And why the fight for equal rights must continue.
As the Head of HR for Tietoevry, I consider the question of whether we as a company should celebrate Pride or not a no-brainer. The answer is obvious: Of course we should! There are primarily two reasons for this. The first one is that it aligns with our core values of openness, trust and diversity. The second is that even today, in 2023, members of the LGBTQ+ community are still facing discrimination, both in the workplace and in society at large. Pride is a yearly reminder of this and of the fact that equal rights call for continuous attention and action from all of us across the world.
This became all too clear last year here in Norway when the Pride parade in Oslo had to be cancelled after a violent episode where a popular gay bar was one of the targets. This makes participating in this year’s celebration particularly meaningful. For Tietoevry, it also highlights the importance of sending a clear signal to the global community that we are, and always will be, a proud ally of the rainbow community.
One issue that often comes up when talking about organizations participating in Pride and walking in the parade is that of pinkwashing, meaning that they declare themselves to be an LGBTQ+ ally, but act differently in practice. I hope that our commitment as Tietoevry is clear. For us, participating in Pride is one visible and important way to show support to diversity, human rights and equal opportunities. Participating in Pride, however, is not enough. For a workplace to be truly inclusive and safe for everyone, we also need formal principles in place. For example, Tietoevry’s Code of Conduct unequivocally states that we have zero tolerance for any kind of discrimination, and we have a whistleblowing system in place for reporting any concerns anonymously.
For us at Tietoevry, Pride is about taking a stand, living our values, and doing what is right. That is why I am very much looking forward to again joining many colleagues in the parade in Oslo on the 1st of July, and happy that Tietoevry will walk in the parades in Helsinki and Stockholm as well. It is also why I think the Pride movement for equal opportunities – for everyone to be seen and accepted just as they are - is essential not only in June but all year round.
Read more about our plans for Pride 2023 here