Inclusion in Tech

Building a Gender-Balanced Engineering Organization in the Middle East

Jordan's tech scene has a gender distribution of 50:50 in colleges, but this does not translate to the workforce due to women not being expected to stay late at the office. To challenge this, the core team responsible for establishing the Expedia Jordan office focused on making sure to build a sustainable gender-equal presence from the get-go. This included top-of-funnel sourcing, resume screening, tech tasks, and onsite interviews. The outcome was a 50:50 gender balance, showing that women engineers were succeeding in the recruiting process at a higher rate than men. This highlights the untapped talent pool of female engineers in Jordan.

Developing Culture Through Gratitude

To create a highly collaborative environment, a chat bot was modified to allow people to thank each other and track 'karma' points. This humorous interaction encourages collaboration and appreciation for people's work, and is more popular among engineers than business people. It should not replace in-person connection or public praise, but it allows introverted people to receive and give recognition.

How to Manage an Employee With Depression

A team member was on a "return to work" programme after an ongoing depression. The team was small and timelines were short, creating pressure. The person needed to take time off on short notice, and the manager had to balance the person's wellbeing with client priorities. The manager was supportive and understanding, signposted the person to relevant support services, and communicated with the team about the person's condition. The team member was allowed to work part-time, and the manager encouraged them to join a mental health programme. The manager also learned to do research, not make assumptions, and be vocal about support for various diversity segments.

Company Culture That Strives for Diversity and Inclusion

The narrator had worked for a company for many years, during which time the company had gone through several leadership changes. The changes had initially been beneficial, but in the last couple of years had become increasingly negative, resulting in a toxic “bro” culture and people, especially women and people of color, leaving the company. The narrator decided to leave and found a startup with a culture of inclusion and diversity. They have been able to contribute to the company culture by increasing the number of women, especially women of color, and making sure that those who work for the company are happy and getting the opportunities they deserve. The narrator has learned that company culture is more important than the product, and that being an ally requires taking action when something feels wrong or oppressive.

Being an Advocate for Other Women

A woman in the industry was looking for an organization that valued diversity and inclusion. She was one of the first few employees hired for a start-up division of a larger parent company and formed a national, company-wide women’s committee. She recommends that all hiring managers have at least one woman or other diversity candidate in the room during an interview. She also suggests having a peer buddy to provide a safety net if someone in the room tries to shut her down mid-thought. People need to be aware of what needs to change and have introspection to understand why they are not getting what they want or need.

A Plan For Creating a More Inclusive Culture

This article discusses a program set up by the author to improve diversity and inclusion in their company. The program consists of micro-actions (15 minute activities) and macro-actions (1-3 hour activities) to demonstrate an attempt at making a more diverse and inclusive culture. The author has seen some micro-wins, such as sourcing female candidates and attending events, and has learned that this approach helps to keep diversity and inclusion at the top of everyone's minds.