Diversity, equity and inclusion
Our ability to create a more diverse and inclusive Telenor is essential to our success.
A balanced workforce and a healthy working culture are vital to Telenor’s success.
Telenor is a people company, and an equal opportunity employer – diversity, equity and inclusion are imperative to the way we do business. Our ambition is to create and provide solutions together for a diverse group of customers and stakeholders. We strive to include different perspectives in everything we do and foster a culture of involvement, engagement and respect.
Balanced workforce
Telenor has focused on diversity and inclusion development over the past years, and important topics such as pay equality and hiring practices are high on the agenda.
A balanced workforce includes gender balance, age balance and inclusion of people of different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. We’re committed to fostering a working environment where all employees, including those from under-represented groups, are supported and empowered in their work.
We have successfully taken action to increase the share of women in senior leadership positions, and are well on our way toward the goal of at least 40% of women in leadership globally. In 2021, we signed the UN Women Empowerment Principles, which means we share commitment to gender equality principles.
Initiatives include:
Standardized paid parental leave (maternity leave) globally
Women Inspirational Network, an arena for women in leadership positions at Telenor to meet, interact, seek advice and grow professionally
People Committee for appointment of leaders in senior positions to ensure focus on diversity and competence of senior management
In Norway, Telenor has been in the top four in the SHE index, which tracks how companies are working for equality, for the last two years.
Learn more about equality at Telenor here:
LGBTIQA+
Telenor is committed to the UN business standards of support for LGBTI to include unrepresented segments in our workforce. We support employee networks and many local events, such as Pride celebrations. We have improved benefits policies, for example to ensure that same-sex partners are entitled to similar benefits as married couples and allowing employees to choose masculine or feminine dress regardless of gender.
Building digital skills
Telenor runs many programmes for building digital skills, with a special focus on diversity, equality and inclusion. One example is in Norway, where Telenor’s Girls Create Tech mentorship programme aims to reduce the digital gender gap, to inspire more girls to choose education in technology and to challenge gender stereotypes. Girls in high school are assigned female mentors from Telenor and participate in workshops focusing on artificial intelligence, concept design, cyber security, coding and how tech can solve societal issues. The programme is run in partnership with Plan International Norway.
Telenor Open Mind job training
The job-training programme Open Mind currently runs in Norway, Sweden and Pakistan. This is a one-year programme that creates opportunities to join or rejoin the active workforce. Target groups include people with physical challenges, hearing and/or visual impairments, or mental health problems. The Open Mind programme in Telenor Norway also includes people with an immigrant background from non-EU countries. During the year, participants learn, develop employment and job application skills and get hands-on work experience supervised by job coaches. The goal is to help participants secure employment after the course, either within or outside of Telenor.
Psychological safety
A crucial part of Telenor’s ambition in building high-performing teams is maintaining a working culture that fosters trust and innovation, allowing individuals to speak freely. When team members feel that they can take risks, make mistakes, express new ideas or offer criticism without fear of backlash, the working environment is described as having high psychological safety. Without fear of being judged, we can contribute unique perspectives and take the calculated risks that drive innovation. This freedom enables our teams to be more innovative, collaborative, and ultimately high-performing.
Psychologically safe workplaces are places where people ultimately feel comfortable being themselves. They know the value of open dialogue, constructive feedback, healthy conflict and honest communication. When individuals feel safe, they don’t spend mental energy managing their image or avoiding mistakes. Instead, they can focus on doing their best work.
When this happens, creativity increases, both on an individual and on a team level. People in leadership positions play a critical role in creating safe workplaces, by showing humility and actively inviting feedback. By addressing mistakes positively, seeking input, and involving team members in decision-making, leaders can create a culture of trust.