The advantages of a diverse workforce have become more apparent in recent years as conversations about workplace equality have evolved. One important topic within this discussion is gender equality, especially within typically male-dominated sectors such as tech.

If you operate a business in the tech space, but you haven’t managed to recruit a balanced workforce in terms of gender, then it’s wise to begin resolving this!

The Benefits of a Diverse Workforce

Embracing diversity in the workplace isn’t only great for encouraging employees to be themselves, but also for the success of your business.

The most obvious benefit of a diverse workforce is the range of perspectives that will exist within teams. When a selection of people with different lived experiences collaborate on a project, then there’s much more potential for new ideas and creativity. Research into workplace diversity has highlighted that inclusive teams make better decisions up to 87% of the time.

Additional benefits of embracing diversity and inclusion include a wider talent pool, a broader range of problem-solving skills and more consistent employee performance.

So, how can you ensure you’re an inclusive employer and able to hire women into tech roles? The following tips will help you to reach this goal.

Address the Gender Pay Gap

One of the reasons that women may be put off working in the tech sector is that there’s an observable gender pay gap. Women working in tech in Australia are paid 9% less than men working in the same industry.

Addressing the gender pay gap with a statement on your company website is a great way to let women know that you’re committed to tackling the issue. Your statement can be accompanied by a pay report detailing pay by gender in your business.

If while undertaking this research you discover that men at your company are earning more than women, then you’ll still want to go ahead and publish the findings. This shows potential female employees that you’re aware of the problem and that you’re putting a plan in place to do better.

Providing meaningful mentorship and professional development opportunities for the women in your company can help to combat the gender pay gap. With more women promoted to senior leadership positions, the pay scales can become more balanced. Additionally, when women hold prominent positions within your company, then more women will be encouraged to pursue employment opportunities with you.

Ensure Your Job Ads are Inclusive

In Australia, it’s been illegal since 1984 to explicitly state a job is for a man or a woman, with a fine of up to $5,000 being handed out to businesses that disregard this law. Although we’ve come a long way since the 80’s regarding gender equality, job descriptions can still often be seen as gender coded.

Gender stereotyping and gendered language can – consciously or unconsciously – deter some people from applying for a job. With the tech industry being such a male-dominated space, job adverts can often inadvertently come across as being targeted towards men.

Words such as strong, competitive, expert and driven are often more appealing to male candidates and can put women off. Using gender-neutral language is the best way to appeal to a wider range of applicants so more people feel confident pursuing the role.

If you’ve never considered inclusivity in your tech job adverts before then this is something that you should implement moving forwards.

It’s also a good idea to express that you’re an equal opportunities employer and that you don’t discriminate on the grounds of gender, sexuality, age, race, disability or religion.

Actively Recruit Women for Open Roles

Waiting for candidates to come to you can mean you miss out on finding the best person to fill a role. Don’t be afraid to actively seek the right people and reach out to them directly. This is a fantastic way to engage women who might be interested to work for you but aren’t aware that you’re hiring.

If you don’t have an internal recruiter to undertake this task, then working with an external agency to find these candidates can be invaluable. You can also attend or host networking events to expand your reach and build relationships with potential new hires.

Recruiting Women in Tech

As you can see, there are several simple but powerful ways to recruit more women into tech roles.

Whether you’ve got open positions in Cyber Security, Cloud, DevOps & Infrastructure, Data and Analytics or any other area of the tech world, finding talented women to fill these roles can give a real boost to your business.

With a diverse workforce, you can look forward to a more inclusive culture, better performance and the knowledge that you’re part of the fight against gender inequality.

For help finding top talent across Australia to enhance your tech business, contact a member of our friendly team for a chat.