World wide workplace: 90+ nationalities, a multitude of stories (Part IV)

If you missed our previous editions of World Wide Workplace, dive into the archives and find out more about what gives our Heroes that ‘looking forward to Monday’ feeling, and what has been dubbed as Delivery Hero’s “weirdest starting day ever.”

With operations in over 40 countries across four continents, Delivery Hero has a global footprint, and the same is true of our employees. With over 90 nationalities represented in our Berlin HQ alone, celebrating new perspectives is at the heart of what it means to be a Hero.

We caught up with our Heroes from all corners of the world, and talked about their backgrounds, experiences and observations. Some of their answers might surprise you!

Mayank Chauhan

Where are you from?
I’m from Sonipat, a city adjoining Delhi, India.

What languages do you speak?
English, Hindi, and Punjabi (learning from my wife).

What do you do at Delivery Hero?
Meetings all day long! I am part of the People Systems team and take care of our beloved “Workday” system. Workday is our HCM system which contains our employee data and I am responsible for configuring and maintaining the system.

How long have you been at Delivery Hero?
Eight months.

What’s your favorite food from back home?
Too many! To start with: Delhi’s street food, any dish with cottage cheese (paneer), and Indian sweets.

What’s your favorite German food?
I haven’t tried much yet but I would say cheese Spaetzle.

What do you love about Berlin?
Spätis: you can buy beer 24/7. Also the gardens, there are hundreds of them in Berlin where you can go and enjoy nature. People here are environmentally conscious and have a good recycling system.
And finally the BVG, a single card for all public transportation.

…and what don’t you love?
For every thing you have to go to the respective office, even for bank related things, not much is online. Also, the language barrier is sometimes an issue.

What’s your favourite place in Berlin and why?
I am yet to explore most of it, but for now I’d say the parks and pubs.

What’s the biggest difference compared to where you grew up?
Cash is still king here. And the population is way smaller.

What is a unique custom from your country of origin that your co-workers just don’t get?
Out of many, when I accidentally step on somebody or my feet touch somebody, I touch them in a manner to say sorry and seek blessings, many people have asked me why I did what I did. Also nodding – it’s an Indian thing where people nod their head generally for a response or to show they are understanding the conversation.

How would you describe the company culture at Delivery Hero?
I would say the culture is very open and friendly. Everybody treats you with respect and love. Also, company policies are very employee centric.

Last week, we celebrated World Cultural Diversity. What does diversity mean to you?
Acceptance, no matter which race, color, religion and region.

Daria Skvortsova

Where are you from?
Moscow, Russia.

When and why did you move to Berlin?
I moved to Berlin in 2016 with my family.

What languages do you speak?
Russian, German, English and some basic French.

How long have you been at Delivery Hero?
Two years.

What do you do at Delivery Hero?
I work as a Team Assistant, this means that I make sure my team has full administrative support for their daily activities. It might include booking a meeting room and welcoming new joiners, but I am also the contact point for all accounting, procurement and legal topics. My favorite part of the job is organising team events. It is great when we gather together with great food and drinks and celebrate our achievements.

What’s your favorite food from back home?
I love buckwheat, which is a super healthy/trendy/organic food. In fact, it is a type of grain that is very popular in Russia due to its cheap price. I just remember eating it a lot as a child, and as it is very healthy and has many vitamins I kept eating it as an adult too.

What’s your favorite German food?
Schnitzel of course!

What do you love about Berlin?
I like Berlin’s nightlife.

…and what don’t you love?
I think Berlin really lacks service. You can already feel the difference if you go to Munich or Düsseldorf. Sometimes I have a feeling I have to prove myself to make an order or place a request. I think it is a cultural thing, which we foreigners do not quite understand.

What’s your favourite place in Berlin and why?
I love Prenzlauer Berg [one of Berlin’s districts] because it’s full of nice bars and restaurants, and is a very family friendly area.

What’s the biggest difference compared to where you grew up?
I like that Berlin feels very cosy in comparison to Moscow, after some time you get to know many people in your area.

How would you describe the company culture at Delivery Hero?
Very friendly, very international and dynamic.

Last week, we celebrated World Cultural Diversity. What does diversity mean to you?
Diversity is the way you accept others without judging them. Diversity is the way you enrich yourself through learning from and accepting other cultures. Diversity helps you to understand yourself better.

Jian He

Where are you from?
I’m from China.

Why did you move to Berlin?
To experience a different culture and work challenges.

What languages do you speak?
Chinese, English, a bit of French. I’m currently learning German.

What do you do at Delivery Hero?
I’m a product designer.

How long have you been at Delivery Hero?
Almost half a year.

What’s your favorite food from back home?
Hotpot! A pot full of flavored broth is kept simmering, while raw ingredients are placed into the broth and are cooked in a manner similar to fondue (hot pots usually use a water-based soup, while fondues use cooking oil).

What’s your favorite German food?
Glühwein, a must do while exploring a German Christmas market.

What do you love about Berlin?
The cultural diversity and rich history. Unfortunately I’m currently not able to explore the city much due to the lockdown, but I’m looking forward to visiting the museums and many other events soon.

What’s the biggest difference compared to where you grew up?
Almost everything is different: the language, culture, ideology. It’s difficult to say which is the biggest difference.

What is a unique custom from your country of origin that your co-workers just don’t get?
Bubble tea. Bubble tea is a very popular drink in Asia, however many of my colleagues don’t even know what bubble tea is. My favourite is oolong bubble tea, zero sugar.

Last week, we celebrated World Cultural Diversity. What does diversity mean to you?
Diversity first and foremost is about the people here. My team members are coming from all over the world. By working together we learn from each other’s different cultures, different languages etc.