Driving a culture of inclusion in the workplace is a key priority for Delivery Hero. This is represented through Delivery Hero’s core value “we are Heroes because we care.” An integral part of caring is putting inclusion at the forefront of company culture. This means being able to be 100% yourself – being valued, respected, accepted and encouraged to fully participate at work. And while diversity ensures different perspectives and backgrounds are represented in the first place, it is inclusion that leverages these differences and ultimately leads to more creativity and sustainable business success.
One of the ways Delivery Hero is encouraging inclusivity is through its employee resource groups (ERGs), which are called HeroCommunities. HeroCommunities are purpose-driven groups of employees that unite based on shared characteristics or life experiences, driving initiatives that promote diversity, provide community and encourage an inclusive culture.
To understand exactly how these communities foster an inclusive culture, we spoke to the leaders of our Muslim, Female and Proud HeroCommunities: Ahmed El-Deeb (Senior Manager, Software Engineering), Veronika Braun (Director, Global Contact Center) and Tomasz Kowalski (Senior Program Manager).
Motivated to lead a HeroCommunity
At Delivery Hero, becoming the chair of a HeroCommunity is certainly a unique position that requires bringing together Heroes from all parts of the organization and uniting them under a common and ambitious social vision – all alongside working your primary function.
Tomasz Kowalski currently co-chairs the Proud Heroes, a HeroCommunity for LGBTQIA+ Heroes and their allies. Speaking on his motivation, he says:
“Leading a HeroCommunity gives me the personal satisfaction of knowing that I am using my time and effort to create a better place to work for LGBTQIA+ minorities. I also think it’s really important that I can identify with the values of the company I work for. By leading a HeroCommunity, I am playing my part in ensuring that Delivery Hero is recognised as a truly progressive company that takes its social responsibility seriously.”
Veronika Braun co-chairs the Female Heroes, with a mission to empower the role of women in the workplace:
“A diverse and inclusive environment is not only my ideal working environment, but also one that has and will continue to contribute to the success of Delivery Hero as a company. When thinking about what I could do to support Delivery Hero on this journey, I realized that becoming active in the Female Heroes might be a good way. As an employee-driven group, I truly believe that we can play an important role in pushing for changes that enable Delivery Hero to deliver an amazing experience – not just for its customers, but also for all women working at the company!”
The benefits of being part of a HeroCommunity
Since being founded, each of our HeroCommunities has already had an impact on the inclusive culture of Delivery Hero. A few notable examples include the Muslim Heroes organizing the creation of a prayer room in our Berlin headquarters, the Proud Heroes driving an internal LGBTQIA+ inclusion audit with the UHLALA Group, and the Female Heroes founding an inclusive mentorship program.
Ahmed El-Deeb currently chairs the Muslim Heroes – the first HeroCommunity founded at Delivery Hero. When it comes to what employees can gain by joining a HeroCommunity, he says:
“The biggest benefit for our members is that they don’t feel like an outsider at Delivery Hero. They can have their own system to turn to for questions and support. Through raising awareness of our experiences to non-Muslims, members also now feel they are more understood and accepted. For example, four years ago, Muslims fasting during Ramadan would avoid speaking about it because they would have to explain why, what and how. Now, everything just flows naturally: everybody knows about us and our practices.”
Veronika believes exchange and connection is at the core of Female Heroes:
“The networking opportunities are one of the strongest benefits a HeroCommunity like the Female Heroes can bring to its members. I believe that being connected to other women at Delivery Hero allows our members to learn from each other’s experiences, share valuable advice and empower each other to pursue their ambitions. Our male members can benefit just as much by having the opportunity to learn about the experience of women in the workplace and how they can become strong allies.”
The future vision for HeroCommunities
A core element of Delivery Hero’s HeroCommunities is defining clear areas of impacts that positively influence the business culture or employee experience in the long-term. However, it is completely up to each HeroCommunity to decide which areas they wish to impact.
When thinking about what the priorities for the Muslim Heroes are, Ahmed says:
“We want to put our values into action to make Delivery Hero the best place to work. For our HeroCommunity, this means making sure that every single member – whether they are based in Berlin or not – feels comfortable and accepted at work.”
When it comes to the Proud Heroes, Tomasz’s ambitions also extend beyond our Berlin headquarters:
“We want all the LGBTQ+ employees from the global Delivery Hero community to feel safe and not discriminated against. Our goal is to encourage the highest standard of LGBTQ+ acceptance and celebration worldwide. And within the central team, we want to focus more on the empowerment, mentoring and support of our members.”
Advice on starting an employee resource group
As our first three HeroCommunities continue to grow, there are already new ones on the horizon. From our existing HeroCommunities we have learned that receiving advice from one another is indispensable to achieving future success.
Ahmed believes it is key to “Always remember your underlying motivation for starting your ERG and just focus on bringing your best to it.”
From his experience, Tomasz recommends: “Reach out to other existing ERGs for support and advice. They will always be willing to help out!” Finally, Veronika encourages new chairs to: “Don’t doubt, just do it! And make sure you distribute responsibilities within the group already early on so you can share the work and have more impact.”
From creating safe spaces for underrepresented groups to driving initiatives that positively impact all parts of our organization, the HeroCommunities at Delivery Hero have become an integral part of the company culture. As they continue to champion diversity and inclusion, the HeroCommunities are paving the way for a more authentic and welcoming atmosphere and honoring Delivery Hero’s core values and commitment to its employees.
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