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Creating A Diverse Company Culture (Do’s and Don’ts)

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Creating A Diverse Company Culture
(Do’s and Don’ts)

Rose McCarter-Field

By Rose McCarter-Field

Truly creating a diverse company culture, means having a diverse team. Processes and initiatives to promote diversity can help you get there. But to retain a diverse culture, a diverse team is essential.

The more diverse your team, the more the company will naturally become a diverse workplace. A diverse workplace will appeal to a greater number and variety of people.

But how do you get there? 

Research has shown that recruitment initiatives focussed at specific minorities will increase your applicants from those underrepresented groups. Recruiting based on familiarity with a person, will prevent the development of diversity in your company. 

Many promotions happen internally, based on referral. It’s easy to fall into the trap of favouring people that remind us of ourselves. And this approach to internal promotion is one sure way to iron out any potential of creating diverse leadership in your company. This is what your HR processes are for, promote based on skills and experience, reduce the bias. 

Another trick you can try is talking to staff in minority groups. Ask them if their experiences in your company are different from other people’s. You’ll learn a lot about your company culture by doing this. And don’t just ask once, you won’t get honest insight unless you make a point of asking them three times. On the third time, they will know you are serious and want their honest opinion, this is when you will get the real insight.

We are holding a webinar on women in technology, it covers everything from recruitment, to retention, and promotion. If you’d like to attend you can sign up on the link here.

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How Gender Inclusive is your Company? 3 Tell Tale Signs of Unintentional Gender Bias

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How Gender Inclusive is your Company?

3 Tell Tale Signs of Unintentional Gender Bias

Rose McCarter-Field

By Rose McCarter-Field

In a sector where women are underrepresented, it’s no secret that exclusion has hindered gender equality in tech. A lack of female applicants and increasing numbers of women leaving tech has contributed to the staff shortages that we see today. 

Research has shown a disconnect between leadership awareness of gender biases, and women’s experiences in the workplace. But as a leader, how do you know if your company is excluding women? Here are 3 tell tale signs that your company culture is excluding women, even if you don’t realise it.

1

How many women are on your leadership team?

Next time you’re in a leadership meeting or a board meeting, count the number of women vs men in the room. Do your female staff or job applicants have females to look up to? to aspire to? to admire? Can they see career progression opportunities in your company?

2

How many women are coming back after maternity leave?

If the answer is not many, perhaps it’s time to take a look at your HR policies. If someone is away for a while, will they come back to find themselves on catch-up? To find their counterparts up-skilled and promoted? Are you providing a structured system to enable them to fill any skills gaps? To catch up on training or experiences they have missed? Even promotion opportunities? And do your working practices support a reasonable work/life balance for new parents?

3

How many women are putting themselves forward for promotion?

Research has shown that if a staff member puts themselves forward for promotion, a female counterpart is less likely to put themselves forward for the same promotion. Additionally, internal referral systems for promotion allow for unintentional bias in the workplace. Favouring ‘people like me’ is an easy trap for any manager to fall into and is a sure way to prevent diversity in the leadership team.

If the above signs are present in your organisation, it’s worth having a look at the reason for this. We are holding a webinar on women in technology, it covers everything from recruitment, to retention, and promotion. If you’d like to attend you can sign up here.

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Why women are the solution to your staff shortages

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Why women are the solution to your staff shortages

Rose McCarter-Field

By Rose McCarter-Field

While the world of tech finds it’s new normal, staff shortages are causing delays in development.

Finding the right talent has never been easy. But in today’s world we have hit a talent shortage in tech. We need to branch out.

Women represent 50% of the available workforce. For the past ten years they have represented 17% of the staff in science, engineering, and technology (SET). With increasing staff shortages, perhaps it’s time we looked at why staff in SET seem to fit a certain stereotype.

Harvard Business Review research has shown that companies in the US that have carried out female focussed recruitment drives, have seen an increase in their female staff. 

