ZF Employees on Diversity

Christian's Story

Acknowledging and Celebrating Differences

Christian is North America Finance Leader in the Commercial Vehicle Controls Systems division and has joined the company six years ago. He chose to come out personally as a member of the LGBTQ+ community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) during a ZF leadership program. In doing so, he used himself as an example of an employee who was grateful to be acknowledged, and to feel valued and accepted as part of the team.
“Ultimately, one of the goals of the program for the future leaders was to focus on concepts like passion, anticipation and accountability and to identify, how they tied in with our current ZF Way principles and how they could be used to make the company more diverse and welcoming at all levels.
I feel that a basic attitude of inclusion has taken hold at ZF. We are about more than issues like race, religion or sexual orientation. Each of our colleagues is different in some way. Acknowledging those differences, and celebrating rather than eliminating them, will only make us better as a company.
For example, an important step is to recognize our own unconscious bias and learn to see the world not through the lens of our own experiences, but also through the eyes of others.
It’s about fostering a work culture in which it's okay to talk about our past, families, passions, ideas, likes and dislikes – about what ultimately makes us who we are, in order to better understand each other. Then we will have every right to be proud of ourselves and of our company. I feel that the future is wide open for ZF and I am eager to both live the experience and nurture this progress as we welcome new generations into the ZF team.“
I feel that a basic attitude of inclusion has taken hold at ZF. We are about more than issues like race, religion or sexual orientation. Each of our colleagues is different in some way.
Christian Bueno
Marisol's Story

Women Rule the Shop Floor

The manufacturing industry is traditionally male-dominated – stereotypically, it is viewed as “men's work”. Around the world, this mindset has prevented women from pursuing a career in this industry. At ZF however, this has begun to change.
For us , inclusion, empowerment and diversity are fundamental keys to our success. A prime example, how well this works, is Aguascalientes Chassis Technology Corner line in Mexico, established in 2019. Here ZF features one unique characteristic: only women have ever worked here so far. The results are outstanding. Not only has the entirely female team successfully reached all KPI’s, each year these dedicated women produce roughly 141,000 axles. They have also maintained excellent customer satisfaction, right from the beginning. Therefore, it is absolutely justified to say: in Aguascalientes women rule and run the shop floor!
“It is really nice and rewarding for women to have the opportunity to work in this industry at ZF,” says Marisol Diaz, one of women working for ZF in Aguascalientes. “Many of my colleagues are the heads of their families and have to take care of all household expenses. The automotive industry is very good because, compared to other industries, it gives us better benefits and more security.“
Her colleague Yarelsi García comments: “This is the first time, I have worked in the automotive industry, and it is excellent that here at ZF, there are equal opportunities for women – especially when it comes to heavy work. I believe, we too have the right to work in this industry and to demonstrate that we are fully competent to perform any job or assignment we are given”.
No doubt, the women of Aguascalientes have assured us in our belief that this is a field worth exploring. Once you start a culture of diversity and equal opportunities, the sky is the limit.
“It is really nice and rewarding for women to have the opportunity to work in this industry at ZF.”
Marisol Diaz
Elsa's Story

The Female Leader

ZF has been present in China for 40 years. Elsa Liu joined ZF in May 2005 and has become Senior Manager, responsible for all software activities as well as the management in research and development of active safety systems for the Asia Pacific region. She certainly felt the charm of ZF's multiculturalism and its support in growing, right from her first day at ZF.
“ZF has been providing employees with long-term development plans and various opportunities,” Elsa recalls her first experience of going to Europe for an on-the-job training and the first vehicle winter testing in Sweden, more than ten years ago, with a smile: “At the time, I was the only female engineer in the whole testing ground, but one of the three rest rooms was assigned especially to me”. Since that time, Elsa has experienced that ZF respects the rights and interests of every individual employee and embraces the culture of diversity around the globe.
Today, Elsa’s team members are distributed across several cities in China and India and as the head of software, her workload is highly saturated. When asked about her feelings as female leader, especially in mainly male-dominated teams, Elsa laughs. “Female leader? No, we don’t emphasize the difference between women and men, especially not when looking at their work output. In our world people count, not genders.”
That’s a typical learning from growing in the ZF culture: the management role of leaders is responsibility rather than gender. “I firmly believe that I can lead the team to really solve the problems. For this it is important to constantly train my thinking, aim to make wise decisions in complex environments, and accommodate different views and perspectives, at all times. I often find that women are more focused on teamwork. Maybe,” Elsa, mother of two children, comments, “because they often play multiple roles and have to balance their career, family and even their elders. That makes them extremely strong and effective.”
At ZF today, more and more females enter middle or senior leadership roles for instance in business, engineering, marketing, and operation. The company gives employees a variety of career opportunities and pays attention to individual diversity – the unique advantages of each employee to create value.
“Female leader? No, we don’t emphasize the difference between women and men, especially not when looking at their work output. In our world people count, not genders.”
Elsa Liu