30572_Kao Data Critical Careers_Pages - Flipbook - Page 27
How do you see the role of women evolving?
How do we attract a diverse group of people from
other industries?
hile women’s roles are evolving, there are still some signi昀椀cant
changes needed that would truly diversify and enrich the industry.
Right now, the industry operates with a very rigid structure—you
design it, you equip it, you operate it. However, we don’t apply the same
thoughtful design to our roles, especially not in a way that attracts a diverse
workforce. For instance, the typical 12-hour shift model just doesn’t 昀椀t the reality
of many women’s lives. We’re not considering that inclusivity in role design that
could open up the talent pool for jobs that are in desperate need of being 昀椀lled.
e’ve got to fundamentally rethink how we’re doing business. The bias
favouring individuals with traditional data centre backgrounds needs
to be changed. We need to start valuing a broader array of skills and
characteristics that people from different sectors can bring to the table. It’s about
recognising the transferable skills that can be just as bene昀椀cial in our 昀椀eld.
W
What we need is a fundamental change to those same concepts. We can’t just
slot diverse candidates into pre-existing roles and expect them to thrive without
providing managers the training and tools they need to support these team
members effectively. Most of the managers in the industry haven’t been trained
to manage a diverse workforce which can lead to a workplace that feels like ‘us
versus them.’ This lack of preparation runs the risk of ultimately driving good
talent away.
By investing just a fraction of the time and resources that we dedicate to the
technical aspects of our operations into our people, the entire landscape of the
data centre industry could transform dramatically. It’s about time we reframe
our approach to be as innovative with our human resources as we are with our
technical solutions.
27
W
We also need to design roles that cater to people from a variety of backgrounds.
Taking a role like head of operations, for instance, the requirement to be on-call
24/7, 365 days a year can be grueling. While someone from broadcast media
might be accustomed to such demands, someone from a more structured 9-to-5
industry might struggle without proper support and gradual integration. As part
of this transition we need to do a better job of giving newcomers a bigger picture
understanding of why the industry operates the way it does.
Ultimately, to attract and retain a diverse workforce, we can’t just focus on
recruitment or training in isolation. It has to be a multi-layered approach to be
successful. This requires a deep, hard look from data centres at their core operations
and values. Are we really built to support and thrive with the diverse workforce we
envision? We need a holistic change that touches everything from role design to
leadership styles, in order to create an environment where everyone can thrive.
