Diverse group of SAP employees involved in a community activity

Get involved: join SAP activities, events, and educational programs

SAP sponsors a variety of diversity-related programs for employees, customers, and the general public. We encourage employees to get involved in community and business activities and programs in order to benefit the community at large and enrich their personal perspectives. We also invite our staff and managers to take part in training sessions designed to increase sensitivity and awareness of diversity-related issues in the workplace.

Additional Information

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  • Global Activities and Events

    • Global Diversity Days is a series of events, informational sessions, cultural activities, and networking opportunities at SAP locations around the globe. Employees can learn from the unique representation of SAP employees across multiple dimensions: culture, race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and physical ability. In 2011, more than 8,000 employees participated in events in 26 locations on six continents.
    • Annual Professional Women's Networking Session held at SAPPHIRE NOW, with invited customers, partners, and guest speakers.
    • SAP Research doctoral program and collective research projects focus on gender issues and women in research and development fields, including a recent project entitled "Evaluation of Research Options in the Gender Context."
    • Executive Women's Forums take place in one region per quarter to provide women (director level and above) a platform to share their SAP work experience with peers, develop an internal network, and gain visibility with senior management and the SAP Executive Board.
    • Regional Women's Forums are cross-functional workshops on different business topics such as successful project management, specific negotiations, and results-oriented communication.
    • Global participation in the FIRST LEGO League volunteering program helps children explore their own creativity and develop both individual and team-building skills, and brings fun to learning science and technology. Since 2004, more than 700 SAP employees have coached more than 3,000 kids in FLL competitions.

      Learn about the FIRST LEGO League ›
    • Take Your Child to Work Day (Girls' Day) activities are hosted in various countries worldwide.
    • “It Gets Better: SAP Employees.” In June 2012, SAP released the film, “It Gets Better: SAP Employees.” This film encourages young people to reach out for help if they are experiencing bullying or rejection because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The film features employees from all over the world, including co-CEO Jim Snabe.

      View the film ›
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  • Regional Activities and Events

    • Canada: SAP locations in Montréal and Toronto participate in "Mission Education," in which partners with grade schools through technical universities bring science and technology education to girls and young women.
    • Canada/United States: The North American Diversity Advisory Council was established in 2010 in collaboration with the Global Diversity Office. The Council is an interdepartmental team of North America managers who meet quarterly to support and strengthen SAP's diversity efforts, share best practices, and increase awareness across lines of business.
    • United States: The Annual SAP Women's Leadership Summit in Chicago features prominent guest speakers, and brings American female business executives in the Midwest to SAP for networking and knowledge-sharing.

      Sponsorship of Dare 2B Digital, program for middle school girls to encourage their interest in technical careers (USA, Palo Alto).
    • Germany: Participation in annual Germany-wide campaign Girls Day encourages more young women to choose traditionally male-dominated careers.
    • Germany: HomoSAPiens@SAP actively participate in Christopher Street Day events for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) employees in Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Mannheim.
    • Israel: SAP locations in Israel participated in the 2010 "Let's Play Different" entrepreneurship competition, held in partnership with the nonprofit "College for All," where kids are challenged to develop a product, plan a project, brainstorm, and work as a team in dealing with various cultures, religions, and incapacities.
    • Israel: In 2011, SAP locations in Israel participated in the "National Diversity Project" initiated by President Shimon Peres to promote equal employment opportunities for Arab university graduates in the Israeli labor market.
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  • Employee Education

    SAP offers onsite and online training sessions and educational courses on a number of diversity-related topics. Check out the options from Employee Education.
    • Gender awareness training – More than 2,000 employees have taken part in gender training sessions for women and men. Workshops include Women@SAP, Men@SAP seminars and special courses for managers, such as "Encouraging Female Talent”. Designed by SAP, they were awarded first prize in the 2009 MuWIT (Management und Weiterbildung) awards for personnel development and training in Germany.
      Starting in 2012, SAP offers and encourages all managers to take part in a new globally-available course, “Men & Women Leading Together”, in which men and women are encouraged to work better together – and to increase the percentage of women in management positions within SAP.  
    • Virtual learning series for employees on diversity – Online Web sessions open to all employees were held at different times and for different time zones during the year.
    • Intercultural competence – Critical for the success of global teams, SAP offers workshops for new global teams and managers that address issues such as cultural conditioning; the impact of differences on communication, behaviors, and decision making; and the dangers of stereotypes and perception road blocks.
    • GlobeSmart intercultural tool – To support employees in their efforts to continually expand their global knowledge and skills, the Global Diversity Office at SAP launched GlobeSmart. This powerful online intercultural tool is designed to help employees work more effectively with business partners, customers, and suppliers worldwide.
    • Employee counseling – SAP offers coaching, mentoring, supervision, and workshops in groups and for individuals on topics ranging from careers, personal positioning, and work/life balance.
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