Diversity and Inclusion are no doubt one of 2021’s hot topics for HR managers in the tech industry. Despite the chaos of the pandemic, the business world has been presented with significant challenges around diversity and inclusion this past 12 months. The rise of the BLM and LGBTQ+ movements in late 2020 further emphasises the need for fundamental, structural change in both the workplace and society as a whole.

Gender

The first consideration for HR professionals is to identify the true differences between Diversity and Inclusion. Solely increasing the number of hires from BAME backgrounds and LGBTQ+ communities at your tech firm is only half the battle with regards to building a diverse workforce suitable for 2021. The most important component is the implementation of change to internal attitudes, policies and practices towards D&I.

A quick, sure-fire way to begin the step towards a more gender-inclusive working environment is to ensure that all corporate documentation has the most recent and up-to-date terminology for a wide variety of gender identifications and sexual orientations.

It is also important to adapt office-lingo to include the correct use of preferred pronouns requested by employees. Companies such as Uber, Apple and Facebook have made strides in becoming more LGBT-friendly, but it is without doubt that as the ‘Q+’ aspect of the social movement gains more publicity and recognition, that tech companies will need to adapt further to avoid alienating employees, thus preventing higher levels of staff turnover.

In a 2021 Workable Survey, 21.3% of tech companies state that they do not prioritise D&I or do not have any D&I policy in place. The likes of Spotify, Oracle and Google have faced class-action lawsuits with regards to gender discrimination, particularly due to the lack of diversity at the executive level and the lack of wage equality. The truth is that tech companies can be doing better.

Race

According to TrustRadius’ 2021 Women in Tech Report, 37% of African-Caribbean women in tech feel that racial bias is a barrier to promotion.

Internal promotions have been a longstanding debate from a Diversity & Inclusion point of view for several years. Harvard Business Review discusses how the act of promoting from an internal pool of employees with little to no diversity to begin with is part of the reason as to why only 9% of board-level executives in tech are from a BAME background. An organisation that promotes diversity and inclusion in several areas of its business but fails to do so at the board-level risks sending a message of inauthenticity.

If tech firms are wanting to take D&I seriously, the key is for HR managers to conduct comprehensive, industry-wide searches when leadership and executive-level positions become vacant. As opposed to attributing the lack of diversity to an empty pipeline, firms must become more accountable for their inadequate recruitment efforts which has led to a lack of diversity.

Customers of today now have more knowledge and more of a voice than ever before. Brands and firms alike that have chosen not to speak publicly on social and political issues are now coming under scrutiny on social media due to their silence. This form of ostracism is being called ‘cancel culture’ in which customers will boycott a company based on their stance on topical issues such as Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace.

If routine D&I practices are not deeply examined, its potential consequences for failed execution is a force to be reckoned with in today’s technology-inclined society. All areas of D&I are rapidly developing and thus requires HR professionals in tech to adopt a more dynamic approach to cope with this ever-changing discipline