A new report, launched today, has highlighted the potential benefit of remote and flexible working in attracting and retaining female talent in the UK tech sector.
The Global Workplace Revolution report, developed from research carried out by Sapio on behalf of Remote, found that 70% of women working in the UK tech sector would be likely to stay with their current role for at least a year longer if they could do the role from anywhere and live where they chose, with 36% saying they would stay for between 5-10 years longer.
It also found that 57% of women tech workers think flexibility is as or more important than traditional 9-5 hours, and 53% said they would be open to working flexible hours to collaborate with colleagues in other time zones.
The widespread trend for remote working as a result of lockdown restrictions during the Coronavirus pandemic has raised many questions for companies thinking about how to retain the best talent in a challenging business environment. Flexible working has long been cited as a potential benefit for women working in tech who are more likely to be combining caring responsibilities than men working in similar roles. The Global Workplace Revolution report has highlighted women’s attitudes to what’s important for them when it comes to considering their careers in a post-Covid workplace.
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Female representation in the UK tech sector hovers at around 16%. The findings of the report suggest the move towards remote working could help address the gap. 53% of women polled agree that the tech industry needs to work harder to remove barriers to gender and racial equality and 45% of women think greater international remote working would make the tech industry more global and inclusive.
Elisa Rossi, Head of Growth at Remote, said: “Covid-19 has had a disproportionate effect on professional women who are more likely to have to juggle work and domestic responsibilities. While there’s no quick fix solution for this, our research suggests companies that focus on innovative remote and flexible working opportunities are more likely to hang on to their best talent.”
Debbie Forster, CEO of the Tech Talent Charter, which campaigns for greater inclusion and diversity in the UK tech sector, commented on the findings: “The gender gap in UK tech is well-acknowledged but companies have been slow to address it. With remote working now at the top of the agenda across the sector, companies have a golden opportunity to use this in a way that attracts and retains more female talent.”
Other findings from the report include:
- 57% of women polled believe that providing greater opportunities to the best and brightest will help to rebuild trust in the industry
- 61% of women agree that diversity of perspective is essential to creativity and innovation
- 49% of women polled think trusting your employees is the most important element of talent management
- Women would value the following benefits in a work from home job:
- Pension scheme (41%); home office allowance (36%); healthcare (36%), personal development plan (35%)
Methodology
The survey was conducted by Sapio Research in July 2020 among 764 UK respondents who work in the UK tech community in start-ups and SMES (companies with 250 or fewer employees).
