Checking in with The Stockholm DEI Group

Discussions on DEI issues in the workplace can often veer into the terrain of top-down mandates and quotas. However, that’s not really how any of this works. Creating a culture of inclusion is a team sport and everyone must work together to make sure that no one is overlooked or treated unfairly.

If inclusion is a team sport, then you can think of the Stockholm DEI Group as something between a team captain and a kit manager. This group of volunteers meet regularly to discuss relevant topics and identify where they can have the greatest impact. Maybe most importantly, the group’s presence provides psychological safety and a clear point of contact to the entire studio. If there is ever a problem that needs attention, people know where to go.

We recently had a chat with a few members of the Stockholm DEI Group, including Stockholm Office Manager Samantha Govender, Tech Manager Ann-Sofie Hansson, Senior Player Support Manager Nataly Kuzmina, Senior Researcher Yinyi Luo, Senior Marketing Artist Gabriela Marchioro, and Senior Marketing Researcher Maria Shendyapina, to check in and see what the group has been up to since our last update in 2023.

Samantha: It’s a group of us that meet once a month to discuss things in the office and make sure that the Stockholm studio is a safe and welcoming space for everyone. We talk about things that are important to us. We talk about how to improve the office, be it the physical space or also for people’s emotional well-being. We also plan events, such as the one we planned for International Women’s Day this year, and we use our meetings to discuss event planning and how we can make them more inclusive.

Nataly: Everything that Sam said, plus it’s just good to be able to affect things and to have your own agency or control of the environment that we are working in together, and the group provides that. So for me it’s something like a form of activism that extends to the place where I work. It’s great to feel like I have the power to affect the things that are around me.

Gabriela: I see as having many facets. Rovio’s Stockholm Studio is very diverse, through our perception of the need for inclusion, we organized ourselves to have a space for discussion and, from there, influence our environment. At first we pointed out where the studio could improve, as a space, as a group, or as a game team, now we are also included in meetings to be consulted by others. The group is a safe space to talk and open for everyone to join by their own will and pace, meaning we come and go, whenever we want. Even if any of us have to leave for any reason, the continuous existence and work of the group give us assurance that something will be done if needed.

Samantha: The group members are from all different departments and crafts throughout the studio. It really helps to hear from people in different teams. Having members from many different crafts also means that we have good visibility in different parts of the studio as well.

Ann-Sofie: The members who show up happen to be from different crafts, functions and levels. What’s important to understand is that this group is not a group by election or fixed membership. It’s open to any employee in the Studio to come join, whenever they can and want. So it’s inclusive and open for anyone. Which makes sense for such a group. It has been amazing to see people like [Stockholm Studio’s Head of Operations,] Jaiook [Park] attend meetings wanting to make a difference and work together with us, and also having a lot of support from our Head of Studio and General Manager, Johnny [Johannes Mang].

Maria: The fact that we all come from different parts of the studio means that when we go back to our duties, for example when I am doing research, I will always vote for sustainability and inclusivity on player level decisions. Some of the other group members are also safety representatives as well, so we all carry forward the inspiration from the group into whatever we are doing and it spreads out into the company that way.

Gabriela: Yes, we have people like Maria, Yinyi, and Nataly who are hearing directly from players, and me in marketing shaping the face of Angry Birds 2 to the world, then we have Sam who takes care of all of us in the office, and Ann-Sofie as a supervisor. It’s a very nice arrangement of people I would say.

Gabriela: We’ve done many things during the four years of the group’s existence, from electing employee representatives, helping shape a more accessible office, welcoming and supporting our colleagues, organizing educational events, to speaking up for inclusion, which has lead to us becoming a go-to partner for knowledgeable advice for anyone in the studio.

I’m very interested in representation, as a general topic within DEI, and as an artist, have been involved in many visual representation discussions, in other words, making sure that different cultures are represented respectfully and appropriately in our games and marketing materials. My favorite group creation is the Cultural Diversity Presentations, where we welcome our colleagues to talk about their cultures and home countries. There are over 25 nationalities represented in Stockholm Studio so it’s a good opportunity to learn about the world together through each representative’s point of view. Not only sharing knowledge, but also creating a welcoming space for everyone, where we learn to respect and understand each other.

Maria: I think where we take action also goes back to the fact that we represent so many different parts of the company. People who have questions about accessibility and DEI related things know they can reach out to us. For example, I was recently contacted by a game team who were concerned that some planned content they were adding to a game might be slightly distressing for some players so I conducted a survey with players to help the team make a decision on what to do. In the end, I think we will end up with something that is more accessible and inclusive than if they had not looked into it.

Samantha: One thing we have done recently is to organize training for supervisors and the leadership team in the studio to help recognize unconscious biases. A lot of people even in this group might have gone into the training thinking “I’m in the DEI group of course I’m not biased” but it was surprising to learn that there are still things that we have biases for. I think opportunities for trainings like this and also self-education is so important as there is always something new to learn. More importantly, for us to adjust our behaviour and understand each other better.

We also hosted a panel discussion for International Women’s Day in Stockholm this year featuring some inspiring C level people. This is the first Rovio-wide event that has been hosted from the Stockholm Studio so I’m glad we were able to get that kind of visibility for the entire company. We hope that it brought some inspiration and excitement to all Rovio people and that it paves the way for more events like this going forward.

Nataly: Pride is also a very active time. In some years, we have dedicated an entire week to organizing different events and activities like going on a picnic as a studio or screening some documentaries, having presentations on various issues like pronoun usage, and of course marching in the actual Pride parade in Stockholm.

Samantha: We have such a unified and supportive studio. People show up when it matters and that really helps when planning these events. We know people will be there to support one another whether it is a studio talk or a bigger event. That’s so important because you don’t have to be in the DEI Group to show up in ways that are important.

Nataly: Yes, it’s part of our values and what we want to be as a studio. We have this DEI Group, but the whole studio is kind of part of it as well.