Diversity in tech; are you doing enough?
With new gender pay gap legislation in place, it’s clear that improving gender diversity in the workplace is still a key focus for many companies. We spoke with Jenny Kelly, Client Relationship Manager and Business Partner at Computer Futures, to find out more about what can be done to close the gender pay gap.
Gender Pay Gap Legislation
In 2016, the average pay gap was 18.1%. This led to the government making it compulsory for all organisations with over 250 employees to publish figures about their gender pay gap in April 2017. This means they’ll have to make public the difference between the average salaries for their male and female staff. The idea is that by forcing companies to publish these figures, it will also encourage them to close the pay gap by taking action.
Jenny says, "It's helping companies take their diversity seriously. They're putting strategies and programmes in place to help close the gender pay gap. Not only that, they're also looking at the wider diversity of their business."
Improving Women in Tech
As well as improving the pay gap, work also needs to be done to ensure there’s a fair gender representation. The 2016 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings in the UK revealed that even in jobs where the pay gap is relatively small, the number of women in that position is considerably less.
Job Title |
Pay Gap (%) |
% of women |
---|---|---|
IT Project and Programme Managers |
17.4 |
30 |
IT Specialist Managers |
16.2 |
19 |
IT Business Analysts, Architects, and Systems Designers |
17.5 |
13 |
IT Operations Technicians |
2.3 |
31 |
One reason that the percentage of women in tech roles is so low could simply be because only 17% of employees in tech are female. Interestingly, this comes after a report by McKinsey revealed that companies with the greatest gender diversity are 15% more likely to achieve better financial results than their competition. And the companies with the best racial/ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to outperform competitors.
Not only do these companies see a greater financial return, they also experience a range of other benefits. For example, they become a more appealing option to the best talent in the industry and they experience better employee satisfaction.
#MindTheGap – Promoting a Diverse Workforce
In order to help organisations close the gender pay gap and promote inclusion and diversity, Jenny launched the #MindTheGap campaign. She says, “The campaign is designed to promote a more diverse workforce. We share our aspirational targets and programmes through hosting regular events and inviting our network.”
Companies across the country are struggling when it comes to hiring females, but it’s not through lack of trying. As Jenny explains, “One of the biggest issues our clients face is finding diverse candidates – specifically females – and this campaign is helping them overcome this challenge.” Although the number of women in tech is lower than other sectors, there are candidates out there - and appealing to them starts by taking steps to improving diversity in general.
If you’d like to find out more about our #MindTheGap campaign or are looking to hire within the tech industry, we’re here to help. Simply contact us to let us know more.