Originally published November 4, 2021 , updated on August 29, 2024
Goodman Lantern’s dreams of being a global company have been realised. Now comes the time to make sure that what we do internally aligns with our values. We strive for an inclusive and diverse workforce. What this means is that we are working towards a better working environment, particularly for women. We want to create consistent, reliable, and fair income opportunities for women and to promote women in tech. To help us do this better, we have joined the Tech Talent Charter.
Defining Tech Talent Charter
Who are they exactly? The Tech Talent Charter (also known as TTC) is a non-profit organisation based in the United Kingdom. They run a movement aimed at addressing inequalities in the technology industry. The TTC wants people from all backgrounds to have equal access to a career in technology. This aligns exactly with our cause at Goodman Lantern. We want all our employees to have fair opportunities, and work towards more women taking up positions of power.
The TTC has been operating since 2017 and is essentially a commitment by organisations to improve their diversity and inclusion in their technology departments. According to their research, just 19% of IT professionals in the United Kingdom are women, and only one in ten women are currently taking A-Level computer studies. These figures are not ideal, and at Goodman Lantern we aim to make women’s empowerment in technology the centre of what we do.
Inclusion and Diversity At Goodman Lantern
We are proud to say that 80% of our team are women. And we are working towards providing the women on board with all the tools we can to aid their career growth. To me, the drive for empowering women comes from personal inspiration. I have a young daughter and am determined to create a fair and equal society for women.
This begins with what we do as a company. I’ve spent many years observing what an unfair society it is that girls and women have to grow up in. It is now our responsibility as an organisation to ensure that the work we do and the people we employ are part of making a tangible difference.
So, how exactly will we be doing this? By working alongside the TTC, we have agreed to a list of commitments to action further change. We can break down this inclusion and diversity as follows:
People
- We have a Senior Signatory – in this case, me – to manage our commitments and make sure we stay on track.
Plan (employers of tech)
- We implement a plan that we use in our recruitment and promotion processes to ensure we are being inclusive. This is with the aim of growing and retaining a diverse workforce.
Plan (consultants, recruiters, and other partners)
- We also commit to working with clients who form part of underrepresented groups to help improve representation in tech. We will further support our clients and partners in adopting inclusive promotion and recruitment processes to increase their diverse workforce.
Practice
- We will be in touch with other TTC signatories to exchange best practices. This will be especially helpful since we have a large percentage of women working for Goodman Lantern. We want to make sure that we are doing what’s best for the employees of the company.
Data About Inclusion and Diversity
- We commit to supplying relevant data to the TTC every September. This will be around our workforce and the strides we’ve made in the last year. This will be included in the annual TTC Diversity in Tech report.
As the TTC says on their website, they are determined to provide a “how” to organisations that want to become more inclusive. We admire the practical steps that are put in place for the signatories. So by having a set of commitments to adhere to, we are held accountable for the difference we should make for women in tech. We look forward to increasing growth for Goodman Lantern and maintaining the amazing team of women we work with.
Post Views: 389