Aisha Blake's talk focuses on creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, highlighting the current underrepresentation of women and marginalized groups in tech. She shares insights on the importance of equitable recruitment, effective onboarding processes, and fostering a supportive culture while addressing inherent biases. Practical strategies include goal setting, consistent evaluations, and open discussions to amplify underrepresented voices.

1. Creating a
Safe Space
Embracing Diversity in the Workplace

2. Hello!
A Quick Introduction to This Talk (and Me!)

3. Aisha Blake
@AishaBlake | aishablake.com
• Front-end web developer
• Teacher of adults and children
alike
• Co-organizer of GDI Detroit
• Dog enthusiast
• Coding boot camp curriculum
writer

4. I live in Detroit.

5. It’s a growing tech hub!

6. The sad thing is…

7. We’re not all that diverse.
v Women hold about 26% of tech jobs.
v The percentage of employees at large tech
companies who identify as black rests consistently
around 1-2%.
v Only about 3% of people employed in the
information industry report having a disability.

8. We’re also pretty biased.
v Nearly universal
v Prove it again!
v The “brogrammer” culture

9. Second-Generation Bias
v Lack of role models
v Stereotypical career paths and tasks
v Restricted accessibility to networks, mentors, and
other forms of professional support
v Cultural expectations lead to assumptions

10. But there’s hope!
v Recruitment
v Onboarding
v Culture
v Responding to bias

11. Recruitment

12. The Token Hire
v A person who is brought into a company dominated
by members of a group (or groups) to which they do
not belong
v “Look how diverse we are!”
v Set up to fail

13. Some More Numbers
v Women earn just 12% of computer science
degrees.
v GDI Detroit
v Over 100 meetups
v Over 1,700 members
v >50% of students in the first week of Hour of Code
were girls

14. It’s not all about numbers.
v More than meeting a quota
v Happier employees = less turnover
v Richer idea generation

15. Support Education
v Get ‘em young!
v Traditionally
underrepresented in
college
v Challenge
expectations

16. Reach out for help!
v You might get it wrong.
v That’s okay!
v …But it means you have to try something different.
v Approach underrepresented groups in a way that’s
v Respectful
v Mutually beneficial

17. Women Rising

18. Trans*H4CK

19. Sisters Code

20. AlterConf

21. Onboarding

22. You hired someone!

23. Team Debt

24. Clarify your process.
v Technical skills
v What do I need to be able to do?
v Company Processes
v What are our values?
v What does the average workflow look like?
v Personal Development
v How are we working towards my professional goals?
v Where do I fit on the team?

25. Write a CoC.
1. Do your research and look at examples.
2. Get input from HR.
3. Get (anonymous) input from the team.
4. Form a committee to actually draft the document.
5. Get more input and refactor.
6. Try it on for size!

26. Be consistent.
v Birds of a feather flock
together, right?
v Relying on social ties for
information can result in
new employees feeling
(and being) less
productive.
v A consistent onboarding
process helps ensure a
level playing field.

27. Culture

28. Exercise!

29. Exercise!
1. Pair up with someone close by.
2. For 30 seconds, one person will speak and the
other will listen while maintaining steady eye
contact, but not necessarily trying to focus on the
speaker’s words.
• (Try to speak softly so that everyone can hear their
partner!)
3. When I call time, switch roles. Now the speaker will
listen and vice versa.

30. What just happened?
v Was it difficult to avoid focusing on the speaker’s
words?
v Why might that be (or not)?
v As the speaker, how did knowing the other person
wasn’t really paying attention affect you?
v Did it have any bearing on what you chose to say?
v Did you feel any discomfort?
v How can we apply this experience to interactions in
the workplace?

31. Feedback
v “You’re doing it wrong. Fix it.” is not helpful.
v Be specific about what you DO want.
v Avoid unnecessary questions.

32. Goal Setting
v Each individual should be working towards SMART
career goals.
v Consider establishing formal goal setting sessions
with a mentor or manager on a quarterly basis.
v These are goals, not assignments.

33. One-on-Ones
v Weekly or biweekly check-ins with a manager or mentor.
v These sessions can be used to determine how a team
member is doing and what direction to go from there.
v Possible discussion points:
v What sorts of roles would you like to take on?
v Do you feel connected to the team and the industry?
v What skills do you want to improve?
v How would you describe your current role on the team?

34. Responding to Bias
How can we move forward when things don’t go according to plan?

35. Pulse Check
v Who’s on board with the company culture?
v Who does it benefit and who does it ostracize?
v Is anyone currently experiencing bias in the
workplace?
v What are metrics you can use to measure equity?

36. Consistency!
v Look back at the documents that everyone has
previously agreed upon and follow those.
v We tend to stay away from things that are hard and/
or uncomfortable.
v This doesn’t help and it’s not sustainable.
v Design a system ahead of time.

37. Non-Retaliation
v Policy should be clearly outlined and accessible
v Whenever possible, maintain confidentiality

38. Discussion
v Amplify the voices of underrepresented groups.
v Even being willing to have the conversation is
HUGE.
v Be mindful, part of the problem is that speaking up
can feel (and be) dangerous.

39. Almost Done!

40. Resources
v What Works for
Women at Work by
Joan C. Williams &
Rachel Dempsey
v The Diverse Team by
Ashe Dryden

41. Remember…

42. Questions?
@AishaBlake
aisha.g.blake@gmail.com