What is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Tech!
Tech inclusion entails ensuring a sense of belonging where all workers feel supported and comfortable when attending work as their authentic selves.
A diverse, equitable, and inclusive team makes better decisions and is more innovative. Companies that ignore these mutually reinforced principles fail to tap into their workers’ full potential.
How Is the Tech Industry Faring in Terms of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ?
The tech sector is making significant efforts to overcome the longstanding lack of diversity in the industry, but problems still exist. While tech experts drive value through practical solutions to complex problems, most still struggle to fix bias, discrimination, and underrepresentation among their own ranks.
Currently, most tech executives are white, while only a handful of organizations have at least one woman on their board. Google, for instance, has shown some improvement in its 2022 annual diversity report, but even the tech giants are yet to achieve balance. Black+ employees form only 4.4% of Google’s overall workforce, falling to 3% for leadership positions, to quote just one example from their reporting.
Different perspectives: A diverse team comprises staff with vast skills, backgrounds, and attributes to deliver different perspectives when designing and fulfilling company strategies.
Faster problem solving: Highly diversified teams can solve problems better and faster than their less diverse counterparts..
Improved creativity: Different perspectives can significantly increase your team’s overall creativity and ability to think differently.
Better decisions: Workspace diversity has a direct impact on the quality of decision-making, and forces all team members to question their assumptions.
Foster innovation: A survey by Josh Bersin found that organizations can improve their innovation by 1.7x by maintaining workplace diversity.
Better company reputation: Diversity-oriented companies are recognized as being socially conscious and more attractive employers, ultimately contributing to a better brand identity or reputation
Better returns: Diversity enhances innovation and decision-making; meaning companies can enjoy better business returns and increase their profitability.
1Offer Transparent and Equitable Wages!
2Manage Bias!
3Educating your workers on potential microaggressions and subconscious bias can go a long way toward improving diversity. No employee wants to work in an environment where they feel undervalued for any reason inherent to their identity, and employers have a duty to eliminate any workplace behaviors that alienate or discriminate against their team members. !
8 Steps to Improve Diversity and Inclusion in Tech
There are still numerous barriers to diversity and inclusion in tech, but that doesn’t mean improvements are out of reach. Implement the following solutions to cultivate a diverse, inclusive culture in your organization:
...Diversity and Inclusion in Tech Benefits Everyone.
3. Leverage Software
Companies can mobilize their employees with DEI software for remote, hybrid, and in-person teams. Wespire is a Certified B Corporation that turns these DEI initiatives into actions, resulting in better company performance and higher employee retention.
4. Acknowledge Holidays from Every Culture
Learn about and acknowledge a wide range of cultural and religious holidays. Leverage the company’s intranet to keep track of all upcoming celebrations and be flexible and respectful of these dates in the calendar when approving vacation days or appointing time off.
5. Provide Mentorship
Women and other underrepresented groups within the tech industry can experience a lack of mentorship and role models from similar backgrounds. Working under exclusively white or male leadership can lead diverse team members to believe career progression is not an option for them at your company. Ensure a plan is in place to deliver the same level of feedback and professional development opportunities to all employees.
6. Solicit Ongoing Feedback
Encouraging team members to share feedback can help executives better understand what’s taking place below the surface. Pulse surveys, for instance, provide essential insights for informed and mindful decision-making, while equipping you to eliminate any discrimination or bias patterns. This approach should allow for anonymous feedback, which facilitates open and honest responses.
7. Diversify Your Recruitment and Human Resource Teams
If you want to improve inclusion and diversity within your organization, don’t fall into the trap of limiting yourself to junior or entry level hires. Maintaining a diverse HR and recruitment team is a great place to start, as this will help to reduce unconscious bias in the hiring process, provide broad points of view, and change mindsets to improve the company’s approaches to diversity and inclusion.
8. Track Progress
