SAP : and Dell Partnering for Purpose with Autism at Work

Diversity and inclusion are buzzwords in many human resources (HR) departments, on company websites, as well as the subject of reams of corporate research.

As the push for diversity in the workplace increases, companies are not just looking to hire a diverse workforce but are putting best practices in place to develop and cultivate diverse populations. But what does it look like for a company to walk the walk, not just developing taglines and programs, but rolling them out to the broader organization?

Values-Based Business

In 2013 SAP launched its renowned Autism at Work program. By leveraging the skills and unique abilities that people with autism possess to foster innovation, SAP help companies become intelligent enterprises. Over 3 million people in the U.S. have autism, but many organizations are playing catch up to better serve this population at work.

Recognizing the wealth of talent in our broader ecosystem, SAP developed partnering for purpose, joining expertise and skills of customers and partners across the globe to do big things together. The Dell Autism Hiring Program, similar to Autism at Work, began in 2018 to highlight unique strengths and skills in the workplace. This new program rethinks the traditional interview process and removes barriers that may limit an individual from fully showcasing their true abilities and potential. To develop this process, Dell worked closely with Neurodiversity in the Workplace, an organization that provides enterprise readiness training to people with autism.

SAP and Dell: Partnering with a Purpose

SAP partner Dell is acting on its commitment to expand neurodiversity at work with a three-day hackathon in August 2019. This event will feature teams representing diverse business and technology skills making apps to support Autism at Work. The goal is to build a functional minimum viable product (MVP) deployed to the cloud using SAP Cloud Platform Rapid Application Development service by Mendix, the leading cloud-native application development platform, in 24 hours over three days.

People with and without autism will work together side by side on teams to create apps further enabling Autism at Work. In addition to social media recognition of the winning team, SAP will profile the winning app and winners will be invited to the ELS golf Tournament in October.

'This is what happens when companies share common values in addition to a strong partnership,' said Nick Tzitzon, executive vice president of Marketing and Communications in the Office of the CEO at SAP. 'We couldn't be prouder to see Dell embracing the Autism at Work movement. When companies focus on people rather than labels, we can help every single person showcase their own unique skills. This isn't about whether or not someone is on the autism spectrum. It's about talented people working together, designing great products, and helping the world run better.'

Find out more about these programs supporting people with autism in the workplace in upcoming video documentary series on Autism at Work and stories profiling hackathon finalists and winners.

SAP and our partners. Improving lives. That is our purpose.