EDITOR ’ S QUESTION

Such leadership is more likely to be cultivated when management teams themselves have a high degree of diversity . Of course , this is easier said than done .

For example , consider the tech industry – because this has traditionally been male dominated , today there is a relatively small pool of female executives available to fill top positions .

So , the onus is on organisations to not only aim to hire and support diversified talent , but also actively contribute to the development of a diversified talent pool .

To create a working environment that offers both equality and equity of career opportunity for all employees based on merit , companies should strive to empower their people to take advantage of career coaching , knowledge-sharing and mentoring opportunities .

Going a step further , they can look further downstream to fostering diverse groups of individuals in the early stages of their careers or even through their formative years in school or university . At Endava , we partner with universities and run internship and graduate programmes that help us develop the passionate new talent we ’ re always looking for . In addition , we partner with trusted nongovernmental organisations across the globe to run activities ranging from career orientation talks to knowledge sharing and mentoring .

The aim of these is to enhance awareness , encourage and support young people to explore opportunities in tech .

After making all these efforts , organisations should work to ensure that all employees feel supported and able to thrive throughout their careers .

Employee programmes that foster the physical and mental well-being of employees can go a long way towards achieving this end .

Companies could benefit greatly from hosting open forums that encourage employees from across the organisation to share their perspective as this can help steer on-going diversity and inclusion efforts . And finally , businesses should create an environment wherein employees feel confident and secure in being able to voice their concerns and suggestions with the knowledge that this feedback will be used constructively .

LEADERS WHO ARE THOUGHTFUL , CONSIDERATE AND ACCEPTING OF THE WONDERFULLY DIVERSE BACKGROUND OF A COMPANY ’ S STAFF ENSURE THAT EMPLOYEES FEEL INCLUDED , SUPPORTED AND CONNECTED TO THE CORPORATE CULTURE .

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