If we can’t find high calibre staff in our usual pool of talent, we need to branch out. Perhaps it’s time to focus on the female talent pool?

We are holding a webinar on women in technology, it covers everything from recruitment, to retention, and promotion. If you’d like to attend you can sign up here.

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How to get the best out of your female candidates in an interview

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How to get the best out of your female candidates in an interview

3 Top Tips for gender inclusive recruitment.

Rose McCarter-Field

By Rose McCarter-Field

Every one of your job applicants is a unique individual. Getting the most out of them at an interview will help you to find the right person.

Research has shown that women typically respond differently to interview questions than men. Being aware of these differences can help to iron out inherent gender biases in your recruitment process. Here are my top tips for getting the most out of your female interviewees.

1

Be Inquisitive

Women are more likely to be modest in an interview. Be inquisitive, ask about their experiences to get a fairer picture.

2

Check your own Biases

Are you or your recruiters looking for ‘people like me’? Or people like a particular person in the team? This mindset prevents diversity from the start.

3

Get a Woman on the Panel

This will reduce the likelihood of unintentional gender bias when shortlisting candidates. It will also show the female candidate that she will not be the ‘token woman’ in the workplace, and that there is a future for her there.

And of course interviews are two way. Are you selling the culture of the company? What work-life balance does the company provide?

Women are more likely to research company culture and values before they have even applied. Remember to share insights into what it will be like to work with you.

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Is your Shortlisting Gender Neutral?

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Is your Shortlisting Gender Neutral?

Ironing out gender bias in the recruitment process.

Rose McCarter-Field

By Rose McCarter-Field

Are you confident that your shortlisting process is totally unbiased? Gender neutral shortlisting starts from way before you read the CVs. First ask yourself, are you looking for ‘someone like me’? Or someone like a particular person in the team?

This mindset prevents diversity from the start. 

Create a diverse team, including a woman to collate your shortlist criteria. This helps to iron out inherent biases in your process. This team can provide a different perspective and help your process become more inclusive. Women typically don’t apply for a role if they don’t think they are 100% qualified, so be honest and fair in setting out this criteria.

This leads to a closer look at which skills, experiences, and qualities are actually essential and which are nice to have. Be sure that you don’t think an item on your shortlist is essential, when there are alternative skills, experiences, and qualities that are just as valuable.

Research and experience has shown us that women tend to be more modest in the job application process. Be aware of this when reading applications and in interviews. Be inquisitive rather than ready to strike someone off because they didn’t ‘sell’ themselves. In the interview, ask about their experiences, give them time to talk. The more inquisitive you are with all your candidates, the fairer picture you will build of their capabilities.

As always, if you need any help with the recruitment of people of all genders or assistance with your international payroll, get in touch. 

team@projectrecruit.com 



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How to Get More Female Applicants

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How to Get More Female Applicants

Advertising Job Roles to Women

Rose McCarter-Field

By Rose McCarter-Field

Did you know that 60% of industries have been shown to have a male bias in their job adverts?(1) People are more likely to apply for a job advert that they can relate to. If you have a male bias in your adverts you will put women off. And women represent half the talent pool!

And here’s the thing, people often don’t even realise they are showing a male bias in their adverts. So what do you need to look out for?

Words are a big factor. The gender neutral pronoun ‘they’ is perfectly interchangeable with ‘he’ or ‘she’ and doesn’t exclude anyone. Then the slightly less obvious words associated with being male, such as ‘hero’ or ‘ninja’ are a turn off. 

But this is basic stuff, finding wording that appeals to women is more complex than gender assignment. Women look for a different kind of description in their adverts. Women are more likely to relate to an advert that shows a work-life balance, culture, and values. Technical jargon without the context of the lifestyle they will have working for you, just turns them off.

