As a global company, we encounter all kinds of challenges every day. To master these, we rely on our employees and their different skills, levels of experience and perspectives. We put together highly diverse teams that complement each other across our entire workforce. Promoting diversity is a key tool for enhancing competitiveness in all aspects of our business.
Numerous studies show that mixed teams are more motivated, more creative, that they perform better and that they have a better understanding of the different requirements of customers. So to leverage this potential and help us stay successful, we create a work environment free of prejudice - one that encourages top performance and guarantees equal opportunity, and one in which people with all kinds of skills enjoy working together as a team. We promote a diverse workplace with a good mixture of people of both genders, plus different ages, nationalities and cultural backgrounds. We also actively support the integration of people with disabilities. And we help disadvantaged young people get their careers off to the right start through special initiatives like "Learning with Energy".
A culture of diversity that is well-established
At E.ON, equal opportunity and diversity have been key parts of our corporate culture for years. As early as 2006, E.ON used a Group-wide guideline to set out the framework that prohibits any discrimination due to age, background, sexual orientation or gender. Ever since then, diversity has been systematically addressed and cemented into the company; this has been achieved by measures such as providing intercultural training to members of management.
External recognition of our championing of diversity
In 2008, we signed the "Charta der Vielfalt" (German Diversity Charter), thereby publicly affirming our commitment to diversity to the German government and German industry. We belong to a network of over 1,000 companies who have signed the charter since its creation in 2006 - companies committed to diversity, tolerance, fairness, valuing people, and to the economic advantages that diversity brings. At the end of 2010, we founded the Diversity Charter Association together with twelve other companies. This public private partnership will direct the diversity activities of the charter in the future and bear financial responsibility for them.
In 2010, we were awarded the "Total E-Quality" equal opportunities seal in recognition of our efforts. The jury of independent experts from the Total E-Quality voluntary association in Germany especially praised the fact that diversity is an integral part of E.ON's corporate culture.
Different ways of making diversity a reality throughout the group
In every one of our units, we run a variety of programs and initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of diversity. This includes our measures for helping employees balance work and family and our preventive health programs. We are currently placing a particular emphasis on fostering an increase in the share of female managers in our businesses.
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