Towards an inclusive culture and the respect of our differences

There are days when I am particularly proud to be an HR executive. Today is one of them.

Thales has chosen to mark this year’s International Day against Homophobia by signing a Commitment Charter with French association l’Autre Cercle – an initiative designed to promote the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the workplace.

At Thales, we want it to be absolutely clear that everyone has the right to display pictures of his or her significant other at work, take parental leave, share his or her insurance policy with his or her spouse, or participate freely in any company event where couples are invited. Far from concerning only LGBT employees, LGBT policies must be everyone’s concern.

Thales though did not wait until May 17, 2019 to embrace diversity. This Charter builds on our long-standing commitment to inclusion. Our company aims to be accountable, competitive and exemplary.

Concerning accountabity, our primary responsibility, as an employer, is to ensure a non-discriminating professional environment. Non-discrimination is just a first step on the path to diversity and inclusion: a company is a community that should be as rich as society itself, in terms of gender, and ethnic and social backgrounds.

We are convinced that by empowering everyone to bring their unique perspective, experience, and character to the table – in one word, our differences - while fostering a sense of common belonging, we will create the dynamic environment we need to remain competitive and stay ahead of the innovation game.

Along with the one hundred and twenty institutions that have already signed this Charter, we humbly aim to set an example so that others will, in turn, make a commitment – and share in the proud feeling that we are all, in our own way, making a difference.

Our employees make a decisive contribution to our company every day. In this context, the diversity of the people at Thales is our greatest asset, because we all benefit from our diverse talents and capabilities. We also benefit from our collective wealth of experience and knowledge which each an everyone of us contributes in their very own personal way to the team. It must therefore be natural for all of us, to respect and value the individuality of every person.

We actively promote diversity, create the necessary framework conditions and commit to a resolute support for all forms of diversity. The LGBT+ charter currently only focuses on companies in France, but the objectives and principles it contains apply, of course, also as a framework for our activities at Thales Deutschland. As an important part of our diversity & inclusion strategy it should be reflected in our daily actions. For the support of all employees is required to overcome discrimination and create an environment in which we all can develop as people without fear and constraints.