For the seventh consecutive year, Lidl Bulgaria received the prestigious Top Employer certificate for its employment practices and ranked among the top 3 employers in the country. The Top Employer distinction is often perceived as a sign of good working conditions. In reality, behind it lies a far more complex picture – an independent international audit that assesses how companies manage people, put their values into practice and what their place is in society. The company achieves a maximum score of 100% in key areas such as ethics and integrity, as well as organizational values and purpose. Its approach to diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) also stands out, where the chain also reports tangible progress, surpassing other certified employers in the country by 14.36% – the biggest difference in this area at the national level.
Measuring the immeasurable
For the Top Employers Institute, topics such as ethics, values and DEI are not measured by campaigns, but by the extent to which the principles are part of everyday decisions towards employees, customers and partners. The maximum score in the categories “Ethics and integrity“ and “Organizational values and purpose“ shows that at Lidl Bulgaria these standards apply equally to everyone and do not depend on position, role or context.
This is exactly where DEI fits naturally – not as a separate policy, but as a logical extension of values such as respect, trust, down-to-earthness and cohesion. In an environment where more and more people are looking for more than just an employer, but a match of values, inclusion is becoming a real competitive advantage.
Continuous efforts - visible results
Lidl's progress in terms of diversity, equality and inclusion over the past year is not accidental. It is the result of long-term and targeted initiatives that address different dimensions of inclusion.
One of them is the Academy for “Diversity, Equality and Inclusion“, which is a joint initiative of the Union of Women in Business in Bulgaria, the Faculty of Economics of Sofia University and Lidl Bulgaria. The program prepares participants to recognize, manage and develop diversity as a strategic resource - a skill that is increasingly proving to be key to sustainable leadership. The Academy has trained 63 diversity and inclusion ambassadors, 22 of whom are Lidl employees, and 14 are the company's scholarships for training representatives of media and non-governmental organizations. The trained employees apply the acquired competencies in building an even more supportive and tolerant work environment.
In parallel, the company continues its partnership with the “Arete“ Foundation, through which it financially supports the higher education of students of Roma origin. The support also includes mentoring and training on topics related to career development.
Diversity in teams through opportunities for generation Z
The inclusion of young people in the labor market through programs and initiatives developed specifically for their needs shows that the company lives diversity in all its business functions. Last year alone, over 450 students aged 16-18 chose Lidl's internship program to gain first-hand experience and skills, working in the company's stores and logistics facilities. 16 students from leading universities in five European countries worked on specific projects in strategic business departments of the company. Each young person, regardless of the program in which they participated, was accompanied in their career steps by a mentor who took care of their good adaptation, shared knowledge and encouraged skills. The feedback from the participants in the programs is also categorical - over 98% of them recommend their experience in the company, and what they value most is the team and the acquired skills. The benefit is not only for young people, but also for the company's team - from going through numerous trainings related to knowing the specifics of the new generation, which will soon dominate the labor market, through direct contact with it in an environment of continuity and cohesion.
What are the benefits
In the Top Employers Institute methodology, DEI is not a stand-alone goal, but part of the broader picture - how an organization creates an environment in which people can be themselves, develop and contribute. The fact that Lidl Bulgaria simultaneously achieves maximum results in values and ethics and reports real progress in DEI shows that inclusion is not an addition, but a natural result of consistent strategic actions.
DEI policies and the ways in which they are implemented in practice are a test of an organization's maturity; of its ability to see people not as categories but as potential and to create an environment in which differences are not smoothed out but are used as a source of better solutions, stronger teams and longer-term success. In the context of the changing labor market, this becomes a key factor for sustainability.
That is why the Top Employer recognition carries great weight - not as an external result, but as confirmation that when inclusion is systematic and values are put into practice, the business grows, and the people in it grow too. And that is worth it.