According to the Harvard Business Review, companies with gender-diverse teams are 70% more likely to capture new markets.

 

Why the UK tech industry needs women.

Right now, only 26.7% of tech employees are women. That has to change.

Secondly, there's a direct impact between your team's diversity level and the output. Research by the Peterson Institute for International Economics found that tech firms that went from having no women in the C-Suite to a 30% female share benefited from a 15% increase in profitability.

This demonstrates the need for diversity. A growing body of research has found that improving gender parity not only improves productivity but also boosts profits, creativity, and innovation and enhances a company's reputation.

"Businesses perform better when you have diversity in your senior leadership positions. This is not just the right thing to do socially; it's the right thing to do for your business."

Ruth Porat - CFO of Alphabet.

For an industry with such a small representation of women, creating a level playing field and opportunities for women to forge careers in the tech industry presents huge possibilities that organizations can capitalize on.

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Encouraging diversity through your employer brand.

If you're looking to attract a more diverse talent pool, then you need to look at your careers pages and ensure they're highlighting diversity; that might be through making sure your photos include women, talking about flexible work and maternity leave, to making sure that female team members also feature in the meet the team section.

Women need to see women doing the roles they want. So, it's important to highlight women in your leadership team to offer proof of progression. 89% find that mentoring impacts their careers, and 86% would recommend mentoring to another woman in tech. Demonstrating that you can do that will help attract a broader candidate pool.

Over time, focusing on building a diverse employer brand will impact the diversity you attract and retain.

 

Let SGI find you open positions: Search and apply for exciting tech careers at companies committed to diversity and inclusion.

Ways to improve your application process.

One of the most significant barriers to women applying for roles is unconscious bias. That shows up in various ways, including the language we choose.

Often, job adverts are dusted off and published with little thought. But the language and content of your advert can determine the level of applications from women.

Let's look at an example. For a sales job, the historic advert states 'aggressive sales targets,' but this could be replaced with 'consistent achievement of realistic sales goals,' which may resonate with a broader audience.

 

Online tools for enhancing diversity.

Tools like Textio or Croud can analyze your job advert for feminine and masculine words to help you use gender-neutral language.

Using Textio, Slack increased the number of women in leadership positions to 31%, while its competitors struggled to achieve 20% of women in similar roles. The language might only be a small detail, but it can significantly impact.

 

The importance of DE&I training.

It's also important to look at your application screening methods. We all have biases, but without training, it's difficult for people to be aware of their preconceptions and set those aside. One option is to use software for the first sift, but that's only sometimes foolproof, as demonstrated by Amazon's algorithm, which was trained to prefer male candidates. Even if you use a tool to assist with CV screening, it's important to have checks to catch any inbuilt or learned bias.

When looking at ways to support diversity throughout the application process, it's essential to look at the composition of your interview panels. You must inspire candidates and showcase your diversity at every stage, mainly face-to-face with candidates. This also comes back to the idea of demonstrating the career trajectory for women within your tech business, so make sure, where possible, to include women in the interview panel.

 

Strategies to attract diverse candidates.

1.Engaging on social media and via job boards.

2. Creating your networking event: This is a tactic used by BCG, which partnered with Management Leadership for Tomorrow to expand its outreach, helping it target more diverse candidates. 

3. Starting programs with schools to encourage young girls to enter the industry could be beneficial. Only 27% of female students say they'd consider a tech career.

Whatever strategy you try, it's essential to remember who you're targeting, where they're likely to be, and make it easy for them to engage with you and your adverts.

The importance of tracking diversity data.

Throughout all of this work, you need to be tracking your data. Otherwise, how do you know what your starting position for gender diversity in your applications is? How do you understand what's made a difference? What's worked and what hasn't?

Tracking your data lets you objectively evaluate your campaigns, set targets, and celebrate your success.

In SGI's opinion, the metrics you should be using to track diversity are:

●     Diversity of your candidate pool

●     Diversity of hired candidates

●     Diversity in the source of hire

●     Length of tenure of successful diverse candidates

●     Employee satisfaction

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Fostering gender diversity within the tech industry isn't just a moral imperative; it's a strategic advantage. By actively promoting inclusion and providing opportunities for women in technology, companies can unlock untapped talent, drive innovation, and ultimately enhance their bottom line.

From refining employer branding to revamping application processes and implementing targeted recruitment strategies, each step toward greater diversity brings us closer to a more vibrant and thriving tech ecosystem.

By continuously tracking and evaluating diversity metrics, organizations can ensure they remain on the path toward meaningful progress and sustained excellence in the ever-evolving landscape of technology.

Attend our upcoming event: Register for our upcoming event, "Women in STEM," and learn from inspiring industry leaders from Flagstone, DOJO and network with diverse tech professionals.

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