Partnerships with tech boot camps representing underserved communities, historically black college and university (HBCU) alumni networks, diversity internships, and diversity referral bonuses are also part of its strategy to attract and build a more diverse workforce. Management is held accountable, via metrics and compensation, for moving the needle on the company’s overall progress.
OCLC also takes a view of diversity beyond gender and ethnicity. It has created new job classes to cast a wider net for talent, including an associate developer role established with a local outreach coding program. “This helps create a diverse pipeline of folks who didn’t go to college for a degree,” says Bart Murphy, OCLC’s chief technology and information officer. “We have folks who’ve spent 15 years as a teacher and then wanted to get into software development.”
Purpose-driven work drives retention
While actively recruiting for diverse points of view, OCLC is equally committed to retaining existing IT talent. The average tenure of the IT staff is nine years, and 17% have been on board for two decades. Murphy credits OCLC’s long-term strategic approach to hiring and investing in its people as a key retention asset. Employees are encouraged to create development plans and are supported with resources that help them achieve their goals. Recognition, rewards, and bonus programs are designed to call out superior performance. Flexible work schedules have long been the norm, but since the pandemic, a hybrid model enables IT teams to work three days in office and two at home, with some exceptions, depending on the role.
