4 Things The Pandemic Taught Us About Diverse Tech Teams

Over the last decade, organizations from all over the world were slowly gaining momentum when it came to diversity and inclusion at the workplace. But studies show that ever since the pandemic hit, the importance of diversity and inclusion slowly took a backseat while organizations focused on more pressing issues at hand.

Now that the world is slowly easing back into the pre-COVID life, what can you do, as an employer, to make sure your workforce is diverse and inclusive? Let’s take a look.

What the pandemic taught us about diversity

One way that companies are managing diverse teams is by having employees participate in virtual meetups. We can now see how computers have changed business and how virtual meetups help all members be heard, no matter their location or background.

There is no denying that hybrid working is the future. When telecommuting became the new reality, managers who didn’t think it was a natural extension of team collaboration were forced to reevaluate and change their approach.

Employers must also take into consideration the fact that some groups are more privileged than others. Organizations should make provisions for additional L&D programs and tech support for these less fortunate workers who might not have the same opportunities in their careers.

One of the most important things that the pandemic taught us is the importance of a work-life balance. With the increase in remote and hybrid working, more and more employees found it difficult to disconnect from work and strike a clear distinction between work and home. Working in, and managing diverse teams can often be overwhelming for people without much experience of dealing with differences in personalities, approach, backgrounds, and working styles.

The pandemic also taught us the importance of investing in technology that supports diverse and unbiased hiring. Online skills assessment software tools provide fair and objective information about candidates to help managers make better-informed decisions. Interactive tools can also be used to onboard new employees faster by objectively documenting their skill sets and past experiences.

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Recommended Read: Remote Hiring And Onboarding Tips For Technical Roles

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How to strive for diversity in the workplace during and after the pandemic

Managing inclusive and diverse teams across cultures can be challenging in times of crisis but with the right approaches and resources, employers can put together and maintain a diverse and inclusive workforce. Following are a few ways in which organizations can continue encouraging diversity and inclusion in the workplace:

1. Remove unintended bias during the hiring process

Hiring managers spend a lot of time and effort trying to find the right employee for their company. This is where employee skill assessment tools come into play: these are tools that hiring managers can use to help determine whether or not potential candidates would be good fits for the roles. Such software developer assessment tests measure variables such as creativity, analytic skills, and teamwork with many questions aimed at determining specific strengths and weaknesses in these areas.

Thus, rather than having a biased opinion about an employee due to his/her background, hiring managers can directly assess the skills of the candidate as per their needs.

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Recommended read: 7 Steps To Eliminate Unintended Bias In A Hybrid Workplace

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2. Invest in technology that supports a hybrid work environment

The role of technology in the workplace is constantly evolving. Telecommuting is rapidly becoming a standard option, with employee work-from-home days being an integral part of employee perks. This brings up great opportunities for companies to attract top talent by offering flexible work options, but can also create new consequences regarding employee productivity, company culture, and company images.

Today’s workforce must be equipped with the right tools that will allow them to thrive in their roles as remote employees.

3. Focus on the overall wellness of employees

Employees want to be valued for more than their professional lives, yet companies don’t always give them the opportunity to succeed in other areas outside of work. Today’s workforce wants options that allow them to balance being productive at work with being physically and mentally fit. Companies can provide employees with flex schedules, exercise facilities, employee assistance programs (EAPs), employee education funds for mental health seminars, employee skills assessment tools to upskill, etc.

With this increase in employee loyalty and productivity will come an increase in company reputation and customer satisfaction.

4. Conduct learning and development programs for continued learning

Learning and development programs allow employees time to hone their skills or learn new ones related to their current job role or even find novel ways to use existing skills in new ways. By providing continued learning for employees, companies are not only increasing employee satisfaction but also employee competence which benefits employee retention rates.

Employee education is becoming more accessible than ever before, thanks to modern-day software tools like HackerEarth. With HackerEarth, you can continuously assess developers across 41+ programming languages and 80+ skills. Being the most advanced assessment platform out there to accurately analyze their progress, you get accurate reports on each candidate with highly detailed analysis!

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are still struggling to provide employees with the support they need. This is particularly true while managing diverse teams of groups of workers, who have had a hard time both at work and outside of it. With the above methods, companies can move one step closer to creating a truly diverse and inclusive workplace.