At Klarna we know it’s ok to be different. Challenging the banking sector? Check. Jumping out of the crowd with a fancy pink brand? Check. Having a proportional gender representation in our company…?
Klarna, that global pink brand which so many have come to know and love, needs to do better on that front. Today 39% of our workforce are women and only 31% of our leadership positions are covered by women.
“Not so different from the rest of the banking and tech industry then,” you might say. And you’re probably right. But we are committed to trying to change this. Over the past few years Klarna has grown at such an incredible speed that we’ve neglected our own gender balance. Our future-driven company is facing an old-fashioned problem. But that stops today.
Diversity needs to be a priority in any company. It drives innovation and powers creativity. As a 2018 McKinsey report has shown, there’s nothing to lose but all to gain from having a more diverse and inclusive workplace. In 2021, growth can’t be an excuse for an unequal gender balance, so it’s clear we need to act now.
Bridging the gap by 2025
So how are we going to solve this issue? It starts by being transparent about our gender distribution to drive change for good within our own company. With this post, headline, and message, we want to be clear: we want you to hold us accountable. But that’s only the first step.
By 2025 we want to bridge the gap so our company truly reflects the world we live in. It’s critical to set a milestone so we don’t rely on the world to change but create the change we want to see.
But targets aren’t enough. What’s needed is a change in mindset so Klarna can be a place for anyone. Women at Klarna will have more opportunities and their voices heard. This requires us to equip all of us with the tools to support this effort.
With engineers making up more than 30% of our workforce and men being overrepresented in STEM, we also know that we’re up against a wider industry issue. In that sense, it’s even more important that we remove any friction from our hiring process, test new ways of sourcing a diversity of talent, ensure equal promotions, equal pay, and zero tolerance to any form of harassment or discrimination.
We will need to have difficult discussions, question our own biases and explore new perspectives.
Klarna pink is for all
As we move towards equal gender representation at Klarna, we know that our work doesn’t end here. Klarna is a place that welcomes people from all ethnicities, backgrounds and gender identities; a place where anyone should feel empowered to be their authentic selves and achieve their full potential. And of course gender is not binary. More work will be needed in this space as well, to explore and accommodate the strengths that our differences can bring to Klarna.
This is just the start of the journey and we’ll need to go further to ensure diversity and inclusion remains at the core of our company. While we don’t have all the answers just yet and aim to share more information in the coming weeks and months, we hope that you feel as excited as we are to embark on this journey.
We believe Klarna pink is for everyone and by 2025 we hope that we can prove that’s true for both our consumers and our colleagues.