Technology was front and centre at the US inauguration earlier this week. A lineup of leaders from Meta, Google, Amazon and Apple gathered behind President Trump as he took the oath of office.  

Their presence followed a maelstrom of news in recent weeks surrounding the rollback of diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in major tech organisations in an apparent hat-tip to the incoming administration.  

Their moves were perhaps justified as, within the first few hours of President Trump’s taking office, it was announced that he would oversee plans to review and possibly end what he described as “discriminatory programmes,” including that of diversity training initiatives. 

But the changes could run much deeper, with damaging consequences to the global tech sector. In parallel to these announcements, we heard from Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg calling for workplaces to reintroduce a more “masculine energy” (which has led to many parodies around the ubiquitous “tech bros” running Silicon Valley). 

Having spent my career championing women and individuals from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities in the tech sector, such words make me shudder – and worry. Given the global nature of the tech sector, I am concerned that the UK – including Scotland – might see the fallout of this policy reversal and workplace cultural mandate and it will ultimately be to the benefit of no one.  

DEI brings big business wins 

Positively, we have seen some US organisations (not just in the tech sector) push back through their investors, recognising that the disposal of DEI programmes could not only impact their reputation as employers, but also their bottom lines. For instance, Apple’s board of directiors assured investors that their DEI initiatives would be well protected even under the new US regime.  

Once considered a “nice to have” policy, DEI programmes are now powerful organisational initiatives. From a financial perspective, fully inclusive organisations are typically able to hit their financial targets by 120%. Additionally, diverse organisations are 35% more likely to outperform their more homogenous competitors.  

But the benefits are not just financial; organisations with diverse teams are 87% more likely to make better decisions and innovation has been shown to increase nearly two fold (1.7 times).

In what has been a challenging market environment for many, the benefits (certainly from my perspective) appear to outweigh the negatives.  

Keeping focus on DEI 

While many UK-based organisations already have a rich seam of DEI initiatives and programmes, ensuring that they remain (and are not subject to being cut because of US policies) and run deeper to strengthen the experience and skills of a company is vital.  

I see a plethora of organisations excelling in this area, but for those who may not have officially dipped their toes in the DEI waters, there are some easy steps you can take to build or enhance diversity and inclusion within your organisation: 

1. Empower your people  

As they say, change comes from within. As a starting point, look at who is in your organisation and who has the passion to make that change. DEI programmes shouldn’t be enforced by HR – they take the contribution of everyone in a company.  

From offering mentoring programmes to establishing women in technology working groups who can hear from other organisations about how they have championed parity in the workplace – when diversity becomes a part of the culture of a company and isn’t an “add on,” then you know are doing something right.  

2. Extend your partnerships  

Learning from others is another major aspect of supporting diversity. There are many magnificent organisations working in Scotland and the UK to do just that, including The DataKirk, Black and Scot, and Empowering You. By engaging with organisations like these and taking on their insights and knowledge, it will benefit your organisation in spades.  

It isn’t just about professional partnerships, though, as looking at the source of your talent pool is just as important.  

For a time, new applicants were required to be educated to Masters degree level, but now, more organisations recognise the value in the person rather than their qualification.  

Forrit’s apprenticeship programme, for example, welcomes those who have completed an HNC and then supports them through their degree – all while working.  

EY offers similar programmes – all showing that having a degree doesn’t isn’t the qualifying factor to entering the workforce anymore. Therefore, it’s an idea to work with local colleges to increase profile and opportunities with talented students thus extending your talent pool.  

3. Reframe returners 

In being a champion of diversity, it is also as much about looking at who is not present as who is – and giving those who are not a seat at the table. Data from the British Computing Society last year estimated that the UK tech sector was ‘missing’ half a million women. This follows individuals leaving the sector because of personal circumstances, the impact of the pandemic, or not being supported by their organisation.  

Creating opportunities and a culture that supports their needs and allows for flexible or hybrid working along with relevant upskilling programmes could make a significant difference to organisations and positively benefit the culture of organisations too.  

Recommended reading

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Rather than considering returners as lacking in any specific area, the opposite is true – from boosting the presence of role models to increasing perspectives from having been focused on other aspects of their lives, organisations will win either way.  

4. Champion diverse excellence 

Whatever the initiative you action in your organisation, make sure that you take the time to recognise it. DEI takes time. There are no two ways about it. It also takes passion, so using opportunities like Town Halls, weekly meetings or submitting individuals for awards to be celebrated amongst industry peers can go a long way. 

5. Act now, talk later 

Guaranteeing that DEI programmes continue and become more engrained in the fabric of an organisation won’t happen through talk – it will take action. With so much potentially at risk following a shift in policies across the pond, organisations need to do more – and now – to realise the potential benefits that successful diversity programmes bring.  

Creating a culture of action will give those with the passion and fire the opportunity to continue to drive and enhance the programmes that already exist.  

Being open to new ideas is what this is all about and appreciating the nuances that every single individual brings in an organisation. Following the rule of inspiring for inclusivity rather and culling committees where no action is ever taken is a must.                                  

Mirroring success 

We are fortunate that in Scotland there are a plethora of organisations doing DEI well – and I hope they won’t be pressured to change because of the global geo-political environment.  

From Women in Tech Aberdeen to Morgan Stanley Glasgow Women in Technology Network and Amazon Women in Engineering, we see cohorts of individuals working collectively to negate the opinion that the tech sector is “male, pale and stale”.  

Equally though, gender allies have a role to play and at last year’s Scotland Women in Technology Awards we saw how men from 2i Testing and Barclays are supporting and championing the voice of women in their team’s and wider organisations.  

We must hold on to the hugely positive – the action that is being taken – and ensure that as a collective we do not take our foot off the DEI gas.  

Rather than consider DEI as an “alphabet” policy that can be easily shoved into the back of a dusty cabinet, I implore tech leaders in the UK (both with and without ties to the US) to make sure that they keep their eye on diversity within their organisations.  

Not only will such a focus bring big business benefits, but it could have hugely positive outcomes for your organisation as an employer brand.