Ensuring Business Growth Through Diversity and Inclusion in IT Sector
One of the most frequently discussed topics today is the issue of diversity and inclusion in the workspace. Women make up over 50% of the global population, which makes it natural for them to have an equal stake in the global workforce. Today, women are rapidly realizing this potential courtesy of access to quality education across STEM fields. There is a greater opportunity for women in business leadership across industries that were earlier considered to be male bastions. In various countries such as the US, Canada, and Australia, women constitute more than half of the overall workforce. This surge in qualifications and economic aspirations of modern women is now being augmented by corporates that are keen to reap demographic dividends of gender inclusivity.
Companies that focus on diversity and inclusion in the workspace are not only able to benefit from the emotional intelligence and diversity of ideas ushered in by women, but also enable more women to join the workforce. Considering how there is an acute shortage of talented and qualified personnel in various critical industries such as the IT and technology sectors, it is possible to overcome the skill crunch by hiring qualified and well-trained women. This is an area where the evolution of digital technology has been playing the role of a key enabler.
As we witnessed from 2020 onwards, the spread of the pandemic led to a prevalence of remote-work culture globally. Women in tech verticals such as marketing, education, SaaS, BFSI etc who had either left their jobs due to reasons such as maternity, familial responsibilities or other concerns, become empowered to work from home through online tools. Now, as the world has resumed working from office, the potential of the female workforce has come to fore. Almost all major IT companies and corporates are now focusing on digitally-driven re-skilling, up-skilling, and other training initiatives to integrate females into their workforce. This not only delivers operational benefits such as diversity of thought but also gives the companies access to a much larger talent pool.
Tools that enable efficient remote working
With the benefits of hybrid working becoming well-known to all enterprises, companies are increasingly hiring women, especially in IT or tech-driven roles, even if they wish to work remotely. There are some world-class technology products that are now available in the market to support the digital or off-location workforce.
Google Workspace (formerly G-Suite) – Google Workspace is a leading all-in-one suite of web applications for professional work. It helps remote teams to seamlessly collaborate and enhance business productivity. There are a number of features and tools integrated into the Google Workspace such as Gmail, Docs, Meet, Cloud Search, and more. Since it is a purely digital productivity suite that users can log into from anywhere and on any desktop, laptop device, it significantly cuts the cost of IT infrastructure and maintenance of on-premises tech. Thus, Google Workspace comes across as an ideal driver of inclusivity among remote workforces for small as well as large enterprises.
Google Chromebook – For women who work on-premises or on the go, Google Chromebook serves as the perfect work machine. It is a sleek and ultra-portable laptop with a superior level of productivity and mobility on offer. It leverages the renowned Chrome operating system and comes across as a flexible and easy-to-use work machine for professionals.
IT companies with women in leadership roles tend to have a deeper understanding of the benefits of ensuring diversity and inclusion in IT sectors. For instance, women are adept at factoring in various need perspectives and offering a diversity of thought. When we include women in the tech sector, they would be able to offer insights into how women users of the technology are likely to interact with the solutions. Considering how half of the workforce is going to be female, creating products and solutions that take into account their preferences is going to make a product sell better than only those solutions that are created by men, and with an understanding of male users’ behaviour only.
Shivaami is one such organization that has wholeheartedly focused on diversity and inclusion in the workspace. With an 80% female workforce, the company is a great example of integrating women in tech. The company has given the female employees to join the work or make a return to the professional fold after breaks due to marriage, pregnancy or health issues. It uses technology to empower women in business, and the brand has been renowned for its gender equality practices in hiring as well as performance appraisals. It is this holistic approach of Shivaami, that was awarded by Google as the Diversity and Inclusion Partner of the Year in 2019. The award recognised the diversity and inclusion in the workspace initiatives by Shivaami. The leadership team at Shivaami comprises Founder, CEO & MD Puneet Thakkar, and three dynamic females, Amee Thakkar – Chief Operating Officer (COO), Priyanka Khanna – Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), and Chetana Chaudhari – Chief Technical Officer (CTO). With their vast technical know-how and well-demonstrated excellence in business development, they have proven how women in tech and business are essential for the future growth and sustainability of organizations.
The business practices, as well as technology products from Shivaami, are definitive of the new norms of operations, and with an ever-increasing number of businesses adopting this diversity and inclusion in the workspace approach, the future of work is bound to be great!