The technology industry probably has more diverse offerings than any other. However, historically, the workforce does not always reflect this diversity. In particular, the poor representation of women and BAME have been under the spotlight.
Recently, more and more organisations are realising the benefits of having a diverse workforce. This includes the ability to take advantage of different perspectives, to improve productivity, and boost creativity, among many others.
These advantages are especially well-known across the industry. However, the actual enforcement of building a more diverse workforce has been slow. Unfortunately, tech is still not quite where it ought to be. In light of this, we're recounting some of the best tips for improving diversity across your workforce.
Putting it into practice
It may seem obvious, but the best place to start is at the beginning: the hiring process. In particular, you need to ensure that bias does not factor into it at all. This involves challenging attitudes about certain criteria. For example, we are now more familiar with the correlation of students from a high-income background and their increased likelihood to go into a top university.
Not only that, but ageism in hiring practices has grown in conversation. More specifically, older workers often face age discrimination. This could be down to a number of factors, but at the surface is fear of retirement on the near horizon and that their experience necessitates a higher pay check.
Thus, it is important for recruiters to understand that, rather than looking to tick off criteria, they should instead focus more on the intricacies of the candidate's capabilities and work history. Above all, they should be made familiar with the biases and understand that education, age, gender, and such factors should not form the basis of a hire.
Furthermore, there are also technologies available to aid in your diversity endeavour. In particular, you can use technology to better meet the needs of the candidate. For example, exploring unified communications options to facilitate flexible working can be of great benefit to parent or carer candidates. Better still, flexible working is a win-win situation for both you and your employees, in that it casts a wider net of potential fits for a role, while boosting productivity too.
You could also play an active role in the industry-wide endeavour for diversity by visiting schools, colleges, and universities. Make it known to students that the tech industry is open to everybody. You never know, you could be responsible for finding the next big thing!
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