How Our Women’s Network is Leading the Charge for Inclusion and Diversity

As a company, we recognize the importance of having a diverse workforce. However, like many companies in this sector, we have a way to go when it comes to gender diversity. In an effort to address this issue, we launched a Women’s Network in October 2022, with the goal of bringing all women and allies together to create a safe and valuable workplace where they can develop and grow their careers.

Our Vice President Human Resources, Armin Seiler, shares his learnings from the first six months of our Women’s Network, highlighting the importance of creating spaces for employees to share and learn from each other, as well as the need for allies to speak up and drive inclusivity and equality forward.

Why we have created a women’s network. And what we (and I) have learned so far.

By Armin Seiler, VP Human Resources

At Yunex Traffic, we transform the way people travel throughout towns and cities – all over the world and from all walks of life. This is one of the reasons why it is so important that our people and company are a true reflection of the world we operate in.

But the truth is: This is not the case in the industry in which we operate, and this is not – yet – the case in our company either. It is known that the transport industry has traditionally been one of little diversity. In 2020, it was reported that the number of women working in the EU transport sector made up just 16% of all workers.

At Yunex Traffic, we are no exception. Most of our employees are men, and we are far from a diverse workforce. But: We are committed to changing this. In 2021 we announced our commitment to increasing the number of management roles fulfilled by women to 25% by Fiscal year 2025. This is essential for us but also the future of transport. We need different views, ideas and voices to be truly successful.

In order to reach this goal and to strengthen the number of women in our business and industry, we launched various initiatives last year. One of them was our international Network “Women at Yunex Traffic”.

Why did we decide to launch the Network, what have we learnt so far and why is it so important that the transport industry becomes more diverse and inclusive? I would like to take the opportunity on International Women’s Day to introduce our Women’s Network – and show why it is worthwhile to stand up for diversity in the workplace.

May I introduce? This is our Network “Women at Yunex Traffic”

In October 2022, we launched our Women’s Network with the goal of bringing all women and allies together to shape a safe and valuable workplace. A workplace where they can develop and grow their careers with us. And inspire other women to join our industry also.

We are six months in and have already learnt a lot.

• In just six months, the Women’s Network has already brought women and allies closer together across our global organization. Those within the Network have been able to meet and interact with colleagues they do not typically work with in their daily role, opening up the opportunity for personal and professional growth.

• The Women’s Network has enabled open and honest conversations to take place where experiences are shared. For me, most inspiring, is seeing our employees share advice on how they have handled similar situations and how they can support one another.

• We host regular Coaching Sessions and we have empowered our employees to choose the coaching topics that matter most to them. It has been inspiring to see our employees be so open during these sessions – sharing their experiences, insights, advice and tips they have learned throughout their careers so far. And, ideas for how we can do things differently.

• Our planning efforts before launching the Women’s Network helped us to launch a successful Network. With clearly defined roles and responsibilities to ensure the Women’s Network continues to grow and make a difference – from our Chief Diversity Officer who launched the Network to our passionate leads within some of our largest regions.

• And what have I – a man – learnt from our Women’s Network? That this is still something we need in 2023. Something that still sparks negative reactions amongst some. I believe we need to create spaces for women where they can share and learn from each other. I also strongly believe that we cannot “let the women” do all the work when it comes to equality in the workplace. In addition to these networks and spaces for women, we need allies. And we allies need to speak up – in our workplaces, at industry events and whenever old habits keep our industry and our minds from opening up and growing.

The first six months of our Women’s Network show: The efforts are paying off! The feedback from our employees is terrific. Many women have confirmed that they feel better integrated into the company, that they feel encouraged to share their challenges and build allies within and beyond. The launch was therefore an important step towards our goal of increasing our women’s quota in management.

An important step towards our goal: a 25% women’s quota in management

I strongly believe that our Women’s Network is playing a part in us achieving this commitment and beyond. We are creating a space where we can drive inclusivity and equality forward.

Is everything perfect within our industry? No. Is there work to do? Absolutely. But, we are making progress that is being driven by our people who are passionate about this. And, that makes me really proud and confident that as one #TeamYunexTraffic we will help the transport industry to become truly diverse.