FREE NOW signs the Diversity Charter and sets new targets to increase the proportion of women in management positions

• The leading mobility platform commits to the values of the Diversity Charter and expands its commitment to diversity and inclusion
• First targets defined to increase the proportion of women in all management positions – 38% by the end of this year and 43% by 2023
• Implementing regional initiatives including tech scholarships and trips for people with disabilities extends the company’s existing commitment to diversity and inclusion for its consumers

Hamburg, 25 May 2021 - FREE NOW, Europe’s leading multi-service mobility                   platform, is strengthening its commitment to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and corporate culture. Under the MAKE A MOVE initiative, the company is launching a series of measures.

To mark the occasion of the first European Diversity Month in May 2021, set up by the European Commission, the company signs the ‘Diversity Charter’. When a company does so, this represents a public commitment to promoting diversity and equal opportunities for all staff. With this action, FREE NOW takes a stand for the added value of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in society. Additionally, FREE NOW has set clear, measurable targets to increase the proportion of women in management positions and is planning further local actions.

FREE NOW is committed to foster Diversity & Inclusion on all leadership levels

"Diversity is at the heart of our company's DNA. This is why we are not only committed to being an equal opportunity employer but also fostering diversity and inclusion in society by improving our product offering" says FREE NOW Chief People and Communications Officer Eckart Diepenhorst. "With this signing, we commit ourselves to the values of the Diversity Charter and set the starting signal for the further expansion of our commitment.”

An elementary component in the area of diversity and inclusion is the gender ratio in leadership positions. FREE NOW has set itself clear goals to achieve this – by the end of this year, the aim is to increase the amount of leaders identifying as women from 33 to 38 percent. For 2023, 43 percent is targeted.

Regional initiatives expand existing commitment to diversity and inclusion

FREE NOW also intends to strengthen its efforts in other dimensions of diversity and inclusion. The mobility platform recently joined the EU Initiative, Open Employers Pledge, to join other European tech companies in pushing for changes to the narrative and policy approach on labour migration in Europe. Additionally, in 2021, FREE NOW introduced employee-led internal communities to encourage positive discourse, information sharing, internal initiatives and safe spaces for people focusing on everything from gender identity to mental health. This will be supplemented by regional initiatives in the course of the year. For example, the company plans to introduce young people to tech professions through a scholarship in Spain and support its taxi drivers and users with post-Covid mental health programmes in the UK. In addition, taxi rides for wheelchair users are to be improved in Germany and seniors are to be given more mobility options through attractive offers in Portugal.

"At FREE NOW, we drive diversity and inclusion at all levels," says Eckart Diepenhorst. "Because we have a clear vision in mind: we want to be an employer where the most diverse talents can find a place, stay and give their best to create a platform together with the team that makes mobility accessible for everyone."

FREE NOW sets an example for more tolerance

Under the patronage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Diversity Charter association has been working as a corporate initiative since 2010 to firmly anchor diversity management in the German economy. By signing the charter, FREE NOW is setting an example for more tolerance towards people regardless of their gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or ideology, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity. Among other things, the company commits to an organisational culture characterised by respect and appreciation, to managing personnel processes in line with the Diversity Charter, to reporting on different aspects of diversity and to introducing company wide diversity management.

FREE NOW has created this video for personal notes from some of its female leaders on the topic of diversity and inclusion and gender equality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U67jHKrG4OQ&t=6s