The Diversity in Tech report, published by Wiley Edge, found that businesses must prioritise fostering an inclusive culture in order to improve the professional experiences of young tech workers from underrepresented groups.
The report found that only 24% of UK tech workers aged 18-24 would describe their experience in the industry so far as ‘entirely positive’, and another 26% as ‘mostly positive’.
Around a third said they have had a mixture of positive and negative experiences, and 11% mostly negative. Worryingly, one in 10 said they have not enjoyed their experience so far at all.
When asked what had made their experience positive, 28% said they have enjoyed the work, and another 28% have found the work interesting. Only one in 10 (10%) said that they have found the work uninteresting, while 13% said they have found the work difficult.
Only 20% of those surveyed said that they like their company’s culture, and another 20% said they have felt welcomed by their colleagues.
Women’s experiences seemed to be worse than their male counterparts, with 22% of women less likely to say they have felt welcomed by their colleagues. Another 22% were less likely to say they like their company’s culture. Women were also 45% more likely to say they had not had enough personal support.
White respondents were more likely to say they liked their company’s culture than any other ethnic group (23% vs 20% average), while Black African respondents were the most likely to say they do not feel welcomed by their colleagues (17% vs 11% average), and to say that they actively do not like their company’s culture (22% vs 11% average).
Speaking about the findings, Tom Seymour, Senior Director, HR, at Wiley Edge, said, “While it’s great that half of young tech workers have enjoyed their time in the industry so far, it’s concerning that a significant proportion have encountered some challenges. “
“Our findings seem to indicate that it’s not the nature of the work itself that is an issue for most unhappy young tech employees.”
“Instead, the research suggests that many businesses are still struggling to establish an inclusive, welcoming environment which is having a negative impact on the wellbeing of their tech teams.”
