Technology: A Spark for Workplace Equality

In our newly released Fall 2021 issue of the Insight Tech Journal, I spent some time on diversity in my regular Tech From the Heart column.??I wanted to keep the conversation going with you.

Modern technology offers so much potential to improve lives around the world--, and it takes innovative approaches to unleash that potential. At Insight, we know the more diverse our teammates’ skill sets, perspectives and backgrounds, the more innovative we can be when uniting on our common goal of building meaningful connections to help businesses run smarter. We reinforce this belief with our core values of hunger, heart and harmony.

For example, a managed services director who concentrates on supporting end-user productivity brings an entirely different perspective to a client challenge than the IoT architect focused on new revenue-generating outcomes for the business.??The Agile coach, focused on the organizational change management processes at a client, needs to ensure successful adoption of a new solution. ?While each technologist delivers value to our clients and solves an immediate problem, there is even more power when we work across our areas of focus. Together, their ideas have the power to create truly transformative results that help a business reach the next level.?

Similarly, the IT industry is pushing new boundaries, past the historically homogenous approaches and access to talent.

When it comes to diversity, we have traditionally struggled in comparison to other industries. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the combined Black, Hispanic and Indigenous population in IT was 16% only a few years ago.?Stackoverflow’s annual survey of 80,000 developers indicates only 5.3% of all respondents were women. The TrustRadius 2021 Women in Tech Report found that 72% of women in tech say they have worked at a company where “bro culture” is pervasive, and 78% said they feel they have to work harder than their male coworkers to prove their worth. Similarly, STEM professionals who identify as LGBTQ+ were about 30% more likely than their non-LGBTQ+ peers to have experienced harassment at work in the past year.?

Clearly, there is room for improvement all-around, and the more our industry opens the doors to everyone and eliminates biases (unconscious or deliberate), we’ll realize even greater advancements.

AI for good

Technology is, of course, a tremendous conduit for making the world around us better, and that includes creating new access to those who have otherwise faced disadvantages.

For several years, Insight has worked alongside a global manufacturer of printer parts to help them deliver on their mission of using Artificial Intelligence for good. They empower adults with special needs to perform warehouse duties effectively and at pace. The company originally worked with Microsoft and Insight to create a cognitive voice platform that helps employees with disabilities move throughout warehouses more safely and efficiently.

An order picker with Down syndrome, for example, uses a picking cart with a Surface Go device showing product location, SKU and quantity. The system talks to the picker throughout their shift, improving safety since the pickers do not have to carry a device or look at it while walking or, for those who are qualified to operate forklifts or lift jacks, while driving. Performance is enhanced since the solution shows a picture of the item and provides the shortest, safest path to the next location.

We’re working a computer vision AI solution to automate product cycle counts of more than 38,000 pallets of inventory that require audits every other month. A normally labor- and time-intensive process prone to human error has been dramatically improved with smart cameras. A proprietary algorithm we developed translates pictures of pallets into 3D renderings, calculates product count by item size relative to the known pallet depth. An easy-to-use app means all employees, regardless of ability, can perform product counts with great accuracy.

The best part? The client is taking this entirely new business model to the rest of the manufacturing industry, licensing these AI solutions so that other businesses can provide more equal employment opportunities to adults with disabilities.

Insight’s all-inclusive mission

I’m so grateful to work for a company that prioritizes workplace equity and leverages technology to break through traditional barriers. We are committed to using our skills and capacity to improve representation of all groups of people who have faced disadvantages.

In 2020, we established a diverse supplier program that so far has allowed us to connect 185 women-owned small businesses with our global clientele. We’ve also partnered this year with channel-based social advocates Women in Cloud and the newly formed Women Executives Channel Advisory Board, to promote more opportunities for women in the field of technology. ??

Growing the IT talent pool also means starting early. In the last year, our Reach program has contributed $320,000 to support nonprofit organizations serving underprivileged children through technology grants and encourage greater STEM education opportunities.

True innovation is inspired by a desire for change. In this day and age, it’s hard to agree on everything. But I think most of us can agree that we’re all better when we can work together to make that change real.?