Diwali in the Telia office in Stockholm

At Telia, where I work with an awesome set of colleagues on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion agenda, we aspire to create a culture where our colleagues no matter who they are and what their background, feel free to bring your whole selves to work. Every individual deserves to be acknowledged. No one is left feeling invisible. For this we needed to check out our current state. We opened our eyes to see what happened this year during the great Indian festival of lights – Diwali - that just went by this Sunday.

The word Diwali roughly translates to ‘a garland made up of lamps,’ – an apt name for the festival of lights, calling on light to take away darkness. The festival finds its origins in ancient India, possibly to celebrate the culmination of the harvest season (Oct/Nov), and with time came to be the occasion to share and celebrate a variety of metaphorical and philosophical legends, folklore, and mythology. No matter where they go, Indians rise up to the occasion of Diwali, connecting with each other, lighting oil lamps as the tradition has it, and greeting each other in gatherings, small or big.

Telia has for at least a couple of decades, employed tech talent of Indian and Pakistani origin, and their numbers have grown significantly especially in the 6 country-spanning tech unit CPS.

I talked with a few of my Indian colleagues who have been employed in Telia for over a decade, and they said this year more than before, there has been an increasing sense of awareness, acknowledgment and belonging. People were heard wishing their Indian colleagues a Happy Diwali. And it seems like while the world is going through a time of pain and turmoil, people are craving for boundaries to fade, and embracing more opportunities to celebrate together.

Diwali celebrations at Telia Finance!

One of the teams that we would like to highlight this year is that of Telia Finance, that decided to do a get-together on the theme of Diwali, just like many teams often do before Xmas. At 4:30 pm, the 7th floor of our Telia office in Solna had people dressed in traditional Indian clothes and jewelry strolling across the bistro area towards a conference room that was decorated albeit minimally with traditional Diwali rangoli motifs and lamps. And on one corner of the room were laid out delicious delicacies.

Indian festival food (scroll to end of article for photos!) such as Dhoklas and Samosas, with tamarind and mint chutneys to accompany them, and an ample course of sweet Indian dessert to wash down the spice. After a brief meet and greet, the screen lit up to play a short video decoding Diwali for first-timers. This was followed by a personal note by Snehal who was instrumental in the planning and execution of the event.

On a belly full of sweet and spice, the group danced to Bollywood music, laughed, and celebrated the Indian festival of lights, and we got the feeling there’s no turning back for Telia Finance! Seeing the joy that comes from acknowledging the traditions or cultures that exist within their team, among their teammates – no matter whether it’s a majority culture or the culture of one individual – they would like to in some or other way, make room for all to have a sense of belonging and pride, so that they can bring their whole selves to work, and be seen and celebrated for everything they are.

‘Diwali is one India’s most important cultural festivals celebrated across the country in a variety of ways and reinforcing secular bonds of inclusion and belonging. However, I realize that in spite of Indians being in every corner of the world, not many people in Telia aside from Indians or those familiar with Indian culture, seemed to know about this magical festival of lights?. So I took that as an opportunity – a great chance for us to celebrate and bring people together around a new theme. ?I think the event turned out better than expected! Everyone participated whole heartedly – they loved the food, picked up some Bollywood dance moves, and immersed themselves whole heartedly in the experience,' says Snehal.

Initiatives like these add to our organizational culture

Jennifer Florido, Telia’s Head of Culture and Growth dropped by to join the celebration.

‘I had the pleasure of joining our Finance team in their Diwali celebration. It was particularly special because this initiative was initiated?by a few members of the team themselves, showcasing their proactive approach to fostering an inclusive culture within our organization. It was inspiring to see how their efforts not only brought the team together but also contributed to our sense of inclusiveness. These initiatives not only help us grow as a community but also add to our organizational culture, where everyone feels valued and included. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a event and look forward to many more,’ she reflects.

