Diversity+Inclusion at SAP

At SAP, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is a big part of who we are. When we embrace differences, we are valuing each other’s unique attributes and perspectives. This is How We Run and how we ensure that SAP is one of the world’s best places to work, where our employees can be true to who they are and feel free to express themselves.

Our Diversity & Inclusion Strategy is focused on four key areas:

• Gender intelligence: to improve overall collaboration and communication between men and women.
• X-Generational intelligence: to achieve greater innovation by drawing on experiences and perspectives from people of all ages and walks of life.
• Culture & Identity: to empower the many voices at SAP to create a greater sense of community.
• Differently-Abled People: to provide a work environment that welcomes diversity and considers the needs of each employee.

In Argentina, our employee networks help ensure that all our collaborators can feel at home while at work:

• Pride@SAP Argentina, with more than 110 members, fosters the inclusion of our LGBT community (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders) and welcomes anyone who supports respect and equality, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Ezequiel Massa (that’s me) leads the initiative.
• Business Women’s Network, led by Carolina Vaccaro, empowers women to be all they can be and advance in their career, while maintaining a harmonious relationship with men, by providing them with the learning opportunities and tools they need to take the next step.
• Finally, our Differently-Abled People Committee, which was created in late 2015, is the first SAP group in the world that is entirely dedicated to the inclusion of people with disabilities, and together with Autism at Work leads, it helped bring in four new colleagues on the autism spectrum (more are still to come). Cristina Bottolo has just been appointed as the new lead for the team.

All three employee networks came together to host an event on April 3, 2017, addressed to our Sales teams in Buenos Aires.

What did we intend to achieve? To keep it short, all we wanted was to increase awareness about diversity and inclusion. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Why was Sales the only board area that got invited to the event? Due to their tight schedule with customer visits and making the quota, account executives and Sales leaders are not always available to attend our meetings. They have their hands full with reviewing, maintaining and improving the customer experience, and helping SAP reach their goals.

How did we get such a busy audience to attend? We simply joined one of their meetings. With the support from our local HR BP, Coni Qui?ones, and our LAC South MD, Willy Brinkmann, we attended their post planning dinner. It was the beginning of the quarter and so all Sales and Presales teams had met earlier that day to discuss their plans for the new term. When that meeting was over, we were waiting for them at the dinner party.

How did we create awareness? We knew that after a nine-hour meeting, they would probably not be willing to listen to somebody speak. Instead, we got our MD to invite them to a Post Planning Dinner at Club Alemán, a German restaurant with the most beautiful views of Buenos Aires, where we played an interactive trivia on sexual diversity, inclusion of people with disabilities, female talent, SAP, and even music. 

What was the game about? We prepared the questions and hired an external vendor to host. It was fun, relaxed and educational. Our guests got to play against each other, compete for the trophy, and take away some valuable lessons on diversity and inclusion:

• Were you aware that every one of us has unconscious biases?
• Do you know why we commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8?
• Did you know that recent studies show that homophobia costs countries $100 billion a year? 

And the best part of it all, we finished off the night with some tasty Argentine steak.

The event was a hit, with nearly 40 participants (that represents most of our local sales force) who went home with a new perspective on diversity and the work SAP is doing to foster an inclusive environment everyone can be part of.

Diversity in our workforce is an economic imperative. It is critical for any organization to innovate and adapt. Diversity leads to innovation, and innovation leads to success. Any company with a diverse workforce will show better financial results and higher employee engagement rates. Retention, performance and commitment are directly linked to the way we conduct business.

SAP is not only striving to make our employees, myself included, feel valued and cared for, but it is also enabling the world to build a Business Beyond Bias. How? By developing technology that helps detect and eliminate bias in every decision point of the end-to-end talent lifecycle.

I would like to thank SAP for all of the above: you are my dream job.

In the words of our MD himself, Willy Brinkmann:

“It's our behaviors that define who we are. By embracing differences, we help create an environment where each and every one of our employees can feel valued and respected, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. Our culture—one that's most diverse and inclusive—is what makes SAP a better company, and what will ultimately enable us to build a business beyond bias where all are free to be their authentic selves.”