating local action and initiating initiatives. All the networks are open to anyone to join.
Equal treatment
Our employees and leaders must feel they are treated fairly and that they are protected from all forms of discrimination and harassment. We are currently implementing a pay equity system that will allow us to continually identify any unfair pay gaps based on gender and eliminate them.
Our medium-term plan is to target all employees and managers with non-discrimination training.
A key metric will be the global Employee Voice survey that from 2022 will measure employee perceptions regarding equal opportunities. The last employee survey conducted in 2019 had 70% positive responses to whether everyone has the same opportunities for development at Electrolux.
Collaborating on D&I
In 2021, we became a signatory of the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) as part of our long-term commitment to D&I in the workplace. Electrolux has also joined Workplace Pride, which is dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT+ people in workplaces worldwide.
| D&I roadmap | Next steps | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Develop a diverse talent pool by, including under-represented groups, achieving a balanced gender representation among leaders, and enabling D&I while ensuring qualification-based recruitment and talent growth. | Work with business areas and Group functions to establish the way forward toward gender balance among people leaders, as well as the inclusion of under-represented groups. Ensure people processes are D&I "proofed", globally and regionally. | |
| Nurture an inclusive culture by recognizing individual differences, educating employees on bias and inclusiveness, and enabling employees to achieve a good work-life balance. | Ensure all employees complete the relevant D&I training. Launch the global parental leave standard. Develop training on inclusive leadership. Measure the perception of work/life balance in the Employee Voice survey. | |
| Treat people equally and with respect by eliminating structural pay gaps, educating employees on non-discrimination, and providing equal opportunities. | Full implementation of the pay equity system and monitoring of pay gaps. Develop training on non-discrimination and anti-harassment. Measure the perception of equal opportunities in the Employee Voice survey. |
- On track
- Additional effort is required
- Off track
- Work has not yet begun