In the IT and Tech industries, there is a strong focus on innovation and creativity. Companies that value diversity are more creative, innovative, and successful than those that don’t.
Create an inclusive recruitment strategy
The first step to creating an inclusive recruitment strategy is to create a clear and transparent recruitment process. This includes making sure you have the right tools in place, such as:
An employment brand that clearly articulates your company values
A person responsible for leading your hiring efforts
If you’re working with an agency, are you utilising that partnership to discuss areas that potential employees value – e.g remote/flexible working, opportunities for temporary/contract work
A job description that:
Uses appropriate language for each role (e.g., "engineer" or "developer")
Describes the skills required to do the job well (e.g., Java, Kotlin, or Python)
Create a duty of care
A duty of care is a legal obligation, but it can also be a moral, ethical and professional one. It's important to understand that your duty of care extends not only to the people you work with directly but to anyone who could be affected by your actions or inactions.
In other words, you have a personal duty of care toward yourself! If you don't care for yourself first then how can you expect anyone else to?
Create a diverse and inclusive team culture
The best way to make sure that your team works well together is to create a culture that values diversity. This means having a good mix of people from different backgrounds and experiences, who can bring different perspectives to the table.
If you want to encourage an inclusive environment, it’s important that everyone shares their thoughts and experiences. Encourage people on your team to speak up when they disagree with something and share their ideas on how things could be done differently.
Providing opportunities for employees to develop their skills will also help create an inclusive workplace where employees feel valued for their contributions. You could consider establishing mentorship programs or encouraging employees from different teams or departments to collaborate with each other so they get used to working together in a less formal setting which makes them more open about sharing their ideas with one another, which in turn encourages innovation as well as strengthening existing relationships between colleagues.
Reward diversity
If you want to attract and retain top talent, you need a diverse workforce. If you want to build an inclusive workplace for everyone, you need a diverse workforce. If you want new customers, it's best to have employees who represent the demographics of your target market.
And if making your company more successful is one of your goals as a business owner, then rewarding diversity makes sense from a financial perspective as well: in addition to attracting and retaining top talent, it also helps attract new customers by creating an environment that feels welcoming and inclusive; this leads us back full circle where we started—with better products or services thanks to having more ideas on hand due to increased collaboration between people with different backgrounds.
Share success stories and mentorships
Mentorships, for example, can be a great resource for women in the IT industry, as they not only offer encouragement and support from someone who's been there but also allow women to feel more welcome and supported. Mentorships can help women in the IT industry feel more confident too, as they get to know other female peers who are working in positions similar to theirs. And lastly, mentorships make it easier for female techies to connect with other members of their community by bringing together individuals that share similar interests and values.
Companies that value diversity are more creative, innovative, and successful
Diversity is critical to success. It's not just about how many women you hire, but also how many people from diverse backgrounds you have on your team. The more diverse your team, the better their problem-solving skills will be.
When everyone thinks alike, it makes it harder for them to solve problems creatively. Instead of brainstorming solutions together and using each other’s ideas as inspiration, they become stuck in their own ways of thinking and approach problems from only one angle—their own perspective or experience level (which may not even be relevant). This leads companies down dead ends with no way out—and they waste time and money while they're at it!
Innovation starts with the diversity of thought because innovation comes from seeing things differently than others might see them - and having multiple perspectives helps us see things differently than we would if we were limited to one way of thinking all the time. When teams are comprised exclusively of people who look like them (or act like them), think like them (or act like them), or have similar experiences as theirs... they can't innovate effectively because they've all been exposed to exactly the same things before coming together as a team!
If you’re an employer trying to encourage a more diverse workforce in your company, we hope these tips will help your business stand out from the crowd. We know that hiring diverse talent isn’t always easy, and it takes time, but it’s worth the effort.