The Enterprise Tech Year – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

It hasn’t been the best year for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the tech industry. Many companies are laying off technology staff, raising concerns that it will impact underrepresented groups. Some organizations are also choosing to close their DEI departments and cut budgets for recruiting, developing and retaining minority employees.

But there are still many companies and individuals making innovative and decisive efforts to improve DEI in the technology sector. Here is my selection of the 10 best DEI articles on Diginomica this year. This selection shows both the extent of the challenge. and what is being done and should be done to address the lack of diversity, equity and inclusion in technology.

Internally, deemphasizing DEI initiatives will signal that they were self-serving, virtuous, or performative. This can lead to dissatisfaction and therefore a lack of engagement among employees who value a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Why? There have been a lot of layoffs in the tech industry this year. As of mid-December, 529 technology companies had laid off 150,000 employees, many of them several hundred or even thousands. Some companies, like Zoom, have also abandoned their DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) teams.

But suspending or reducing DEI programs could have serious consequences for companies both internally and externally, experts warn. Companies would be better off redesigning DEI programs to cover areas like age and class, rather than eliminating them entirely.

The skills shortage is very real, especially in the digital sector. By the end of the decade, the economy will create millions of digital jobs.

Why? At a Workday launch event Global Blueprint for Belonging and Diversity In the report, tech experts shared their insights and advice on hiring diversely and overcoming the digital talent shortage. The consensus was that companies need to expand their DEI strategies to include socioeconomic background and age. Competency-based hiring also needs to be a much bigger factor in recruiting. Generation UK&I’s research of around 2,000 global employers found that the vast majority still prefer people with a university degree or previous work experience when recruiting, even for entry-level roles.

The tech industry’s obsession with youth is creating real problems. My senior colleagues often hide their extensive experience in order to appear more “culturally fit” – which is absurd since their deep knowledge of systems and architecture has saved our projects countless times.

Why? A two-part examination of bias against older workers in technology examines the extent of the problem, its impact, and How companies can attract and retain older employees. As someone approaching 50, some of the statistics contained in this two-parter do not make positive reading. It’s worrying to think that if I had to start looking for a new job, I would most likely be rejected because of my age. Aside from my personal commitment to this issue, there are also the broader needs to improve performance through fully diverse teams, retrain older workers and comply with the law.

Mothers and grandmothers came to us and said: thank you for teaching us how this works, how facial recognition works in our phone. No one ever bothers to think that we are curious, that we care, that we can learn.

Why? Technovation is an organization whose goal is to train the next generation of diverse technology leaders. and expanding equity and access for the future of technology. In 2018, the AI ​​Family Challenge was launched, introducing parents from low-income communities to the technology behind popular AI tools like Alexa, Siri and facial recognition systems. The process of funding the program itself also highlighted the barriers these communities face when it comes to integrating with technology. When Technovation approached potential funders, the main response was that these communities were too poor to care about AI. Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation, noted:

Don’t be so condescending, try it.

Mathematics and English are compulsory in schools. AI or technology has to be there at some point or the UK will fall behind.

Why? While around 33 million (82%) of UK workers have some of the digital skills considered essential to work, only 19.3 million (48%) can complete all 20 tasks. Even more surprising is that one in five tech workers cannot do all 20 tasks; An industry that can be assumed to have almost 100% digital skills. The Lloyds Bank 2024 UK Consumer Digital Index showed that the digital divide is slowly closing. But 10 million workers still lack essential digital skills and women lag behind men, showing the urgent need to train younger generations in areas such as AI, with a particular focus on female students.

It will be more difficult than for men. Just accept this, make yourself comfortable and prepare for a long journey.

Why? On the occasion of IWD 2024, I have selected 10 hot tips from the many women I have interviewed over the last three years for the Diginomica series “What I would say to myself back then”. These profiles of experienced women in tech provide insight into the changes they have experienced over their 20+ years in the industry. the advice they would give their younger selves; and how they managed to climb the career ladder in an industry where women still make up less than 25%. Your insights have been both eye-opening and useful to me, be it “Don’t limit yourself,” “Put your family first from day one,” or “You don’t have to code to become a technologist.” Over the course of 2024, I had the opportunity to speak to 11 other brilliant women working in technology, including IFS CIO Belinda Finch from making tea for male COBOL programmers to sharing their menopausal moments with the boss; Nicky Tozer from Oracle NetSuite about the art of subtle self-promotion; And Aston Martin F1 Team CIO Clare Lansley about breaking the glass ceiling in motorsport and technology.

You sit on the other side of the table and think, “This woman is nothing like me.”

Why? Despite its current success, the founding of Starling Bank did not go smoothly. Founder and former CEO Anne Boden spoke to 300 investors before receiving the necessary funding. Boden’s experience highlights how difficult it is for an older woman to make investments. It’s not a job Boden would do again. However, Boden is excited about the future and believes we will be living in a very different world in the next 10 years. Industry 5.0 could finally offer women a more equal position, as AI tools that take on tasks like programming will change the criteria for a career in tech.

We are in a climate where DEI and affirmative action are being questioned and many people are moving away from investing in small businesses, which is incredibly sad because there was no support from the start.

Why? Black female founders are one of the most neglected groups. Women of color receive less than one percent of VC funding each year. To remedy this situation, Sage and The BOSS Network are awarding a $10,000 scholarship to Black women entrepreneurs in the third year of the Invest in Progress grant program. But the feeling of discouragement caused by the DEI backlash has been reflected in the number of applications for the BOSS fund. In 2023, 18,000 women applied for one of the 25 scholarships available; This year that number has fallen by a third to just 12,000.

Particularly in the technology sector, many people believe in meritocracy and are therefore unwilling to accept the practical reality that we are not starting with a level playing field. This means that things can be difficult for LGBTQIA+ employees and that “performance” is much more subjective than we would like.

Why? Life at work is not always easy for LGBTQIA+ people. According to a Gartner survey, only 50% of LGBTQ+ employees in the US were confident that their colleagues would treat them the same way after learning about their sexual orientation. When it comes to the value of annual events like Pride Month, feelings are mixed, with concerns more about “rainbow washing” than a meaningful commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Experts shared advice on how to best support LGBTQIA+ employees.

The true strengths of neurodiverse people lie in navigating complex projects, analyzing the intricacies of new technologies, and fostering collaborative strategies – skills that are critical to optimizing workflows and surpassing the importance of typo-free emails.

Why? Despite its prevalence, dyslexia is often misunderstood and stigmatized. Dyslexic thinking celebrates the abilities offered by people with dyslexia and takes a different view of problem solving, information assessment and learning. A good example of this is the UK’s GCHQ, which recognizes dyslexia as a valuable skill for employees. This is due to their ability to analyze large amounts of data, recognize patterns and apply strategies that help them quickly identify patterns – or suspicious anomalies – that neurotypical brains may take longer to detect. The potential value to businesses is huge, but employers need a better understanding of the challenges associated with dyslexia to fully support their entire workforce.