What can I do? World Day of Social Justice was established by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness of social justice. Every year on February 20, the importance of fighting poverty, inequality and discrimination is highlighted. It calls for standing up for the rights of all people and promoting fair opportunities for all, regardless of origin, gender or social position. Through our combined efforts, we can create a fairer, more inclusive world in which everyone has the same opportunities. At Rheinmetall, we promote diversity and inclusion and advocate for equal opportunities. Our corporate values – respect, trust, openness – form the framework for all activities against discrimination and for bias reduction at Rheinmetall. We promote respectful and conscious interaction every day. Today, we are once again setting a visible example. In our Rheinmetall Calendar 2025, which is displayed in many Rheinmetall offices, and here. #Rheinmetall #Diversity #WorldDayofSocialJustice
DIVERSITY ON THE TABLE More than 33,000 people at Rheinmetall have one thing in common: a great enthusiasm for technology. However, in addition to this common ground, there are also many differences within the workforce of our global technology group. But how do we make these differences “palatable”? Simple exercises can be very memorable. At a recent internal conference in Rome, participants from all over the world shared their favorite sweets with the group. This gesture quickly put everyone at ease and led to a lively exchange about local specialties and international similarities. For some participants, the meeting was perhaps unforgettable for this reason as well. It was certainly a successful start to the further development of joint, innovative, global activities for employer branding, recruiting and diversity. The interaction in this passionate group showed how much can be achieved when people work together and pull together without reservation. A big thank you to Rheinmetall Italia for their hospitality. They did an incredible job of taking care of the participants and making their business trip something very special.
Today, at Rheinmetall, we celebrate and honor women who drive innovation and progress. Let's inspire the next generation to shape the future by bringing three female scientists from Rheinmetall on stage! They are leaders who have turned their passion for science into impactful careers at Rheinmetall Denel Munition in South Africa. Through determination, resilience, and a love for problem-solving, they have risen to excel in fields traditionally dominated by men, paving the way for a more inclusive and diverse future. From overcoming challenges to sharing words of encouragement, they highlight the power of mentorship, education, and perseverance. Let their experiences inspire you to embrace your potential and take bold steps toward your own aspirations. Rheinmetall encourages women to pursue STEM careers, whether they are already working in science or feel a passion for science. Wether they are inside and outside of Rheinmetall: Break down barriers, drive innovation and support the next generation of female scientists.
During his internship, Ruben is getting to know the Human Resources department at Rheinmetall. Jan Hübenet has drawn up his schedule. He is the Inclusion Officer at Rheinmetall AG and has clearly formulated the goal for this stage in Ruben's professional life: “We will make this internship a success story for both Ruben and Rheinmetall.” Ruben's suggestions for improvement are gratefully received. Ruben is enjoying his time at Rheinmetall and feels like he has been accepted as a colleague. “On a personal level, I like it a lot because no one saw me as Ruben in a wheelchair, but simply as Ruben. Nevertheless, it is no problem at all for the team members to push my wheelchair from time to time when the drive fails. That has given me a feeling of great team spirit.” The internship is a special experience for Ruben as part of his training to become an office management assistant. It is his great wish to join Rheinmetall after successfully completing his training. He hopes that it will enable him to take responsibility for something important. Both sides will do everything they can to be prepared for this.
n 2023, the HR Projects department at Rheinmetall set up a Shared Job and CoLeadership Team to set-up the department ‘from scratch’. Julia Albrecht and Larissa Förster are jointly responsible for this centre of expertise for project management methods within the HR department. They have each agreed to a part-time arrangement with Rheinmetall. The model is proving successful. Based on its establishment, it could also be introduced in other departments. For Rheinmetall, this would mean a broader range of working concepts, which could increase the company’s attractiveness for employees, both internally and externally. This is a major asset in times of demographic change and simultaneous growth of the company. The managers were able to overcome almost all the difficulties they had expected. It remains to be seen whether this is because they have been working together in various roles on HR projects since 2012. They look back proudly on the development of some team members and on positive changes in the HR department. IT challenges remain to this day. They recently shared their experiences with the entire HR department in a Q&A session. There was a great deal of interest from colleagues and the feedback was very positive. If you would like to find out more about this shared job and co-leadership model, you can find more details in the diversity section of our careers page:
As an online marketing manager at Rheinmetall, Carina Jäckel works in an environment that is often perceived as technical and therefore rather male-dominated. But for her, this was never a challenge, but an exciting opportunity for personal development. She was also influenced by a male-dominated environment in her family: she comes from a family of firefighters, an area in which men predominantly work. These experiences have shown her that dealing with male colleagues is often uncomplicated, warm and characterized by a humorous, family-like cohesion. She has always appreciated this positive dynamic. Find out more about her personal views on diversity at Rheinmetall on our careers page.
