The term “diversity and inclusion” includes gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion, physical/psychological disability or socio-economic background.
Diversity & inclusion
Valtech Mobility thrives on the diversity of talents, perspectives and individuals - but if we take a look under the hood, we can still improve in many ways.
Inclusive culture respects each of these facets and provides a safe space for everyone.
That’s where we want to go.
Even if we have to leave our comfort zone from time to time.
Psychological safety
Fear, uncertainty and pressure are among the worst consultants in the world.
Smart consultants, on the other hand, must be able to take risks, make mistakes and speak their mind without fear.
What helps is appreciation, patience and a willingness to understand each other.
And knowing who we can turn to if we need help.
You’ll never code alone.
Respect
Actually a no-brainer.
We respect each other - ourselves as individuals, our work and the opinions of all our colleagues, even if we don't share them.
Confidants
Our work harbors potential for conflict.
If something goes wrong, whether on a personal or professional level, please don't sit it out, but take action.
In the team, with the personal lead or with our trusted persons.
Discrimination: Zero Tolerance
Discrimination is a snake with many heads, from patronizing smiles to everyday racism to good old-fashioned gentlemanly jokes.
None of this is accepted by us.
Please take action in the event of an offense, whether you are affected or not.
This is where our tolerance comes to an end.
Help from outside
When crises arise that we don't want to discuss with colleagues: We have a partnership with an institute that provides advice and support in all crisis situations - whether financial misery, relationship crisis or creeping burnout.
Anonymously and for free, of course.
Surveys
The regular surveys help us enormously to understand ourselves, recognize problems under the radar and react accordingly.
Equality
Equality means the elimination of inequalities and discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability or socio-economic background.
We want to ensure equal rights, opportunities and access to resources for all people.
Why?
Because this is a fundamental human right, because we believe in the power of diversity and because decency demands it.
Inclusive Recruiting
Inclusive job advertisements, networking events, mentoring programs - we want a diverse workforce and value collaboration and integration in our teams.
Flexible working models
We offer flexible models that can be adjusted as required to make the balance between family and career as smooth as possible.
Women's network
We are delighted to see how well our women's network has established itself and is constantly growing.
Go, girls, go!
Tech Girl
Tech Girl is an initiative to introduce girls between the ages of 12 and 15 to programming in a fun way.
It's great fun, and not just for the girls - if you're interested in joining in next time: you're very welcome.
Inclusive language
The internal surveys have shown that we do not have a unified opinion on the use of language, but rather a heterogeneous one.
Whether we like it or not, there is always an attitude between the lines of our articulation.
Our stance as a company stands for equality.
At the same time, however, we do not want to dictate to anyone how they should express themselves as individuals.
That is why, after many discussions and feedback loops, we distinguish between two levels of communication.
External communication
As soon as we appear as a company and a text is addressed to the public (website, press release, social media), we use gender-neutral wording.
In doing so, we are guided by the status quo of the federal government, universities and the press.
In a nutshell: customers instead of clients, students instead of students.
More on radio and television.
Internal communication
It is not trivial to define where individual communication becomes corporate communication.
Here, too, after numerous, sometimes volatile disputes: In emails, newsletters, Townhall, LinkedIn or Xing, you represent your individual action and can formulate it however you like.
Nevertheless, we would like to remind you that even when it comes to personal impressions of a visit to a Christmas market (e.g. in the newsletter), text reveals mindsets.
Intercultural work
Having made ourselves comfortable in our Gallic village in recent years, we are now increasingly facing the challenge – with colleagues from India, China, the USA and the Global Service Line – of uniting different cultures and taking the opportunity to learn from each other.
Bilingualism
The good news first: all texts in Confluence can now be translated with a single click (German / English / Mandarin).
It gets trickier with town halls, jour fixe or project meetings.
You decide whether to speak in English or German depending on the situation, audience and usefulness.
Slides, on the other hand: always in English.
Cultural Insights
Cultural customs can vary from culture to culture, country to country, region to region and person to person.
Our aim is to create "safe places" at our locations - whether for meditation, prayer or simply for a nap during your lunch break.
Retreats
We are delighted to see how well our women's network has established itself and is constantly growing.
Go, girls, go!
Inclusive Socializing
It goes without saying that we feel most comfortable in our mother tongue.
However, decency and respect dictate that our foreign-language colleagues also feel comfortable and welcome.
That's why it's our responsibility to ensure that everyone understands everything - not only in projects or face-to-face conversations, but also in groups, at the dining table, at barbecues or table football.
Even if it gets bumpy sometimes.
Inclusive Leadership
First things first: this topic affects all of us without exception.
Leadership should not be expressed through power, but through the responsibility we bear – for the development of ourselves, the success of the project and our colleagues.
In order to exploit the huge potential of diversity, the term “leadership quality” requires a general overhaul in which traditional (mostly masculine) skills such as “assertiveness” and “dominance” are replaced by empathy, diplomacy, self-reflection and prudence.
Good: Strengths-oriented leadership
If you want to achieve something special, you need special skills.
Strengths-based leadership is a management approach that focuses on recognizing, promoting and using the individual strengths and talents of employees.
Not good: Privileged leadership
This is another chicken-and-egg problem: traditionally, individual circles/groups, often management bodies - whether socially, economically, ethnically or otherwise privileged - prefer to keep to themselves.
Birds of a feather flock together.
The fact that this is the opposite of inclusion needs no further explanation.
Mentoring
To support the path to inclusive leadership, we will be offering mentoring programs and workshops in the future that prepare people to demand and live leadership.
Reverse mentoring
The dynamic nature of our job, in which new tools, technologies, social media and cultural changes are rapidly changing, requires frequent changes of perspective.
One method for this is reverse mentoring - a mentoring relationship in which the traditional distribution of roles between mentor and mentee is reversed.
In other words, reciprocal coaching - young and old, experienced and experienced, intern and manager.
Show, don't tell
Our leaders do not demand inclusion, they exemplify it.
Speaking of past life
Our culture postulates the courage to make and admit mistakes.
This is especially true for those who bear responsibility for other colleagues.
Active listening
It sounds trivial, but it's not: active listening is a communication technique that involves actively showing that you are trying to understand the other person's feelings, needs and messages.
This also includes non-verbal signals such as eye contact, nodding or an open posture.
Equality versus justice
Equality means that all people are treated equally and receive the same resources and opportunities.
Equity, on the other hand, refers to fair distribution based on individual needs and circumstances.
In other words, treating everyone equally is rarely fair - it often requires individualized care and support to ensure true equality of opportunity.
Contact us
