FINANCE SALES & MARKETING HR SOLUTIONS EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

The data , which has been published in Wiley Edge ’ s second annual Diversity in Tech report , revealed that only 24 % of UK tech workers aged 18 – 24 would describe their experience in the industry so far as ‘ entirely positive ’ and another 26 % as ‘ mostly positive ’.

Around a third ( 30 %) said they have had a mixture of positive and negative experiences , and 11 % mostly negative . Worryingly , one in 10 said they have not enjoyed their experience so far at all .

When asked what had made their experience positive , 28 % said they have enjoyed the work and another 28 % have found the work interesting . Only one in 10 ( 10 %) said that they have found the work uninteresting , while 13 % said they have found the work difficult .

Tom Seymour , Senior Director , HR at Wiley Edge , said : “ While it ’ s great that half of the young tech workers have enjoyed their time in the industry so far , it ’ s concerning that a significant proportion have encountered some challenges .

“ Our findings seem to indicate that it ’ s not the nature of the work itself that is an issue for most unhappy young tech employees . Instead , the research suggests that many businesses are still struggling to establish an inclusive , welcoming environment which is having a negative impact on the wellbeing of their tech teams .”

Only a fifth ( 20 %) of those surveyed said that they like their company ’ s culture and another 20 % said they have felt welcomed by their colleagues .

Women were 22 % less likely to say they have felt welcomed by their colleagues than men , and 22 % less likely to say they like their company ’ s culture . They were also 45 % more likely to say they had not had enough personal support .

White respondents were more likely to say they liked their company ’ s culture than any other ethnic group ( 23 % vs 20 % average ), while Black African respondents were the most likely to say they do not feel welcomed by their colleagues ( 17 % vs

11 % average ) and to say that they actively do not like their company ’ s culture ( 22 % vs 11 % average ).

“ In our experience , many businesses are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of an effective DE & I strategy . However , this research shows it ’ s not necessarily a given that these values will filter down into every team ,” added Seymour . “ It ’ s vital to ensure that a business ’ s culture and values are consistently embodied by those in senior leadership and management positions , with any inappropriate behaviour dealt with quickly and decisively .” x

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