Use images with women in. If they see a male dominated environment, they know they will be a minority. And as a result, will be more tempted by a different advert with more inclusive images. If you are using genuine images from your company and you have women in leadership, get them in the pictures! Seeing women in leadership roles shows female candidates that there is a potential future for them in your organisation.

When you get into more detail in the advert, remember, women care about more than the job specification. They care about what their life will be like working with you. What is the work life balance at your company? Is there flexible working? Equal pay? Career opportunities? Does the company have values? A friendly culture? These are important to get across sooner rather than later.

As always, if you need any help with the recruitment of people of all genders or assistance with your international payroll, get in touch. 

team@projectrecruit.com 



  1. HR Director, 2019 https://www.thehrdirector.com/features/diversity-and-equality/job-ads-show-sexism-still-prevalent-industries430/

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How to Get Buy Into the Gender Equality Movement

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How to Get Buy Into the Gender Equality Movement

Company Stakeholder Engagement

Rose McCarter-Field

By Rose McCarter-Field

In 10 years, the next generation workforce will be 85% minorities (1). This includes people of non male gender, people of non white race, people of different sexual orientations, different abilities, and religions.

If your company does not yet see the importance of equality, they are missing out on the next generation of talent. When it comes to gender equality, specifically a bias against women, you are cutting out half of the talent pool by not being inclusive.

But how do we get stakeholder buy-in to gender equality? To make a long term change we need strategy, accountability, and tangible goals. We also need male advocates to make it work.

Jeffrey Tobias, Gender Strategist at YWomen recommends one simple step to start the question of ‘is my company sexist?’ He recommends encouraging a leader in your company to ask a female staff member one simple question, ‘are you having a different experience in the workplace than I am?’ Do not expect genuine insights the first time it is asked, so ask again, ‘is there something I don’t understand?’ And listen, don’t interrupt. Wait for her to share. Then ask a third time. Those last few minutes will be the most enlightening. Tobias finds that these conversations are what triggers understanding and curiosity in leaders. These types of inquisitive discussions highlight the ways people are treated differently, and the knock on effect of gender bias behaviours in the workplace. (1)

Once leaders start to see the everyday differences, it helps to provide incentives that reflect the wider scale impact of sexism in the workplace. For instance, gender equality avoids lawsuits, it is better for the bottom line. Companies with diverse teams have been found to perform better (2). And of course it provides a fairer workplace for the next generation.

If you try the ‘is my company sexist?’ questions, let me know how it goes, I’d be interested to hear. And as always, if you need any help with the recruitment of people of all genders or with your international payroll, get in touch. 

team@projectrecruit.com 

    1. Forbes, 2019 https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2019/12/16/how-to-engage-more-male-leaders-in-the-gender-equality-movement/
    2. Glassdoor, 2021 https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/10-ways-remove-gender-bias-job-listings/ 

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How to Write a Gender Inclusive Job Description

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How to Write a Gender Inclusive Job Description

5 Top Tips for Getting more Female Applicants

Rose McCarter-Field

By Rose McCarter-Field

Do you find that it is mostly men applying for the jobs you advertise? How a job description is written can and does put women off.

Gender diverse companies have been found to be 15% more likely to outperform those that are not (1). So why wait? Here are a few tips to make your job descriptions more gender inclusive.

1

Redefine your ‘essential’ and ‘desired’ criteria

Women have been found to approach job selection differently. If they aren’t 100% qualified they may not apply. Be sure to be honest about which skills and experience are essential and which are nice to have. Are there other skills and experiences that would be just as valuable to you?

2

Are the words you use elitist or inclusive?

The words used in role descriptions (especially in tech) have been proven to put women off. Avoid terms such as ‘we need a tech superhero’, ‘rock star’, or ‘hacker’ although these terms may not put all women off, have been found to reduce female interest in a role (1). Unnecessary overuse of technical terms is also a big turn off, even for some of the most technically minded women. Technical terms specific to the job are fine, but does the job description sound cold? Elitist? Unfriendly?

