Dear Tech Companies: Are your corporate policies flatlining?

With layoffs looming large, what companies do today can transform tech for years to come.

Each story in our Dear Tech Companies series focuses on issues in the tech space and provides strategies and solutions to companies looking to invest in meaningful solutions that will drive impactful industry change and make the industry more accessible to Black, Latina, and Native American women.

There’s been a lot of uncertainty in tech in the last few months — over 110,000 people have been impacted by the layoffs sweeping the biggest players in the industry. Our partners, allies, and peers working to build better, more inclusive workforces in a precarious time have one common question: how do we do more with less?

Amidst this upheaval, a severely concerning trend is emerging. Black, Latina, and Native American (BLNA) women are being disproportionately impacted by these layoffs. Not only that, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are being sunsetted and entire Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and talent acquisition departments are being heavily downsized.

We understand that tech companies are feeling the crunch and being forced to make difficult decisions to meet the economic reality. But the disproportionate impact of this fallout on BLNA technologists and departments that strengthen corporate culture is concerning.

We’ve talked before about how low the numbers of BLNA technologists in today’s workforce already are. We’ve discussed how ERGs have built community and strengthened workforces during the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve reflected on how the growing movement for racial justice in the last few years has taught us that corporate pledges without real action are no longer enough. The last few months could erode some of the gains we’ve made towards a better and more inclusive industry.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. There may be a lot of uncertainty right now, but we know three things for certain:

1. This isn’t the first time the tech industry has had to reckon with seismic political, economic, and social events.
2. This won’t be the last time we’re faced with tough decisions to respond to such challenges.
3. Tech companies will always need the best and brightest talent to innovate and design solutions.

Over the last few years, we’ve heard how valuable inclusion and belonging are in building better tech workforces. The ebbs and flows of the last few years have also taught us that the companies that hone in on — not halt — their inclusion efforts stay afloat in economic downturns and thrive when the tides turn back in their favor. What are the choices you can make today to shape your company (and industry) for a better tomorrow?

1. Take this time to hire right, not hire quickly.

The current slowdown in hiring can help reevaluate how you hire by identifying gaps and opportunities to build better, more inclusive, and representative recruitment processes. Taking the time to disaggregate your data to understand your candidate slate, who the offers are going to and who is accepting them, expand your recruitment efforts beyond the usual suspects, and build meaningful partnerships today can help ensure you’re prioritizing sustainability over speed. Hiring will pick up again — you should be ready when it does.

2. Cutting costs doesn’t have to mean cutting culture.

While budget cuts and restructuring are short-term solutions to stay afloat, honing in on key retention efforts today can help you ensure your company is ready for tomorrow’s technologists to thrive. These professionals are telling you exactly what they need to succeed — when they feel like they truly belong at work, they’re likely to be more connected, committed, and creative. Supporting your ERGs, offering mental health supports for employees as they navigate uncertain times, ensuring the benefits you offer are the ones your employees actually want, and nurturing opportunities for upskilling or reskilling aren’t just nice things to do, they’re necessary. With technology transcending industry and a growing list of tech roles now available beyond social tech, it’s clear that a recession should not eliminate retention strategies. Be intentional about targeted and tailored support like your business depends on it — because it does.

3. When inclusion is integral and not incidental, it becomes harder to cut.

With downsizing disproportionately impacting DEI and talent acquisition departments, it’s clear that some companies think of this work as expendable. Belonging should no longer be a bonus, but rather the blueprint. That means ensuring your talent acquisition teams are mission-aligned, your DEI efforts are integrated rather than siloed, and DEI leadership has a central role in your organizational chart. When wielded intentionally, inclusive corporate practices build resiliency, accountability, and innovation — in your people, in your policies, and in your products.

Inclusive corporate practices are a source of strength when hard decisions are inevitable, and they’re also north stars that can help you move further faster when the skies clear and you rebuild. Given what we know to be certain in these uncertain times, the question companies should be asking isn’t how best to weather the storm — it’s how to transform the climate you work in.