teissTalk: Building a more inclusive cybersecurity team

On 14 September, teissTalk host Tom Langford was joined by Lisa Ventura, Cyber Security Specialist & Founder, Cyber Security Unity; Sam Masiello, Chief Information Security Officer, The Anschutz Corporation.

 

Views on news
There are Diversity is a challenge but it has to be embraced to bridge the cyber-security skills gap. The cyber-security workforce is overwhelmingly made up of white males. The percentage of women is still at about 10-12 percent.

 

Being associated with darkness and enigmatic individuals in hoodies, the industry has an image problem too. It can also be intimidating for women to enter this space dominated by men. A wider range of innovative ideas can come from a more diverse workforce. The lack of diversity can also be a roadblock to cybersec catching up with adversaries. 

 

Catering to neurodiverse colleagues needs to make the most of them
Some measures to achieve diversity can be counterproductive. The situation is further complicated by new working arrangements.

 

Neurodivergent people may struggle with lights and noises in the office, for example. These people will start to thrive in WFH arrangements. Employers also need to make efforts regarding how to accommodate the needs of their workforce. From the employers’ perspective, however, it might not seem to be viable to cater to every single employee’s needs. But these adjustments needn’t be wide-sweeping changes at all. Little changes can also make a huge difference. By making the working environment more conducive for workers, burnout can be also delayed or even eliminated. Tapping into a neurodiverse workforce means that the workload for each employee can decrease, which, again, can have a positive impact on employee engagement. Neurodiverse people might not be comfortable with divulging their diagnosis to employers or colleagues, but managers with similar backgrounds or those aware of the signs can detect it. There is no need to talk in terms of conditions or labels, the employer can just simply ask what they can do for the biodiverse person so they can be more productive. 

 

The panel’s advice
Diversity starts with leaders. 

 

Don’t shoehorn neurodiverse people into conditions that won’t work for them.

 

Look out for signs of burnout – irritability, absenteeism, etc

 

Allow neurodiverse people some downtime after intensive stints if they need it.

To learn about neurodivergent passports, click here.