Erkan Yildirim took over the management of Rheinmetall Soldier Electronics GmbH in Stockach (Germany) one year ago during a restructuring phase and feels that it is a great honor and distinction the group has given a young executive like him the responsibility as managing director of one of its subsidiaries. 𝗢𝗻 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 Today as 39 years old, he has been successfully holding various positions at Rheinmetall for about ten years. Approximately a hundred employees currently work under his leadership in Stockach. The company is on a very positive trajectory and another 20 to 40 jobs are to be created in Stockach within the next years. Erkan Yildirim says, with full of pride: “The company has a lot of potential. We have a very committed and highly competent workforce and the entire production depth in-house. We are on a growth path in all areas.” What a wonderful recommendation! We take this as an inspiration and want to further promote diversity and development opportunities in our company. We strive to expand opportunities for everyone equally. Every employee contributes to making Rheinmetall a diverse company. Regardless of generation, gender or cultural background. Each individual should be able to give their best so that we can all take responsibility in a changing world.
750 women, one mission: Our women@Rheinmetall network wants to actively help shape the future of Rheinmetall – with project ideas from within the community. The mission of the community is clearly defined for the next few years: To create a space where the femininity and potential of every person is seen as a key contribution to Rheinmetall’s business success. Sabine Weber, Director of Global Project Purchasing at the Power Systems division, was one of the community’s first members. Following an interview on women’s empowerment, she was asked if she would like to get involved in the women’s community – “and so I became a founding member,” she says. The more we achieved, the more seriously they took our network. We still have a long way to go, but it’s wonderful to see how a handful of women can get so many balls rolling.” A goal for the next level: Be more international. This is an area where Sabine Weber is actively involved on account of her role at Rheinmetall locations all over the world. “I recently took advantage of a business trip to India to speak to the female personnel at Rheinmetall Automotive’s site in Pune as an ambassador for our network. It is important to me to speak to women at other sites and to encourage them to start up local projects that we in the core team can manage and support remotely.” Find out more about our shapers of change:
*** ON THE WAY TO BECOMING A LEARNING ORGANIZATION *** Up-to-date knowledge and learning are crucial to Rheinmetall's success. In addition, the results of our current employee survey have shown that the individual development of employees at Rheinmetall is very important to everyone. E-learning courses are therefore now being offered to complement the Rheinmetall Academy programme. Rheinmetall is thus opening up to a world of self-determined learning. What's new about it? For several weeks now, all Rheinmetall employees worldwide who have a PC workstation have had access to training courses in e-learning format This training programme includes a wide range of videos, audio books, e-books, podcasts, AI simulators, etc. in more than 20 languages and is freely and flexibly available. Rheinmetall is supported by the service provider Skillsoft, an experienced provider of e-learning. Access to the training courses is to be gradually extended to other communication devices so that all Rheinmetall employees can benefit from the training courses. #rheinmetall #peopledevelopment #e-learning #onlineeducation #skillsoft
An overwhelming majority of our employees are convinced that employees from different backgrounds and with different careers can be successful at our locations. We are very pleased about this! This result of our global employee survey "YourVoice" at the end of 2023 is both an incentive and an obligation for us: The strengths and experiences of our employees count at Rheinmetall. We therefore want to optimise our working environment even further so that all employees worldwide can develop their full potential.
