Tech Companies With the Most Successful Diversity Programs
By EmployDiversity
One of the most persistent challenges facing companies in the tech industry is the lack of diversity in their workforces. The industry has long been dominated by white males, particularly in top leadership roles. Many tech companies have embraced the challenge head on and are working hard to make their workplaces more inclusive of women and minorities. Improving the diversity of the candidate pipeline, equalizing the gender pay gap, and eliminating bias from the hiring process are all strategies that tech companies are using to become more inclusive.
There are a number of tech companies that are leading their peers in the quest to become more diverse and inclusive. Let’s take a look at some of the strategies that have made certain companies a top diversity employer:
Netflix
Netflix’s generous parental leave policy extends benefits to birth and adoptive parents and includes both male and female employees. Any new parent is eligible for unlimited leave in the first year and the policy allows the flexibility for a parent to work part-time or alternate periods of leave with periods of work. All new parents retain their same pay and benefits throughout this period. This demonstrates Netflix’s commitment to providing equal support to all parents – male or female, adoptive or birth.
Asana
Asana has solved some of its diversity challenges through consultation with a third-party expert. Paradigm is a diversity consulting firm that helps companies address barriers and unconscious biases that are contributing to a lack of workplace diversity. For Asana, they have anonymized some of the hiring process by requiring candidates to take an anonymous coding assessment before interviewing in person. By doing this, unconscious bias is eliminated from the early stages of the hiring process. Paradigm also found that Asana’s interview process was intimidating to most women, so they modified it to be more inclusive. To support employees of different minority groups, Asana also created resource units to facilitate connections and communication.
Google was one of the first companies to publicize its diversity numbers and in 2014, they weren’t good. Realizing the absence of African-Americans at Google, the company has committed to recruiting employees from colleges with predominately African-American students. Google has sent employees to these colleges to network, teach classes, and help students prepare for interviews in the tech industry.
While these companies are making important strides to increase diversity in the tech industry, not every job seeker will be able to land a job at Netflix, Asana, or Google. Candidates interested in joining a diverse and inclusive company should consider smaller companies that may have just as much to offer as a diversity employer.
EmployDiversity is one example of an organization that is trying to connect candidates with employers who value diversity and inclusiveness. The employers featured on EmployDiversity have been specifically selected for their diverse hiring practices and their desire to attract candidates from different genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds. On the EmployDiversity job board, candidates can expect to find high-quality positions with companies who celebrate a diverse workforce.
Since 2003, EmployDiversity has been helping employers connect with diversity professionals through its online employment service. Post a job opening for your organization at EmployDiversity.com with a just a couple clicks. And go to EmployDiversityNetwork.com to read helpful articles and resources for Diversity Managers.
