At BASF Corporation, the focus is on attracting and retaining the best people from all backgrounds, and on building an inclusive environment in which differences are valued. The company’s regional diversity council guides the development and implementation of its diversity and inclusion strategy.
New Focus, New Partners
Recruitment efforts have recently been expanded to include a strategic focus on historically black colleges and universities, as well as externship opportunities with new partners at key schools and universities. BASF’s diversity sourcing professional works closely with the recruitment team to match diverse talent to existing job opportunities and maintain a pipeline for future opportunities.
BASF partners with various organizations, including the American Chemical Society through the ACS/BASF Scholars Program, to offer scholarships intended to expand the participation of under-represented groups in the sciences and with the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering to achieve the same goals in key Gulf Coast markets. BASF is also working to improve the representation of women and minority groups in science, technology, engineering and math (the STEM disciplines) and looking to deepen the impact of diverse teams on driving innovation.
In addition, the company will soon introduce a formal mentoring program dedicated to specific job skill development and knowledge transfer, which will help employees build successful careers. BASF is also in the process of establishing an employee resource group especially for military veterans. Taking these efforts to the next level is at the heart of “what’s next” for BASF.
Tracking Progress
Along with adopting an increased focus on diversity recruiting, as well as leadership accountability for recruiting and retaining diverse talent, BASF has created an innovative Talent/D+I dashboard that can track the impact of leader behaviors on building a truly diverse and inclusive organization. These efforts will help BASF move beyond “counting heads” and toward making sure people truly count.
Through strategic workforce planning, BASF continues to prepare for demographic shifts in the workforce. Such efforts include the company’s Transitions@Work program, which focuses on knowledge transfer and strategic succession planning to ensure the continued success of the business.
