Quiet geniuses: how inclusion will help IT business in recruitment

The concept of diversity and inclusiveness today is not just a trend, but an important condition for the development of socially responsible business. Why is it necessary in the IT field and how to organize the effective work of such specialists?

The concept of Diversity & Inclusion implies a comfortable environment for all employees – without harassment and discrimination, but with the opportunity to develop and grow. McKinsey analysts believe that companies that follow D&I principles are more profitable than competitors. In particular, this applies to businesses that promote labor inclusion – the creation of jobs for people with disabilities.

The issue of inclusion in numbers

According to the World Bank, 15% of the world’s population, or about 1 billion people, live with some degree of disability. This includes people with developmental disabilities, including those with autism spectrum disorders. This includes a whole range of different diagnoses. Many are able-bodied and able to study. About a third of them have higher education, but about 80-90%, depending on the specific study, are unemployed.

It seems to business that it is expensive, difficult and not profitable to arrange such people.

Employers responded 26% less often to applicants who indicated their disability or developmental features in cover letters than to those who kept silent about it. Such results were shown by a joint study of Rutgers and Syracuse universities. Sample – 6 thousand resumes and cover letters. The qualifications of people with developmental disabilities, including autism (30%) and spinal cord injury (30%), and without were the same, which showed the unwillingness of the business to work with such specialists. Even if they have many years of experience behind them.

However, the situation is gradually changing. In 2011, the German IT consulting company Auticon showed by example that professionals with disabilities are no different from others. Of the 280 people in the state, 200 are with autism. Digital giants like Google and Microsoft are also setting a positive example by hiring people with autism.

Five reasons to be inclusive

On the business side, the reluctance to promote inclusion is a dubious decision. Even if you look only at economic indicators. In our country, the state compensates the company’s expenses for an employee with a disability. The amount of this reimbursement depends on the region and disability group of the new employee. In St. Petersburg, for example, up to ₽296 thousand can be returned for one place, provided that the salary of such a specialist is not less than ₽18 thousand.

The second point is that the IT market today is faced with a serious shortage of specialists. This applies not only to our country, from which talented programmers are leaving, but also to Europe and the United States. Digitalization is gaining momentum, and those who are able to implement it are not enough. The problem may turn out to be less acute if employers start looking towards people with special needs.

In a resonant 2016 presentation, Microsoft DirectX developer Alex John advised employers to look for engineers with Asperger’s. He called them “the holy grail” because they “do not create conflict in the team and do not change jobs.” Asperger’s syndrome or disease is one of the most common autism spectrum disorders in which a person has impaired social interaction and non-verbal communication. The stereotype that its owners are IT geniuses is just associated with this syndrome.

The veracity of the statement is debatable, but the brains of people with autism do work differently, which at least does not prevent them from effectively solving technological problems. Employees with autism are testing software at SAP’s Indian office. The corporation claims that this increased the efficiency of the department, because such people are more attentive to details and see errors in the code better. Consulting firm Towers Watson says people with autism are better at long-term, repetitive tasks. And nonPareil, a non-profit organization that secures the future of adults with autism, creates games and applications with their efforts.

Third, it is easier for a business that follows the ideas of D&I to attract investments. An inclusive company culture increases the likelihood of getting better business results and increases the chances of entering new markets by 70%, according to a 2017 study by IKEA. In addition, according to the World Economic Forum, work on D&I policy increases the innovativeness and competitiveness of companies. Accordingly, they become more attractive to investors – in our experience, a number of investors asked about solutions within the D&I business.

The growing HR brand of the company also plays an important role: for potential applicants, organizations that agree with the concept of diversity and inclusiveness are more attractive than those that ignore these ideas. People are paying more and more attention to the corporate culture of the company, even if the issue of compensation remains in the first place for obvious reasons.

Finally, a company that cares about inclusion is able to create more interesting and functional products. A smart city is a comfortable environment for everyone, and a diverse team reflects the diversity of customers and product recipients. Moreover, people with special needs today are becoming an obvious target audience: among them are representatives of generation Y and Z, who are well-versed in digital technologies, get an education, find employment and become full-fledged consumers. Therefore, attention to them is an important aspect of the company’s growth.

How to create the best working conditions

Business does not always deliberately ignore inclusion issues: 60% of companies are afraid that they will do something wrong by attracting people with special needs. Particularly with autism. Nevertheless, business is trying to develop D&I ideas: developers with autism work in the Russian division of Google. Microsoft, Vodafone, SAP, and Hewlett-Packard are also doing the same. And the main difficulty for business is not finding a job that a specialist with autism can apply for, but developing a process for integrating it into the company’s internal processes.

How to gradually prepare a specialist for inclusion in the work

Inclusion is one of the most important concepts that modern business should introduce into their corporate culture today. With the right support and well-built infrastructure, such people cope with tasks as well as others, and in some matters even better.