Sustainability FAQs

In the UK, BAE Systems received accreditation as a Real Living Wage employer in 2021 and we continue to uphold our commitments in this regard for our own employees.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

We have structures in place to work with Trades Union representatives in our local markets, where it is appropriate and legally acceptable. Of our UK workforce, 67% are covered by collective bargaining agreements. Approximately 55% of the UK workforce are Trades Union members. In the US, approximately 9% of the workforce is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. In Australia, approximately 20% of the workforce is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. 

Publication date: 20 May 2025

Yes. We provide our employees with access to a number of different types of leave when they become parents or take parental responsibilities for a child. We also comply fully with legislation regarding paid primary parental leave. The legislation in each market means that the number of weeks paid parental leave provided to employees can vary from country to country, for example in the UK employees are entitled to 26 weeks of fully paid primary parental leave, which significantly exceeds statutory requirements.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

We recognise the importance of partners in the care of children and support employees with time off to support a partner and child at the time of birth or adoption, as well as supporting the birth of a child by surrogacy. This applies to the biological father of the child or the spouse, civil partner or partner (including same sex partnerships) of the birth mother or adopter. As with primary parental leave, the number of weeks offered differs from county to country depending on the legislation and market context within that country, for example in the UK and Australia we offer four weeks fully paid secondary parental.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

The percentage of women employees that remain employed with the Company 12 months after returning from parental leave is high. For example, in the UK, the retention rate is circa 93%.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

The majority of BAE Systems businesses do not currently provide back-up family care to assist when there is a gap in regular care arrangements, nor do we provide a subsidy to assist with the cost of family care. In the UK, we offer up to one week’s paid Carers Leave in a rolling 12-month period, which is designed to support employees in arranging or providing care for a dependant with a long-term care need, such as sick, elderly or disabled relatives or partners.  However, in our US business, BAE Systems, Inc. provides back-up assistance for child care and adult/elder care when there is a gap in regular care arrangements.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

In the majority of our markets we operate in we offer a variety of flexible working options for employees such as flexible working hours and part-time working. As an example, in the UK in our Work Life Integration Policy we provide all employees with the opportunity to request a variety of flexible working arrangements including part-time working, term time working, job sharing and annualised hours. Additionally, there are also a number of our roles that are suitable for hybrid working where working hours can be split between the contractual location for the employee, another BAE Systems site, a customer location or working remotely. It is a flexible arrangement allowing employees to create working patterns which support the need of their team and business, as well as improving their work-life balance. Working remotely is available to some employees within the organisation, provided that the arrangements suit both the needs of the Company and the individual.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

Our annual Ethics training covers a wide range of topics, including inclusion, in its broadest sense, in the workplace and in recent years we have included a specific focus on harassment and discrimination and respect at work themes. The scenario-based training, led by managers and team leaders, encourages open and honest discussions amongst team members who are prompted to review our behaviour and standards in the Code of Conduct following the training. The training includes specifics on how to speak up when something isn’t right. 

Delivered to our Global population of approximately 91,900 employees, the training had a completion rate of over 99% in 2024 of the target population.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

We conduct supply chain risk assessments and work with suppliers to address any identified key risks to their businesses and supply to our programmes which would include risk associated with the supply of critical materials. Therefore, critical materials are considered as part of a broader corporate approach to monitoring supply chain risk. The challenge of limited or sole source supplies of raw materials remains, due to the nature of some of the products manufactured by the Group, which are often of a unique specification, and frequently supplied at low volumes. To address this, we have a multi-faceted risk management programme that seeks to: aggregate risk across the enterprise using proactive intelligence; manage continuity of supply; and illuminate lower-level supply chain tiers to help us to understand the relationships within our supply chain. We pay specific attention to single and sole source critical goods and services procured through the supply chain, to ensure that the risk is fully understood and adequate contingency and risk mitigation plans are in place and can be enacted if required to manage programme delivery. Where the Group has long-term programmes in place, it seeks to leverage the benefit of a more stable forward visibility of long-lead requirements to allow the Group to better manage supplier deliverables against programme requirements.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

We do not manufacture or sell cluster munitions or anti-personnel mines. We have not done so for a considerable period of time.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

We do not manufacture or supply products containing white phosphorous. We have previously supplied certain ordnance, used for obscuration only, to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) that contained white phosphorous. The supply of these products ceased in August 2024.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

We expect our suppliers to provide products made from materials, including constituent minerals that are sourced responsibly, including appropriate due diligence, and to support efforts to eradicate the use of any minerals which directly or indirectly finance or benefit armed groups that are perpetrators of serious human rights abuses.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

Any suspected violations of BAE Systems’ Code of Conduct or other ethical concerns can be reported via our confidential Ethics Helpline and through your local Human Resources department. If your concern relates to BAE Systems Head Office, Shared Services, Air, Land, Maritime or Digital Intelligence, you can email ethics.helpline@baesystems.com or use www.safecall.co.uk/baeplc. If your concern relates to BAE Systems Inc., Electronic Systems, Enterprise Shared Services, Intelligence & Security or Platforms & Services, you can email ethics.inchelpline@baesystems.com or use www.ethicshelpline.us.baesystems.com. Or call the free number for your country listed here.

Ethical concerns can be reported by third parties via our confidential Ethics Helpline, detailed above.

Publication date: 20 May 2025

Our Advisers Policy governs the appointment and management of all third parties engaged to guide, influence, promote, assist and support our sales and marketing efforts or the strategic development or the political context of our business and some aspects of security. A summary of the Policy can be viewed here. Find out more about how we use and manage Advisers in our Advisers fact sheet.

Publication date: 20 May 2025