Showing attitude and celebrating differences

"Why are you advertising with a m...? Does a mixed race person better represent your clientele?" That's just one response to our "No Hate Speech" campaign. Discrimination, hostility and hate are on the rise in our society. Or are becoming more visible. And unfortunately, the internet is increasingly becoming a crime scene. Deutsche Telekom is taking action against this. Not just today, March 21, which is intended to raise awareness against racism. But every day.

 “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences,” says American writer and civil rights activist Audre Lorde. I share this in both senses. Because diversity is a source of strength and inspiration for me. Diversity has enriched me throughout my life. It began early on while interrailing after high school. Here I exchanged ideas with people from different countries and cultures. And I found this gain in perspective to be enriching. My community service at a school for children with mental disabilities also had an impact on me. Being inclusive, connecting and including instead of excluding. That is a personal aspiration. But it is also a corporate one. Deutsche Telekom stands for connecting people. We are committed to this - and not just with our network expansion.

Why is Deutsche Telekom committed to combating hate on the Internet?

We are investing heavily in our networks. In fiber optics, in 5G, in LTE. In mobile communications alone, we now have over 240 million customers worldwide. And we are continuing to invest in this. Over 18 billion euros worldwide and over 5.5 billion in Germany alone. We want to connect ten million households to our FTTH network by 2024. And the trend is rising.

Our networks enable people to stay connected, to learn, to work, to exchange ideas. Unfortunately, however, they also provide a platform for people who spread hate and hatred, racism and sexism. But we don't want to leave the web to those who discriminate.

That's why we support people in moving around the web with confidence, as far as possible without fear of exclusion. In other words, to live together according to democratic rules. Non-violence is part of this. And the violence that comes from words is part of it.

We bundle our initiatives for more media competence on the website "Media sure! But secure." Here we offer information and material on socially relevant topics of digitization. We want to raise awareness and show alternative courses of action. The goal is constructive dialog in social media. We work with a total of 44 partners.

• Our multiple award-winning "Teachtoday" initiative promotes the secure and competent use of the internet by children and young people. Since 2020, there has been a new toolbox for multipliers and teachers. It includes over 100 formats that deal with media and democratic competence.
• The Digital Heroes train schoolchildren to become digital heroes in online courses. As mentors for young people, they advise them on how to deal with personal data on the Internet and social networks. They also help prevent cyberbullying.
• ichbinhier raises awareness of hate on the Internet and stands for digital moral courage. The association educates people about the causes of hate speech, its spread and its effects. It also supports people and institutions in arming themselves against digital attacks.
• Gesicht Zeigen! encourages people to become active. Against racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia and right-wing extremism. Love Speech offers young people an alternative to hate in language and communication. Online as well as offline.
• JUUUPORT.de is a German online counseling platform for young people who have problems online. Voluntarily active young people help their peers with online problems such as cyberbullying, stress in social media, online rip-offs and data theft.
• The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is committed to strengthening a democratic civil society that consistently opposes right-wing extremism, racism and anti-Semitism.
• Every year, 10,000 people die by suicide in Germany. For people who experience (cyber) bullying, the risk of suicide is three times higher. Freunde fürs Leben wants to change that. Among other things, by educating teenagers and young adults about mental health, depression and suicide.

In 2020, we reached over 340 million contacts in Germany with our #nohatespeech campaign. And this year, of course, our commitment continues. We are setting an example for more digital civil courage.

And we're starting with ourselves. We have social media guidelines for our internal social network. Because we want to discuss and argue with each other productively and inclusively. And not destructively and exclusionary. I do not accept that individuals poison the discourse. Because in doing so, they damage the company and ultimately its ability to innovate. This also includes deleting comments on our intranet. And not only if the statements are "justiciable. Because it is precisely those who poison the discourse who often cleverly exploit legal gray areas. That's why we take the liberty of "house rules" here. We also delete postings that damage the peace of the company or Telekom's reputation. This is decided by the Compliance department together with the Communications department and the social partner. The basic principle is that deletion is the ultima ratio. But "ratio" is exactly what we want in debates. And of course we want people to really discuss things openly with us. That we also get tough and critical feedback. But the tone doesn't just make the music. The tone also makes the discourse. We don't want to run the risk of people not expressing themselves freely on our intranet because they're afraid of the kind of discussion we're having. After all, sometimes it's the quiet, rhetorical contributions that trigger change.

Strong corporate culture across borders

Diversity and inclusion are part of our corporate culture. And these values apply to all the markets in which we operate. It's not always easy. Sometimes we fail to live up to our standards. Just as we all sometimes fail at our own aspirations as well. But we don't give up. We continue to work for it.

Each of our national companies is different. Every country in which we operate is different. Even if we are only represented in Europe and the USA with our own networks. Each country has its own history, language, culture and political and economic conditions. But they are all part of the Telekom family. We have a strong culture across borders. We promote diversity through various programs and projects.

T-Mobile US, for example, founded an external "Council for Diversity and Inclusion" last year. In doing so, they are working closely with six major U.S. civil rights organizations. In addition, T-Mobile US has an internal network with diverse groups where employees discuss difficult issues or challenge common prejudices. Tens of thousands of employees are involved in this network. Overall, around 39 percent of T-Mobile employees are active in at least one group such as the LGBT community (PRIDE) or the Women's Alliance Network. T-Mobile US has received several awards for this. For example, the prestigious Forbes "Best Employer for Diversity" award.

T-Mobile Polska's "We Love Diversity" campaign is directed against exclusion of any kind. Be it on the basis of appearance, origin, sexual orientation or religion. During diversity weeks, prominent people speak on topics such as tolerance and inclusion and bring in new perspectives.

Different, better, more diverse

In a nutshell: We connect people. We don't separate them. Racism, sexism, discrimination, hate and hatred have no place with us. We work to ensure that everyone has the same opportunity here. No matter what their origin. No matter what gender. Regardless of skin color. More than 20 years ago, Deutsche Telekom was primarily German and male. Today, 27 percent of our executives are women. 20 percent are international. I'm glad that my own team is diverse. Today we have three women and three international colleagues on the Board of Management. Business economists, electrical engineers and a physicist. The discussions on the board are different, better, more diverse.

But there is also criticism. Not everyone has the same opportunities yet - even at Deutsche Telekom. The prejudices in people's minds have not yet disappeared. Unfortunately, this can be seen in the comment on our campaign quoted at the beginning of this article. That's why we're continuing to campaign #nohatespeech, for diversity and against exclusion. First, because it's the right thing to do. And second, because diverse companies... Actually no: First is reason enough.