Nordic Computer Celebrates European Day of Languages 2022

What does linguistic and cultural diversity mean for Nordic Computer and why do you find it important?

“Well, it means something on multiple levels. From a commercial perspective, it means that we have easier access to foreign markets. I believe it’s important if you want to do business with someone that you understand their cultural background and you’re able to speak their language. Because we do business to business, it’s vastly different from doing B2C, and when it’s B2B, people deal with other people. They don’t necessarily deal with the company. Nobody usually cares what the name, logo or website looks like. But what they care about is the feeling that they are dealing with someone they can relate to. And that might be on multiple levels. Some people tend to think that it’s more important that they speak to someone who knows all about the product or service. Other people might think it’s nicer to deal with someone who listens to the problems and provides solutions. That’s different from person to person. So, from a commercial perspective, it gives us access to be a kind of a key into a specific market.”

How do you promote linguistic and cultural diversity in the workplace?

“I’m not really a firm believer of affirmative action, and by that, I mean treating someone from a minority in a specific way. I try to treat everyone in the same way because we’re all the same. I usually say I don’t care, but people misunderstand this. So, to be more precise, I don’t put any special importance on where you’re from or what language you can speak because we’re all the same. Then somebody just happens to be able to speak Hungarian or other languages. The more of those people with diverse backgrounds we can bring together, the stronger the team will be. It’s hard to promote diversity in a different way than just treating everybody in the same way. I think when someone tries to treat people in different ways, I think they have misunderstood what the purpose of diversity is.”

What do you see as the most challenging aspect of a diverse working environment? What steps have you taken to meet this challenge?

“In connection to the challenges connected to a diverse working environment, I believe that the less work you put into the beginning of the hiring process, the more work you have to do later. Thus, it is very important for us to use a great deal of time in the initial interviews talking about this notion we have at Nordic Computer, that the diversity of the company is its biggest strength and for that diversity to persist, you must be able to cooperate, and you must have mutual respect.”

“If people do not buy into this, they are not going to get a job here. We believe there is no one above the collective, and it is teamwork that sets the top bar. So, because we spent a lot of time talking about that initially, we hope people will come to work with an open mind.”

“So, the most challenging aspect is setting the expectations straight at the beginning. You have to set the parameter straight from the beginning of what you expect from each other, and we always try to do that with the same level of ambition.”

What is your outlook for the future in connection to diversity and internationalization in Nordic Computer?

“Well, I hope that if we can continue to follow this trajectory of growth we have, then we can become increasingly international, have even more international employees, and thus have more diversity and offices in multiple countries. The test then will be how to transfer what we have here and what we have succeeded in doing here to other offices. Because we, of course, want to ensure people are heard.”

“People should feel a part of a team and have some kind of purpose. So, I guess when we become more international, we will keep focusing on diversity. Not just for the sake of diversity, but because it makes our company stronger.”