Working on things that matter to the nation
At Thales in the UK and globally, it is our belief that diversity and inclusion make for a stronger and more innovative workforce. For us, diversity and inclusion are embraced to foster creativity and decipher solutions to the most complex of problems. This allows us to solve some of the world’s most intricate engineering challenges across an array of markets.
Diversity and inclusion is about creating an environment where we can all be valued for the qualities that we bring to an organisation, regardless of who we are. Being inclusive requires us all to be open-minded to the world around us and, in doing so, enables greater innovation.
Lynne Watson, VP Human Resources, Thales in the UK
Generational diversity
We’re at our strongest when we bring diverse minds together. This is why Thales in the UK attracts many young graduates and is ranked highly every year among their preferred places to work. We also maintain a high level of employee retention which means we can harness the experience, skill, and knowledge of our long-term staff, combining perspectives across generations to build a better future.
Cultural diversity
The REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage) employee network at Thales in the UK plays a crucial role in promoting cultural diversity and inclusivity within our organisation. REACH helps increase cultural awareness among employees by organising events, workshops, and training sessions that highlight different cultures and traditions, creating an environment where employees from diverse cultural backgrounds feel valued, respected, and included in all aspects of work life.
Read more here.
LGBT+ inclusion at Thales
Driven by its commitment to fighting all forms of discrimination, Thales signed the LGBT+ Engagement Charter in 2019 and participated in the IFOP-L’Autre Cercle survey in France in 2020. The Group has published a booklet and has launched an e-learning module aimed at raising awareness and promoting LGBT+ inclusion. In 2022, the Group will renew its signature of the LGBT+ Engagement Charter.
Disability confident
Thales in the UK is recognised as a Disability Confident Employer by the Department of Work and Pensions. The scheme is a government lead scheme which supports employers to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to the workplace. It is a voluntary scheme that aims to help businesses successfully employ and retain disabled people or those with long-term health conditions.
We have achieved level 3 by confirming we are taking action against numerous criteria around the key themes of ‘Getting the right people for your business and ‘Keeping and developing your people’. We are also members of the Business Disability Forum, which helps us with our commitment to becoming a disability-smart organisation.
Gender imbalance
We are actively addressing the gender imbalance within our industries in the UK. Together with our partner organisations, we help promote science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers within aerospace, defence, security and space through a wide range of activities, events and open days. Delivering cutting-edge innovation requires a huge diversity of thought, skills and experiences and this is reflected in our need for a truly diverse workforce.
Having an extensive female workforce is key to diversity and inclusion. Increasing the number of women in Thales and the engineering sector is a business priority. We heavily engage with schools to promote STEM amongst young people, assuring that engineering is an attainable career path regardless of gender. For a company as broad and elaborate as Thales, however, diversity needs to be applied across all disciplines and not limited to engineering.
Thales in the UK employs over 900 members of the Armed Forces community, including Veterans, Reservists, Service Families and Cadet Volunteers. Our Armed Forces Network supports them throughout the UK and across Thales Group and were recognised in 2019 as being the Gold Standard in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
Over the last 100 years, Thales has enjoyed a heritage of working with the Royal Air Force and, as part of this, we have also supported the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. In 2023 Thales was awarded 'Outstanding Support from an Organisation' at the RAF Benevolent Fund Awards ceremony. This award recognised 20 years of financial support to the Fund from the Thales Charitable Trust. Being able to count on supporters from industry, in a long-term partnership, is key to ensuring the RAF Benevolent Fund can continue to be there for the RAF family and Thales is proud to play its part”.
Combat Stress
In partnership with leading veterans’ charity Combat Stress, we are working to raise awareness of the benefits that veterans can bring to the workplace and the ways in which companies can support their mental health. As part of this, we founded four years ago, with Combat Stress, the annual Military Mind Symposium, which is an event designed to specifically explore the ways in which companies can provide better mental health support for veterans. We continue to sponsor this event year on year.
Armed Forces Community Careers
The Armed Forces Community Careers provides meaningful work for service leavers and their families. As part of Thales in the UK’s commitment to support the Armed Forces, we have created military-only routes into employment, including running our own Military Insight Events. Through our Career Transition Partnership, Forces Families Jobs and Morson Forces, Thales offer a variety of options for our service leavers so they can continue to serve the nation’s defence interests in a supportive environment. At Thales in the UK, our service leavers can grow their careers in new directions, from defence to space and the digital industries.
Armed Forces Corporate Covenant
At Thales in the UK, we are proud to employ and support the Armed Forces and have done so for many years. In September 2014, Thales in the UK was one of the first companies to sign the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant, formalising our commitment to honour the Armed Forces and support the Armed Forces Community. In addition, we won the Gold award in the Employer Recognition Scheme in 2019.
