As the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
For the past eight years, the Tech Talent Charter (TTC) has been collecting data and best practices to teach the tech industry how to attract and retain diverse talent.
But the company's latest report highlights some worrying patterns emerging in the sector, including a lack of leadership support and the risk that diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) efforts become performative rather than intentional.
While insisting that the nonprofit's CEO, Debbie Forster, wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel, she told Computer Weekly that it was time to close rather than risk a shift towards giving fish rather than sustainable growth.
She said: “It's not about money. We are building a reserve fund. The Tech Talent Charter could have continued for another five to 10 years but it would not have delivered on the mission we set for ourselves. We are at a critical time in the development of technology. At a time of technological inflection, it is more important than ever to ensure that technology for all is made by all.”
“But the very rules we put in place have outlived their usefulness. To continue like this would be to become part of a situation that is becoming stagnant.”
Founded in 2015 as the brainchild of Sinead Bunting, international marketing director at The Athletic, Tech Talent Charter recognised that data was key to its success.
There have been many diversity and inclusion initiatives over the past decade aimed at increasing the number of women and underrepresented groups in tech, but without collecting, publishing and measuring the data, it's difficult to know what's working and what's not.
The TTC's mission is to “collect, curate and disseminate innovative practices, techniques and ideas to provide tangible measurement and insights into diversity in the tech ecosystem, and actionable ways forward,” with the ultimate goal of building a diverse and inclusive tech ecosystem in the UK.
As well as collecting and publishing documents sharing best practices for finding, hiring and retaining a diverse workforce, for the past seven years the Charter has published reports showing the state of diversity within its signatories, benchmarking the number of women, people from ethnic minorities and other underrepresented groups working in the tech industry.
The latest report finds that 29% of UK tech workers at TTC signatories are women or non-binary, up from 26% in 2019. People from minority ethnic groups also make up about a quarter of tech workers. Data collection on other characteristics of tech employees is also increasing.
These figures are more positive than those for the industry as a whole, as signatories are companies and organisations that are making conscious efforts towards DE&I. Recent figures from BCS show that the number of women in tech has only increased by 1% in five years to 20%, and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds make up just 20% of the UK tech workforce.
Despite the overall upward trend, these figures are changing slowly, with the UK Office for National Statistics finding that the number of women in tech fell at some point in 2023.
Like everything the TTC does, the decision to close was driven by data. The numbers show that great progress has been made. Not only have the number of signatories grown, but more data is being collected about the diversity of the tech workforce than ever before. The conversation about diversity in tech has also changed over the past decade, moving away from a focus solely on getting women into tech roles to also include topics like ability, age, neurodiversity, ethnicity, and intersectionality.
But this space is also at a tipping point. Some companies are cutting DE&I funding or “putting it on the back burner” to focus on other projects. Others are sharing data but not “driving action.” And some are abandoning DE&I as they no longer make hiring decisions without considering the impact a lack of inclusion will have on the talent they already have.
Forster explained that now is a turning point to “pause and look at the industry, come together, take stock of what has been achieved and consider how best to continue”.
She said: “It's not all gone. It's not all smooth sailing. Some businesses are quietly leaving, some are downsizing, some are continuing. So it's important that we take a step back and do what we always say: connect, come together and expand.”
“We need to shine a light on the companies that continue to double down, take action and invest in change. That should be celebrated, but [others] You can't hide behind membership [of] “Charters and hashtags”
We hope this serves as a wake-up call for businesses. If the TTC closes, the support will be gone. It is now up to businesses to ensure the progress of the last decade is not lost and to put DE&I practices back on the agenda that deliver tangible results.
Vanessa Valery, WeAreTechWomen
The TTC is notorious for holding its members accountable for following guidelines – some have been kicked out of the organisation in the past for not meeting standards for data collection and release – but when asked if removing this accountability risked a setback, Forster explained, “That's not our aim.”
In fact, this is part of the reason the TTC chose to walk away from its work: it feared that as the industry continues to change, it would be used to pay lip service to performance-driven DE&I initiatives. By stating that it was part of the charter, companies could appear to be committed to progress when in fact they weren't living up to their word.
“Over the past decade, we've seen a lot of growth,” said Vanessa Vallely, CEO of WeAreTechWomen. [TTC has] He has guided numerous companies in adopting technology DE&I best practices, leaving behind a lasting legacy of transformative ideas, playbooks, and resources.
“Ideally, the closure of these companies will signal that their work is done and that change agents have successfully integrated inclusion and diversity practices into their businesses, resulting in significant improvements.”
“Unfortunately, that is not the case, and they are closing because, despite their best efforts, they are going backwards in terms of inclusion in the tech industry.
“I truly hope this serves as a wake-up call for businesses. If the TTC closes, support will no longer be available. It's now up to businesses to ensure the progress of the last decade isn't lost and to put DE&I practices back on the agenda that deliver tangible results.”
All resources created by the TTC (such as the Open Playbook and D&I Directory) will continue to be available for free, and the remaining funding reserve will be made available to other nonprofits working in the tech diversity space.
Finally, TTC Co-CEO Karen Blake offered some advice on what organizations can do next to continue to drive diversity in the field:
Recognize the reality: Skills gaps are real and they won't magically disappear. Audit your organizational needs and actions and create a gap analysis. Think honestly about what has been accomplished and let that inform your strategic work. Be intentional about what you really need to do as an organization to drive inclusivity in your teams and products.
Measure and verify the data. As the workforce data we collect becomes more sophisticated, are we brave enough to hear the truth from that data, even if it's a hard truth? Pay attention to and embrace the insights your data sets reveal. Encourage your teams to analyze intersectional insights. Make sure you understand your team's skill profile. This will create a more equitable and successful environment for future development.
Invest and get results: Let's put in the time and attention. Progress is absolutely possible, but it will only be achieved if we are proactive, agile and mindful. In doing so, we will reap the rewards of a more inclusive culture and a more resilient business.
Share and learn: Sharing our experiences, expressing our opinions and listening to others will help us set priorities for the future.”
