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Diversity & Inclusion 
in the UK

Our ambition is to be recognised as the leading employer in the defence and security sectors for valuing diversity and inclusion.
Image showing the ERG Front cover design

We are also ambitious to:

 
  • Ensure that women make up at least 50% of our Executive Committee by 2030.
  • Increase representation of race, ethnicity and gender in our workforce and across all our localities.
 

And,

 
  • In the UK and by 2030 at the latest, our ambition is that more than 30% of our workforce will be women. This includes more women in senior grades and in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths roles.
  • We will continue to define our other ambitions with regards to diversity and inclusion.
 
We believe that increasing diversity and embracing difference drives innovation, accelerates performance and creates a better working environment for everyone. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s vital to our future success.
 

Employee resource groups 

 
We recognise that it is vital for all staff to feel that they can be themselves in the workplace, regardless of their Gender, Sexual Orientation, Disability Status, Ethnicity, Race, Religion, or anything else which makes them unique. We know that when people don’t feel included, this can seriously affect their mental health and in turn affect their ability to come to work. We also know that in order to get true innovation and high-functioning teams, we need to increase the diversity of our workforce.
 
What is an Employee resource group?
 
An ERG is an employee-led group that helps challenge us to think differently, act differently and open opportunities for learning across our business. ERGs enable our people to find their own community within BAE Systems. Friendly and supportive, our ERGs are there to support anyone, but particularly those who belong to under-represented groups and who may be facing additional struggles.
 
ERGs aim to:
 
  • Educate employees around various diversity dimensions
  • Empower employees by providing professional & personal growth opportunities
  • Engage in strategic partnerships within the community to support D&I initiatives 
  • Drive the company’s mission, core values and D&I strategy
  • Be national in scope, serving multiple locations
 

 

  • Ethnicity and cultural diversity

     
    Embrace
    Supporting Cultural and Ethnic Diversity
    Image showing the Embrace logo
    As an employee led initiative, Embrace seeks to create an inclusive working environment that is welcoming to everyone regardless of their ethnicity or cultural background. We work to support the business, employees, customers and contractors to understand the importance of having a diverse workforce from all back grounds and cultures.
     
    Find out more

  • Disability

     
    ENabled UK
    Supporting our Disabled Community
    Image showing the Enabled UK logo
    Enabled UK is an ERG offering support to employees with both visible and non-visible disabilities, those who care for someone with a disability and non-disabled allies. The group also work closely with Senior Leadership to ensure all businesses across the UK promote equality and inclusion, and are actively listening to all ideas to help improve and consistently maintain a working environment that is supportive, accessible and inclusive to all employees.
     
    Find out more

  • Gender

     
    GEN
    Supporting Gender Equality
    Image showing the GEN logo
    The Gender Equality Network (GEN) is for all BAE Systems employees in the UK who believe everyone should be given the opportunity and support to succeed in their career, regardless of gender. It’s an employee-run group and GEN’s ultimate goal is to no longer be needed, because gender barriers and biases will have been broken down in the workplace.
     
    Find out more

  • Mental health

     
    MindSet
    Supporting Mental Health and Wellbeing
    Image showing the Mindset logo
    MindSet, our Employee Resource Group for mental health and wellbeing, brings together colleagues and sponsors from across the business with the aim of raising awareness of mental health, creating a culture of openness and conversation and working with the organisation to develop a supportive culture with a focus mental wellbeing for all colleagues.
     
    Find out more

  • LGBTQ+

     
    Outlink
    Supporting Gender & Sexual diversity
    Image showing the Outlink UK logo
    OutLinkUK is the employee-driven UK Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning and Other (LGBTQ+ - formally LGBT) group at BAE Systems in the UK. The nationwide OutlinkUK group has been active for over 5 years now and is a very valuable part of this effort in our UK business.
     
    Find out more

  • Veterans

     
    Vetnet
    Supporting our Military Community
    Image showing the Vetnet logo
    VetNet provides an effective network which mentors, supports and connects our veteran and reservist employees and helps us become the employer of choice for ex/military candidates.
     
    Find out more

Pledging our support for Charters, Missions and Taskforces

 
Image showing Corporate Covenant signing video still As part of our drive to increase diversity and inclusion and across our international business, we have committed to support a number of projects in areas such as gender, mental health, assistance for veterans and social mobility.
 
Providing opportunities for all employees to thrive in the workplace regardless of their race, gender or background is a vital characteristic for successful and responsible businesses. Learning from other organisations and working together is an important factor in increasing diversity and inclusion throughout the sectors we work in.
 
 
BAE Systems has signed a number of Charters and Pledges for the UK region including:
 
  • Armed Forces Covenant - we were the first Defence Company to sign up to the UK Armed Forces Covenant, cementing our commitment to supporting those who serve, have served and their families.
  • Movement to Work - we are committed to supporting this project and working together to tackle youth unemployment.
  • Neurodiversity in Business (NiB) – we’ve joined some of the UK’s leading companies in founding NiB, a new organisation which will support the participation of neurodivergent individuals in the workplace.
  • Social Mobility Pledge - the pledge asks signatories to partner with schools or colleges, deliver structured work experience and apprenticeships to those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It also asks signatories to open employment recruitment practises to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • Stonewall Diversity Champion - BAE Systems is a Stonewall Diversity Champion. The Diversity Champions programme is the leading employers' programme for ensuring all LGBTQ+ staff are accepted without exception in the workplace. We work closely with Stonewall to ensure we create inclusive and accepting environments for all our UK workforce. 
  • The Dyslexia Pledge - we pledged to define dyslexia as a valuable thinking skill set, offer adjustments to help every dyslexic thrive, tailor recruitment processes to spot dyslexics and support affinity groups.
  • The Valuable 500 - this is a global movement putting disability on the business leadership agenda.
  • Mental Health Commitment - this pledges employers to change the way we all think and act about mental health in the workplace
  • Women in Aviation - a pledge for gender balance across aviation and aerospace.
  • Women in Defence - the Women in Defence Charter is a commitment to work together to build a more balanced enterprise across the defence sector.
  • Women in Maritime - over 121 companies in the maritime sector have signed a pledge designed to signal intent on gender diversity.
  • Women in Technology - the Charter is designed to increase diversity within the UK’s tech companies, with the aim of achieving equal opportunity and representation for all employees in the sector.