We believe in talent
We are convinced that talent is unique – and doesn’t care for normative boundaries such as gender, how old you are, whom you love or where you come from. So we don’t care about that either. We rather focus on talent and know that our differences make us stronger and give us the opportunity to learn and grow.
Targets and Action
It’s a good thing to care about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. And it’s even better if you define targets and set actions to push the topic. Because we know that talking about and caring for something is important, but setting actions really makes a difference.That is why we defined targets and set a lot of action. But see for yourselves…
Enjoying inclusive coffee
BELARUS
How coffee and inclusion go together can be experienced in 3 coffee shops in Belarus. Visitors can enjoy the taste of first-class coffee in a highly inclusive bar adapted to the height and physical abilities of people working there for example a wheelchair user. The shop manager with Down syndrome ensures that the coffee shop offers equal opportunities for employees and customers – regardless of their physical features.
A1 MINTchanger:in
AUSTRIA
When thinking about somebody working in IT or tech, we often tend to see the image of a man and not a woman. A1 MINTchanger:in actively wants to change that with focus on female empowerment and breaking down clichés and prejudices. On the annual MINTchanger:in event for example where experts discuss the importance of education and media – but also the importance of each one of us – to foster equal opportunities.
A1 STEMfemme
CROATIA
A society where women explore and engage in IT and tech much more than they do now is our motivation and goal. That’s why in A1 Croatia created STEMfemme – a programme for female STEM students that includes trainings, mentoring, the possibility to start an internship and stay at A1 and of course a salary. Go IT and tech, girls!
Technology goes without gender
MACEDONIA
A1 Macedonia started to initiate and organize the first “A1 WID – Women in Digital Conference” in 2018 and keeps on doing it ever since. By bringing together women discussing digital topics, pay equality and the importance of constant learning we want to empower and promote women in IT and tech.
Happy parents
BULGARIA
Combining work and kids can be quite challenging sometimes. That’s why A1 Bulgaria offers initiatives like a kindergarden at the company’s headquarters, day care for kids on non-school working days, family events but also health insurance for family members and children as well as information done by psychologists on several related topics. Kids are the future – so we support their parents in the present.
Family Inclusive Theater “і”
Created in 2016 with support by A1 Belarus the theater creates entertainment for the entire family and shows a model for an equal opportunity society. Students of the studio are for example children with autism but also kids from A1 employees who learn choreography, plastique, vocal and acting together with actor of the theatre. It is a great example showing that inclusion is not only important but can be real fun.
A1 Austria LGBT+ Network for Employees & Allies
“Bring your whole self to work!” is the important mission of the A1 LGBT+ network including all employees who want to show their support. Activities of the network range from interesting and educational posts on the A1 internal social media network to live events where internal and external personalities discuss LGBT+ topics.
Serbia: Limitless
In a cooperation with the NGO Forum of Youth with Disabilities A1 Serbia hires employees with disabilities in their Telesales team. This important step into a world with equal opportunites aims to empower people with disabilities and show their position in our society – and all colleagues working at A1 experience a more diverse and inclusive work environment.
Macedonia: Diversity is queen
and comes together with a bias-free environment and an inclusive corporate culture. In the A1 Macedonian unconscious-bias workshops we actively address and learn about differences and how they actually turn into real business advantages in a culture of empathy and mutual understanding.
Serbia: Girls-in-ICT Day
Encouraging girls to stay interested in IT and tech topics is a very important goal. Not only does it offer great career opportunites for women and improves equal pay – also these future oriented areas themselves can benefit a lot from more female perspective. A1 Serbia therefor supports the competition „Catch the idea“ among girls in primary schools that aims to encourage entrepeneurial thinking within girls and raises awareness for jobs that are presently more „male-oriented“.
Diversity Charter in A1 Slovenia
By signing the Diversity Charter in February 2021 A1 Slovenia shows how much diversity, equity and inclusion are seen as strengths that will be continuously pushed and promoted in the daily work environment.
Slovenia: No chance for unconscious biases
When the unconscious bias E-Learning was rolled out in English language in all A1 companies A1 Slovenia decided not only to translate it into Slovenian language but also to assign the training as mandatory for all employees and to include it in the onboarding program for new colleagues. So all employees in A1 Slovenia have the possibility to learn about unconscious biases, what they can cause and how to overcome them.
Bulgaria: Diversity tools
Constant education and zero tolerance to discrimination are key to higher diversity. In A1 Bulgaria employees have a set of information, tools, strategy and techniques available to overcome unconscious biases. This learning path supports a culture where equal opportunities are available for everybody – regardless of norms such as gender, background, ethnicity, etc. The success proves us right: up to 45% of A1 Bulgarian workforce are women!
It’s all about knowledge
A1 DIGITAL
Knowing how important constant learning is for everybody A1 Digital focuses on this strategy to improve diversity, equity and inclusion. That’s why there is not only an unconscious bias E-Learning but also workshops in cooperation with A1 Group that take place. And to further dig into the topic a Diversity Basic training is offered to all employees. Because the more we know about and the more we engage in the topic, the better we can maintain an inclusive work environment with equal opportunity for everybody.