The culture shifts coincides with the success of our culture champions network

With the success of Telia's 400 + culture champions' network, backed by our Leadership & Culture Gurus Chris Hovde , Gustav Bergstrom and Jonas Hernkrantz actively informing and engaging our colleagues in conversations around inclusion, belonging, acknowledgment, equality, and psychological safety, there is clear evidence of a better society with heightened empathy and respect within Telia! And what we witnessed this year during this Indian festival of lights is just one example of that incredible effect of inclusive mindsets among our colleagues and leaders and that commitment to do 1% a day!

Key role of leaders in fostering inclusion

Snehal Richter shared that she thinks leaders?play a critical role in fostering inclusion and diversity within the organization and holding such events on a larger scale can help in actively championing and promoting an inclusive culture. As a leader she truly knows the importance of inclusion in a team and society. 'It sends a strong message that we at Telia value and respect diversity and believe in treating everyone equally and fairly, no matter which background they come from,’ she says. ??

We talked with Erik Bj?rk , CIO Telia Finance, and whom Snehal had approached with the idea, and who thought it was brilliant! He could been one of those who saw this as a ‘religious’ festival, which is often the label put on festivals we either know little about or which we identify with minorities. But that’s not how he saw it.

?In Erik's words:

‘I was very happy to see, to participate in and to support the proactive approach from team members in Telia Finance , in the initiative of celebrating Diwali with all our colleagues. I believe that kind of initiative, where we openly share our cultural backgrounds, has a very positive effect to foster a culture of inclusiveness within our organization. It also helps to make sure everyone is feeling valued and included. I also hope that this will inspire other teams and colleagues in being curious of other cultures and to embrace a culture of diversity.’

Christian Str?mlid , Telia Finance’s Chief Commercial, who also went all in to enjoy the immersive experience, added: ?I think it is all about coming together and showing respect to our differences in culture. Since we have quite a large Indian community I believe it will increase collaboration if we allow ourselves to be more curious on each other and on each other’s cultures and holidays. If you act as a leader and let people take own responsibilities great things will happen. Let people be proud of their culture and heritage, that proudness will turn into increased performance and better collaboration. With respect to both time and money we probably need to have a thought through plan if this initiative would have spin-offs. But why not embrace the traditions and celebrations of our teammembers? Maybe take this opportunity to look at bringing some flexibility into our holiday calendars? There’s no quick answer, but there’s plenty of food for thought and development!’

Telia’s Ambassador for Culture & Faith, Burhan Habib from Telia's COO Office, ran into Ashwani Pandita from the Analytics team and took the opportunity to wish his Indian colleague and had the opportunity to wish him Happy Deepavali (another name for Diwali). Ashwani was heading off that evening to celebrate the festival with his a gathering of friends and family that evening. And then there was Bharathi raja ravikumar from Telia IT who kept it cozy, at home, making traditional Indian dessert (laddu) with his wife and kids.

Burhan shares, ‘Reaching out to my colleagues, wishing them seasons' greetings on their special occasions, and being curious in a positive way, might seem like a small step, but takes me a long way, allowing me to to learn more about who they are. Talking about each other’s traditions is a great way to humanize our connections, and create deeper bonds. I know I will no longer be just another colleague to Ashwani and Raja that they meet at the office, but someone who knows and recognizes them beyond their Workday titles.’

Ronak Prajapati who works in the Delivery & Demand team in API & Interoperability (CPS), and has been with Telia for eight years, observes that compared to when he joined, we have come a long way in being more aware, more inclusive and less wary of each other’s backgrounds and cultures. 'I have seen Telia's journey to where it is today in the light of diversity. My friends and colleagues who are spread out between Finland and Sweden knew about Diwali and took the trouble to wish me, and that made me appreciate the inclusiveness in Telias work culture. It’s great that cultural differences are seen as a positive thing, unlike before when they were seen as negative,’ says Ronak.

Cheers to a Telia where everyone can shine and be their most brilliant selves!