In January 2023, Bentley was named one of the best employers by the Top Employers Institute for the twelfth consecutive year – the only representative from the automotive industry in England. Among other things, the award honors the company’s commitment to young employees, the personal development of its employees, and diversity.
Bentley employs around 4,000 people in Crewe. With a population of almost 70,000, the town in the county of Cheshire in the northwest of England has been the company’s headquarters since 1938. To further strengthen this close relationship and promote talented young employees, Bentley has long collaborated with schools and colleges in the region, such as Crewe Engineering & Design UTC, which Bentley co-founded.
Despite the difficult situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the company hired 112 new recruits in Crewe in 2022, more than ever before in a year. They are a welcome addition to many departments, from mechanical engineering, production, marketing, and communication to project management, human resources, and security.
A key strategy is adherence to the overarching values that apply to the entire company. Bentley pursues a zero-tolerance policy toward racism and any other form of discrimination. The company, which employs people from 52 different countries, welcomes and promotes diversity, regardless of age, origin, gender, faith, sexual orientation, or physical or mental disability. This aspiration also extends to the management level: by 2025, 30 percent of Bentley’s management is to be diversified.
Various initiatives at Bentley promote diversity, including the Be-Proud program for topics related to LGBTQ+, Be-United that brings together all races of BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) colleagues as well as other nationally diverse colleagues, and Be-Inspired, which focuses on women in the automotive industry. Bentley has also launched the Be-Inclusive – Diversity Wins training program for HR managers.
The aim is to deepen the understanding of each individual’s responsibility to question their own views and to actively participate in a working environment in which all employees feel accepted.