ThoughtWorks, a multinational software delivery and technology company, says achieving gender diversity in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) working environments will contribute to improved business revenue.
According to Lindy Stephens, Global Director of People Operations at ThoughtWorks, most companies do not realise that workplace diversity affects financial performance. This is supported by the recent McKinsey report titled
Diversity Matters which has found that businesses with the most gender diverse leadership are more likely to make up to 15% more profit.
ThoughtWorks services clients in a number of industries including financial services. The company employs individuals with strong analytic skills, passion for research, data, and creative approach to sourcing.
“The ICT industry worldwide is ever changing and it is imperative that the industry is made up of bright, determined, enthused and inspired individuals who have equal opportunities, irrespective of their gender. There is a need to speed up the gender diversity pace by encouraging more women to be interested in technology and take up ICT courses – very few companies have done so successfully.”
Stephens says ThoughtWorks has observed that local and international companies are moving at a slower pace to ensure balanced representation of men and women in the workplace.
“ThoughtWorks is among those multinational companies in South Africa that have embraced diversity. It is led by a black woman, 32% of the staff are women, and the company is comprised of 55% black South Africans.
“Our skills development approach makes it compulsory to move employees around to work on specific projects in other countries where we operate. That way, they get exposed to different projects, expertise, culture, teams and working environments. This makes us one of the best companies to work for, not only for women but men too,” says Stephens.
Stephens says there is a global shortage of talented software developers. The company is always looking for people who are interested to learn and transfer knowledge. “We encourage all our employees to participate in shaping a work environment that is highly productive, collaborative and constantly evolving to keep pace with the exciting technology we build for the clients we serve.”