3

Check your pronouns!

If you use ‘he’ or ‘she’ you are instantly showing an expectation of gender. This shows a bias that the other gender knows will make them less likely to get the role. The term ‘they’ covers all genders and is perfectly interchangeable with ‘she’ or ‘he’.

4

Share insights into the experience of working for you and your company.

Make sure the role description enables applicants to visualise how it feels to be in the company. What is the culture like? What is the team like? What will their life be like in that role? Women are more likely to research the culture of a company before applying. And they are more likely to apply for a role if they can visualise being there.

5

Get women involved in writing the role descriptions.

This is a great way to reduce unintentional gender bias in a job description. In fact, the more diverse the range of people you can get involved in writing a job description, the more diverse the range of people you will attract.

As always, if you need any help with the recruitment of people of all genders or assistance with your international payroll, get in touch. 

    1. Glassdoor, 2021 https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/10-ways-remove-gender-bias-job-listings/ 

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Gender Equality in Tech. What can HR do? (Part 4)

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Gender Equality in Tech.
What can HR do?
PART 4

How to Promote Women

Rose McCarter-Field

By Rose McCarter-Field

Have a look around at your leadership team. How many women are there? 

Is it that you don’t have female employees to promote? Or because your promotion processes are not inclusive? 

Research tells us that promoting women is a ‘chicken and egg’ scenario. If you don’t have women in leadership roles it is difficult for prospective female staff to see career prospects at your company. And how do you know that your promotion processes are inclusive, if it is mostly men promoting men? 

Take a look at the informal buddy mentoring systems in your company, are managers and leaders choosing to mentor people that remind them of themselves? This instantly reduces the potential for an inclusive culture.

How clearly defined are your promotion processes? Do you internally advertise to all staff? Bear in mind that women are typically less likely to apply for a role if they don’t feel they have proven experience of 100% of the skills listed. And that if others in the team are applying, women are less likely to put themselves forward. 

How would you define the perfect candidate? And what are the shortlisting criteria? Compare your preconceptions about the type of person who should fill the role, and the skills needed to carry out the role well. This will highlight some inbuilt biases. We are all guilty of inbuilt biases, and for inclusive recruitment, we need to keep them in check.

Do your career progression opportunities include flexible working? A friendly culture? A value system that they can relate to? Are your job descriptions compiled of technical terms? Or do they provide a contextual insight into the type of role you are advertising? All these items have been found to make-or-break whether a female decides to apply for a role.

A culture of inclusion will come more readily when you have people of all genders, at all levels in the organisation. Until then, it helps if current female leaders are visible. Let people see any women you have on your board, or in management, so that women can see a future for themselves in your company. 

“You can’t be what you can’t see”.

Marian Wright Edelman, Children rights activist  

Sign up to Join the Digileaders Webinar:
How Do We Get More Women in Tech? Practical Steps for Leaders

 

    1. Forbes 2020 https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmichelson2/2020/02/12/9-ways-to-recruit-and-promote-women-in-stem–from-the-cofounder-of-the-grace-hopper-conference/
    2. WES https://www.wes.org.uk/sites/default/files/u102/Improving%20the%20recruitment%20of%20women%20in%20STEM_0.pdf
    3. Talent 101 2019 https://www.talent-101.com/blog/how-to-recruit-more-women-to-work-in-stem 
    4. Talent Works 2019 https://www.talent-works.com/2020/02/a-simple-guide-to-attracting-more-women-to-stem-roles/
    5. Glassdoor 2018 https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/3-top-companies-strategies-for-hiring-retaining-women-in-stem/
    6. Glassdoor 2021 https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/10-ways-remove-gender-bias-job-listings/ 

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Rose Laura Webinar Women in Tech

How Do We Get More Women in Tech?
Practical Steps for Leaders

A talk by Rose McCarter-Field and Laura West Project Recruit and Escalla

17th June 11.30am BST

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