There’s Room: Six Ways to Support a Diverse Work Culture

[Commentary] There have been a lot of articles written about the lack of diversity in tech, and in our professional circles, it’s something we talk about regularly. But how can tech actually do better? To start, we can do a better job conveying that we’ve got room. From conferences like this week’s Lesbians Who Tech Summit (which I’ll be attending), which help increase visibility in and participation from underrepresented communities, to looking inward at internal company dynamics, we need to do more than just say we’re interested in diversity.

To signal support of diversity, organizations need to listen to and value different voices, and show they’re willing to change in response. Here’s what I think companies can do to support people who might be thinking, “this isn’t for me,” no matter how unconsciously:

1. Offer mentorship.
2. Share the spectrum of what your company is excited about while recruiting.
3. Make processes for feedback and reflection.
4. Emphasize quality of life.
5. Let employees take responsibility for things they care about.
6. Offer multiple definitions of success.

[Rachel Miller is a Software Engineer with Asana]