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Just 10 % of global businesses are front-runners in inclusion and diversity practices within their technology functions
Ninety percent of global businesses struggle with inclusion and diversity practices within their technology / IT teams according to The key to designing inclusive tech : creating diverse and inclusive tech teams report , released by the Capgemini Research Institute . Recognition of a lack of inclusion from the top is a key enabler to access diverse communities . Organisations that focus on diversity and inclusion in their tech teams will benefit from innovation , revenue and brand value opportunities , highlights the report .
Current inclusion and diversity practices in technology are inadequate
Over the course of the pandemic , great pressure has been placed upon businesses to recruit tech talent from a shrinking pool . As enterprises have struggled to find the appropriate talent to fulfil their needs , the focus on good diversity and inclusion practices has slipped . A gulf has emerged between the leadership ’ s positive perception of inclusion in IT and tech teams and the harsh reality experienced by ethnic minority and female team members .
The spectrum of the perception gap is vast . Seventy-five percent of leadership executives believe that women and ethnic minorities feel a sense of belonging in their organisations , but only 24 % of these employees in tech functions concur . Fiftythree percent of women and ethnic minority employees feel comfortable sharing personal experiences with other employees and peers , whereas only 9 % of them feel the same comfort level with their leadership .
Only 16 % of women and ethnic-minority tech employees believe that they are well represented in tech teams . Further , in IT / tech teams , only one in five employees is female , and one in six is from an ethnicminority community . When it comes to career opportunities , the gap between nondiverse and male employees and ethnicminority tech employees and women tech employees is palpable ; for instance , just 22 % of Black tech employees feel they have an equal opportunity to grow compared to their non-diverse colleagues .
The perception gap between leadership and women and ethnic minorities in tech functions on inclusion processes and measures is narrower for organisations with an advanced inclusive culture . When asked whether women and ethnic minorities have equal access to employee resources , groups and HR as compared to other employees from non-diverse backgrounds , the perception gap between inclusive organisations and the rest is significant ( 31 % compared with 55 %).
Consumers are aware of and are experiencing techbased discrimination
Consumers are experiencing discriminatory technologies because of deficient diversity and inclusion practices in the tech teams of global businesses . In the financial services sector , for instance , 50 % of ethnic minorities on average believe they were offered lower credit for certain banking products online , compared to 28 % of customers who were not from ethnic minority communities . Meanwhile in healthcare , 43 % of women and consumers from ethnic minority communities believe they were not shown healthcare facilities in high-end locations or those offering very specialised services . x
According to the report , 85 % of leadership executives believe their organisations provide equitable opportunities for career development and promotions to every employee across their organisations , but only 19 % of women and ethnic minority employees agree . This misalignment adds to a perpetuating Diversity Equity and Inclusion ( DE & I ) problem across industries deploying technologies for end-users as leaders believe progress is being made , but tech employees on the ground remain pessimistic about the reality .
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