Having participated in the previous Pride celebrations, I know the atmosphere is unique, welcoming and warm. But Pride also carries an important and weighty message: everyone deserves to be protected from prejudice and everyone should be able to be their authentic self.
However, looking around today, there is a long way to go. We live in a world where, regardless of human rights, people cannot express themselves fully in work life or elsewhere in society. Lhbtiq+ people and minorities, people with rainbow identities, people from various social and ethnic backgrounds and belief and religious systems face discrimination, and even threats, every day. This cannot stand.
At TietoEVRY, we are proud advocates and upholders of equality. Inclusion and diversity are at the core of our values. And we have zero tolerance for unethical behavior or discrimination in any form. Employee rights and physical and emotional safety in the workplace are essential to us – everyone should feel safe, welcome and respected at work just as they are. For us, an inclusive environment is where everyone is treated with equal respect and dignity to develop oneself and one's career.
We currently serve customers in 90 countries, and we strongly believe that diversity brings us competitive advantage. When we have a diverse working community, we also have the ability to create solutions that serve all aspects of society. Diversity and inclusion are fundamental in driving innovation forward and they also nurture creativity and problem-solving abilities. When a team has various backgrounds, viewpoints and experiences, people are more inclined to present more creative opinions, counterarguments and solutions compared to tightly homogeneous teams.
This year, the theme of Helsinki Pride is role models. People who have inspired us and who have helped us feel that we are not alone. A role model can be a brave leader who has shown example and paved the way for others. But it can be an organization as well. At TietoEVRY, we wish to be a community where our values are lived through every day, where our people feel safe and can thrive being who they are. We as a company strive for improvements every day.
I believe in leading through example. An important tool for building an inclusive culture is to increase awareness and understanding within managers. Many discriminatory structures result from unconscious bias and thought patterns we might not be aware of. Last year, we initiated a bias training for people in decision-making positions, and already over 650 of our managers have taken bias training by now. Read more of our practices in fostering diversity and inclusion here.
Diversity frees us to think without limits. However, diversity without inclusion would be like a boat without a sail. For us, inclusion means taking everyone on board, and hearing and respecting various viewpoints. Expelling hate speech is an important part of making this a reality. Our latest social initiative is Polite Type, an open source font against hate speech and online bullying. I invite everyone to join us in disarming bullies one word at a time!
We are proud to play our part in the movement for equality and the fight against discrimination. And we are once again proud to be partners with Helsinki Pride!