In this podcast with Bari Williams and Jossie Hains, the two women discussed diversity and inclusion in the tech workforce. The podcast began with the discussion of how to make DEI changes permanent rather than temporary and how to rid biases in the hiring process as well. 

The two women provided really interesting insight and showed that if DEI issues are not resolved in the workplace, people are more likely to leave that position for a more part-time role or a smaller role. Specifically, the term “diversity recession” was used to define the current climate of the workplace in the tech industry. Mid-size/smaller companies aren’t family-friendly and especially during the pandemic, women had to raise their children at home while working in addition. Williams and Hains agreed that to keep women in the workforce, there should be a bit more flexibility around what constitutes working hours. For instance, rather than have a strict schedule of hours, the two agreed that as long as you get the work done on time, it shouldn’t matter what time you work and when. Moreover, the term inclusion was defined as “creating a company environment where everyone can thrive and feel comfortable.” 57% of people who have left the tech industry stated that if their work addressed DEI concerns, they would’ve stayed.

After discussing individuals’ personal experiences at tech companies, Williams and Hains wrapped up the podcast discussing the specific algorithms that may contain biases. The main example they presented was the Google algorithm that tagged Black individuals as gorillas. The data being fed into the algorithm did not include enough diverse photos, and thus, the algorithm displayed inherent bias. The two women asserted there are many pitfalls in not having diverse perspectives in tech teams and software/coding developers need to be humble enough to ask for help or a second opinion. All-in-all, Williams and Hains both returned to the tech industry after originally leaving to make an impact and create powerful change. Rather than running from the problem, they came back to tackle the issue head-on. I am really interested to see how DEI issues are rid of in algorithmic biases and what specifically is being done at tech companies to ensure an ethical code of conduct is being followed.