Workplace diversity has been a big deal for some time now. Anyone who attends a tech-focussed event can see the challenges many businesses face. Not only are women under-represented but different ethnicities, age groups and educational backgrounds are also an issue. Heather Brunner has enjoyed a long career in the IT business and is now the CEO of WP Engine. She is setting out to build a company that embraces diversity through a series of deliberate actions and policies.
It's easy to find stock photos of slim white people doing stereotypical activities -- women laughing alone with salad and that sort of thing. If that isn't what you're looking for, may we suggest some of these sites that break the mould?
Over the last couple of days, we've seen an interesting game played out at Google. An unnamed employee has said, in a 10-page memo that was widely circulated at the company, that the reason women are under-represented in IT is because they are psychologically different to men and, therefore, aren't as well suited to the jobs in the tech sector as men.
Now, that man has been fired according to reports today. I want to discuss a few things before coming back to the specific situation at Google.
Seeing if someone will fit into your culture can be a vague way of really seeing if you and your team will like them -- even if your company's culture is well defined. It's important for people to get along, but it might be more advantageous to ask how someone can add to your culture instead.
