Lift as We Climb: Why Tech Leaders Must Hold the Ladder for Women

I find it so sad that the very same week we planned to celebrate women in tech with the 2024 International Women in Engineering Day, the CEO of TechTalent, for good reason, announced the closing of Tech Talent Charter. With progress plateauing, in some cases even reversing, and a reported gender pay gap in tech that could take 300 years to fix, how do we move forward?

In tech, women’s journey to the top is often challenging, requiring not only hard work and talent but also support from those already in positions of power. Yet, a troubling trend persists and we hear it ourselves through our work, where individuals, once they have climbed the ladder of success, often pull it up behind them, preventing others from following. This behaviour undermines the collective progress and stifles potential talent.

Diversity in Engineering

“The sector as a whole needs to better understand why women are leaving and work harder to improve their retention, including creating opportunities for those who have left the profession to return.”

– Dr Hilary Leevers, EngineeringUK CEO.¹

The number of women working in engineering and tech has dropped by 38,000 – from 16.5% of the 2022 workforce to 15.7% of the 2023 workforce. In contrast, women made up 56.1% of all other occupations combined (see figure 1). The decrease in the number of women in engineering and tech is largely due to a loss of 66,000 women aged 35 to 64, highlighting retention issues in this age group.²

Figure 1: Women in engineering and technology occupations, compared to men and all other occupations.

The TechTalent Diversity in Tech 2023 report, indicated that 1 in 3 women in tech were planning to leave their current jobs. The report also revealed that diversity and inclusion strategies are becoming increasingly insular with initiatives being sidelined to focus on other business goals.³ D&I budgets are being squeezed – and in some cases, cut entirely – whilst the demands of those in D&I roles are constantly expanding to include non-related work.⁴ This is also the reason cited by Debbie Forster, for the closing of essential initiatives such as the Tech Talent Charter. At the same time, the British Computer Society has warned that, without intervention, it could take nearly 300 years to close the gender pay gap in tech.⁵ Meaning now, more than ever, we must re-energise our efforts to improve gender diversity in tech and achieve faster progress.

Hiring better than you

One key way to boost retention and create more opportunities for women in engineering is to hire people ‘better’ than you. To clarify, this does not necessarily mean those who you believe could do your job right now, but instead hiring those who possess skills in areas you don’t.

“If you hire people less good than you, to make yourself look good, you’re going to fail.”

– Michael Eisner, former Disney CEO.⁶

As a leader, it is not your job to be ‘better’ than the rest of your team, in fact, it is the opposite. The best leaders surround themselves with the strongest and smartest they can find. Employees greater expertise and specialised knowledge will not only help business progression but your individual growth. These colleagues are a fountain of knowledge, and they can support your continuous learning. They can open your eyes to new approaches and ways of thinking that you would not have been exposed to otherwise. Moreover, this allows individuals to feel heard, appreciated and as though they are making a substantial difference in the company.

“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

– Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple.⁷

An environment where employees are encouraged to challenge and learn from each other also forms a key element of the push for greater workplace equality and inclusiveness. Companies with higher gender, socio-economic, disability and ethnic diversity consistently outperform their competitors.⁸ They better reflect social diversity, reach a wider range of potential customers, and incorporate a broader spectrum of perspectives into their strategy and decision making. Inviting more people to the table and ensuring their voices are heard benefits everyone.

If there are so many benefits, why don’t more employers look to hire ‘better’? As Cameron Jacox argued in Forbes, the reason is likely rooted in millions of years of evolution. Humans have been programmed to resist threats and protect their own means of survival (their jobs, in this case, but also their nations and homes). However, is it that in a merit-based, capitalist society, self preservation often requires less “defence” and more “offence”? Some people feel the need to out-compete and innovate rather than simply defend their own position.⁹ This can materialise as removing competition through the hiring process.

The fear that opening your company’s eyes to the strength of the talent pool will lead to your replacement is very common. For if a new hire could do their job, why would the company keep them? However, is it only in a toxic and dishonest organisation would a well-intentioned hire lead to your replacement?¹⁰ In reality, the chances are that hiring smart and hardworking people will only be a credit to you if you are in the right company – a reflection of your good judgment so please go for it and remind others you work with to lift as you climb.

A Bit More About Us

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So, if you’re struggling to reach that next rung of the ladder, or you’re an organisation not sure how to help others start their climb, reach out to us here. For more support you can check out our Events Page, for upcoming talks, workshops and more! Also join our free masterclass ‘The Purpose Revolution’ where, on June 28th, we will discuss how to build a career with purpose with some tips and hints on how to find #workjoy in your career.