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<\/p>\nLa Fosse worked with DevelopHer to bring together a panel of senior tech leaders to explore, discuss and share their experiences of creating and maintaining diversity in their teams. Here, we reveal their top recommendations on how to overcome some common barriers to diversifying your team in order to further accelerate your business’ growth.<\/p>\n
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The importance of education that reaches from top to the bottom and into the heart of your organisation can\u2019t be underestimated. This is especially the case for start-ups, where growth is rapid, or in companies with leaders who lack experience in dealing with diversity.<\/p>\n
Create a board or a committee to champion the cause and be inclusive \u2013 men, women, varying ages, and different ethnicities should all be involved. Get more buy-in with a data-based business case to make people realise that everyone wins from diversity.<\/p>\n
\u201cDiverse companies have a 45% increased chance of growing their market share.
\n75% have an increased chance of capturing new markets.\u201d
\nDebbie Forster (MBE)<\/p>\n
Education doesn\u2019t start in the workplace. The opportunity is ripe for organisations to develop long-term awareness strategies, starting with technology workshops for children. Schools and parents should be encouraging girls to learn digital skills from as young as 10, using the creative capabilities of technology to inspire them \u2013 like building apps, robots and games \u2013 and grow their confidence in the possibility of a tech career.<\/p>\n
Gather data at every step of an employee\u2019s journey, from start to finish. Data has never been more accessible, with so many companies offering survey services today. For Debbie Forster, of Tech Talent Charter, data gathering helps them to create benchmarks for business cases.<\/p>\n
It is essential to create an environment where employees are comfortable with co-workers who have different backgrounds and experiences. Humans are change-averse, so mixing the team will need a mindset shift which might be awkward at first!<\/p>\n
Start by losing the \u2018not the right fit\u2019 excuse for your hires. What you\u2019re saying is they\u2019re \u2018not like us\u2019. Diversity is about having a culture that can accommodate different values. If the team is \u2018like us’, then you aren\u2019t truly diverse and you won\u2019t understand your customer base, as Debbie states.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I like about diversity is that it brings people together from different journeys.
\nThis experience enriches the company in looking at a new way of doing things and new revenue streams \u2013 that might not have come from a traditional fit.\u201d
\nReem Zahran (CIO, Kantar Media)<\/p>\n
Reem Zahran, CIO at Kantar Media, believes awareness and confidence are two main barriers. \u201cI\u2019ve spoken to lots of recruiters and there is a lack of awareness of what the possibilities are for returning woman and how they plug in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Look to communities, organisations and agencies, like La Fosse, who are committed to fishing in different talent pools. Consider internships from different communities or returnships for mothers re-entering the workforce, and older talent from different professions who come with a wider life and business experience. You\u2019ll end up with a much richer talent resource.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe run events for women with different backgrounds, who are interested in a tech career, but lack confidence. They meet established industry members, work out whether tech is right for them and to network with businesses looking to hire.\u201d
\nEniko Tarkany-Szucs (DevelopHer)<\/p>\n
The wording you use in your job descriptions and recruitment ads can have a profound impact on the applicants you attract. For example, if you use words like \u2018master\u2019 or \u2018experienced,\u2019 you\u2019re less likely to attract minority groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cStereotypically, men who feel they meet 40-50% of the criteria will apply for a role.
\nA woman needs to meet 90% to have the confidence to apply.\u201d
\nDebbie Forster (MBE)<\/p>\n
There are many industry bodies who offer excellent training packages on subjects such as unconscious bias. Reach out to other organisations to learn what they\u2019re doing to tackle the issues and share your own experiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the reasons that Tech Talent Charter came about,\u201d explains Debbie, \u201cis that I couldn\u2019t go to another roundtable event to solve the problem.” We need to stop reinventing the wheel \u2013 there are resources, available now, with the right solution for your industry. We just must make sure that everyone in the industry shares their knowledge, and is on the same page.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also got to be a team effort, not just the executives worrying about it or a grassroots movement – they both need to be aligned. If you don\u2019t do it together, then change won\u2019t happen. \u201cIt\u2019s great that there are lots of initiatives,\u201d explains Reem, \u201cThere is a lot of talk about inclusion and diversity, but what practically happens is a little unknown. Sponsorships, roles models and partnerships can work to get it moving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more flexible you make your working processes, the wider your talent pool is going to be and the greater your retention rate.\u201d explains Debbie. By loosening your working processes, you\u2019ll attract more women and those working outside of London. Technology is creative and we have the tools to do it.<\/p>\n
Coaching and mentoring initiatives help minorities feel supported, build confidence and encourage them to move up the career ladder. Women with male coaches and vice versa will benefit from the different perspectives. You could consider reverse mentorships as well, where younger digital natives coach older employees on new tools and technologies.<\/p>\n
And if you\u2019re worried about workers doing well and then leaving, don\u2019t be. \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t you send someone out who has a good experience of your organisation and can be an advocate?\u201d states Debbie.<\/p>\n
“The companies who survive are the companies who are willing to open the doors to do other things. Companies who understand that doing good is good business are the ones who are thriving and who will be around in the future.”
\nDebbie Forster<\/p>\n
Inclusion and diversity differs in different regions, so enter with your eyes wide open. What works in England might not elsewhere. Find local champions, use local data and get an understanding of what the region\u2019s core barriers are. Always be sensitive to how you deliver the change, if it comes from a global HQ, then don\u2019t try and drop it on them from high! Work with them on their own journey.<\/p>\n
The world was up in arms over the recent memo from Google engineer James Damore and his public criticism of the company\u2019s diversity efforts. And while he received a fierce backlash, our speakers argued that there were some positives to be taken from it, because in the end, it’s brought the issue to the top of the news and has sparked an important discussion around the subject of diversity versus inclusion. And in the words of Debbie, \u201cWith inclusion, everyone wins.\u201d<\/p>\n
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We’re serious about diversity and inclusion; we are committed to both maintaining an inclusive workplace, and helping our clients to build diverse teams. Additionally, we’ve sponsored organisations such as Girls in Tech UK, and are signatories of the Tech Talent Charter.<\/p>\n
To learn about your diverse future pipeline, or for any other aspect of IT & tech recruitment<\/a>, reach out to Claudia Cohen<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n With special thanks to our panel:<\/p>\n Debbie is leading the Tech Talent Charter initiative and was named by WISE as Woman of the Year for 2016<\/p>\n Satyen is a Senior Director at Edelman, the global communications marketing agency.<\/p>\n Reem is the CIO at Kantar Media and leads the way with Diversity meet ups within the workplace.<\/p>\n Eniko is on the board for DevelopHer, the non-profit community dedicated to bringing women in technology together and works as a Solution Consultant at Sprinklr, the social media start up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Creating diversity in tech teams isn\u2019t about ticking boxes, it\u2019s about blending the best minds for the tasks ahead. La Fosse worked with DevelopHer to bring together a panel of senior tech leaders to explore, discuss and share their experiences of creating and maintaining diversity in their teams. Here, we reveal their top recommendations on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[666,675,665],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-building-and-maintaining-diverse-cultures","category-building-your-company-culture","category-diversity"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDebbie Forster MBE<\/h4>\n
Satyen Dayal<\/h4>\n
Reem Zahran<\/h4>\n
Eniko Tarkany-Szucs<\/h4>\n