I’m Francesco from Italy, living in Germany
I moved to Germany as a 19 year old. It all happened by chance really as a cousin of mine lived here in Berlin and asked me if I wanted to come and visit for a while. I started studying journalism at the university and at the time the courses were in German only, so I had to learn the language fairly quickly. That was seven years ago, and now I’m not only fluent in German but also have adapted to German culture. Just to provide an example, I admit that I quickly fell in love with punctuality and precision. Now I hate any kind of delay... something that a few years ago I would have thought impossible. One thing I noticed clearly in the beginning was how calm Germans are. Italians, stereotypically speaking, are much more hot-tempered and even everyday conversations are very lively. I’m now being a bit of both.

But that’s the beauty of diversity - for me it is about learning about different perspectives and behaviours and bringing the best of different cultures together. As an example, in Germany people are generally more structured than Italians which I can really appreciate while Italians are more spontaneous and less formal which is also a good thing to bring to the mix. Being able to combine strengths like these is great and undoubtedly important success factors for companies. 

In Berlin we speak Italian

I have only worked a few months for Readly and I have already reflected on how diverse the team is. Half of the team based at the Berlin office actually speaks Italian but only a few are indeed native Italian. That is such a cool coincidence. And I got a very good impression of Readly as a Swedish company in terms of inclusion and corporate culture. I love that company meetings don't have to be that formal but instead begin with some music playing and part of the senior leadership team vibing to the beat. Overall the leadership has a personal touch and a lot of trust is placed in people regardless of background, age or title. Being less hierarchical is basically a good way of valuing and celebrating diversity - anyone and everyone has an opinion worth listening to. 

The demand for diversity

Diversity is also a subject to curating content which is part of my profession. In my role as digital content curator for the DACH countries and Italy, I have the chance and opportunity to give subscribers reading tips based on Readly’s diverse portfolio of magazines and newspapers. First of all I look for the most relevant topics for the time being but I also try to introduce diversity-related stories to the target, through dedicated articles and stories. I think the demand for this type of content will increase with the next generation shaping the next normal. The concept of diversity requires a deep understanding of the subject, which is why knowledge and education about differences is fundamental.