SUSTAINABILITY
“ What are your values as a company ? What ' s your purpose ? What are you doing around sustainability and social impact ? If you ' re looking at attracting a particular group , look at what you ' re doing as a company to attract that talent .”
Implementing long-term DE & I solutions – retaining diverse talent Then , arguably the most important question to ask is what is your company doing to retain talent ?
Talent retention is a critical step that many companies fall short on . So much so , that 50 % of women drop out from the IT industries by the age of 35 . As a result , just one in 20 of women in tech will reach a senior leadership level .
“ DE & I should be part of the culture of the organisation , not simply something considered during the hiring process . You have to have a culture that identifies with the talent pool you are looking to attract ,” says Davis .
The absence of role models and mentors in the industry is one widely cited problem , as – alongside the gendered nature of the role , and its widespread label as ‘ a boy ’ s job ’ – this makes it extremely difficult for women to envision their future progression within the role .
“ I think the challenge that companies face today is to ensure that , once people are in the workforce , they are supported with the tools , the platforms , the mentorship , and the allyship to be successful ,” added Vaux .
“ The more we can showcase role models and show that women can reach the top , the more we ' re inspiring the next generation and helping others to break through the glass ceiling ”.
So , how can we find mentors ? Laurie advises businesses and individuals that , “ if you are looking for a mentor , no one is too famous and no one is too high up ”.
“ If you want to reach out to someone who is like driving an initiative in Silicon Valley , or is heading up one of the industry ’ s biggest companies , do it . Because they will be thrilled to get this email , and will often actually go on to mentor you ,” added Laurie . But these mentors and sponsors don ’ t necessarily have to be women . In fact , since men represent such a large proportion of high-level STEM roles , it can actually be highly advantageous – both for individual women and the situation as a whole – for men to step up as mentors , too .
“ A lot of men , particularly white males , feel very much like the world ' s against them right now . But , actually , white male allies have a huge role to play in being an ally to the next generation ,” added Vaux .
“ Think , ‘ How can I , as a white male , be an ally to women and other minority groups , and how can I use my position of privilege to support others ?’. And I think that when you flip that feeling on its head and use it to do good , everybody wins .”
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