Diversity and Inclusion in Tech: Strategies for Building a Stronger IT Team

Despite Microsoft, Zoom and a few other big players, recently announcing reductions to their dedicated teams and focusing on “Diversity and Inclusion”, this should not confuse anyone. Though diversity and inclusion should not operate a separate group within the organization (indeed "inclusion" can't be done in silos), the approach is still a big pillar for fostering innovation and driving the creation of stronger, more resilient teams. A diverse workforce brings a plethora of perspectives, experiences, and skills to the table, which are invaluable in solving complex problems and developing cutting-edge solutions. This ensures that every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute their best work, irrespective of their background. It just needs to be integrated, not enforced.

Such diverse teams are built using established practices that are intended to mitigate biases and focus on the candidate's skills and values. One effective strategy is structured interviews, where all candidates are asked the same set of questions, allowing for a fair comparison based on their responses. Another strategy is the use of work sample tests that closely simulate actual job tasks, providing concrete evidence of a candidate's ability to perform. Additionally, blind recruitment processes, where personally identifiable information is removed from resumes, helps in reducing unconscious bias. However, we have seen that implementation, operationalization, and worst of all the enforcement of such policies can backfire without addressing the human factor in the way.

On top of established diverse hiring panels that bring different points of view to the selection process, the smart implementation of AI-driven hiring tools may deliver huge value and drastically reduce unconscious bias that even the most diverse panel inevitably has. Properly implementing AI tools can analyze vast amounts of data to identify the best candidates based on skill sets and performance potential, rather than subjective criteria. Moreover, they can be programmed to intentionally overlook demographic information, focusing solely on competencies and experience.

As global remote Staff Augmentation has been our business for the last 15 years, we can bring additional value to already existing strategies employed by IT enterprises to achieve diversity and inclusion. Here are the top 3 most common strategies with a bit of a twist from CodeXteam:

1. “Active sourcing from diverse talent pools, including underrepresented groups in tech” With CodeXteam you’re tapping into a geographically and all up demographically global pool of candidates.

2. “Comprehensive diversity and inclusion training for all employees, especially those involved in hiring” Our recruiters are spread around 12 countries, technical experts around 23 countries and represent an objectively diverse group of cross-border professionals.

3. “Transparent career progression paths that are accessible to all employees” We’re open and honest with our candidates about the projects, values and objectives of our customers and we’re making the best matches between them independently on any demographic data.

Wrapped Up

In conclusion, value-based hiring that prioritizes a candidate's skills and potential contribution to the company is essential. Smart staff augmentation, which integrates the best of these strategies, can help companies not only fill skill gaps but also ensure that their teams are diverse and inclusive. This approach leads to a more dynamic, innovative, and competitive organization, ready to meet the challenges of the ever-evolving IT landscape.