2020 has been one of the most challenging years for business and individuals across the world. Nothing can undo the difficulties we have all faced, but struggle inevitably also leads to innovation; we are forced to find new and better ways of doing things. As we move into the new year there is an urgent need for British business and government to capitalise on what we have learned, to harness the innovation of the last twelve months and begin to build back a better and more resilient world.

The results of a new study from Microsoft and the University of London that assesses the competitiveness of British businesses, suggest that innovation will be vital to enable the UK to better compete on a global stage. Download report here

I believe one of the biggest innovations from this year that has the greatest potential to transform the way we all live and work, and in doing so propel British business forward, is remote and flexible working.

The Tech Talent Charter has, since its inception, championed working practices that drive inclusion and offer more equitable opportunity as essentially considerations in building a robust and representative tech workforce. UK tech suffers from a widely acknowledged skills shortage – recent research from CWJobs, highlighted that 45% of British companies are actively seeking staff with tech skills. But despite this, the tech industry in particular, lags when it comes to diversity of all kinds.

Many women say they would be interested in a career in tech – Fawcett Society research in 2019 found that around 70% of young women would be interested in a career in tech, and 45% of working age women would be willing to retrain in a technical role. However, female participation hovers at around 17%, while other diversity measures tend to score even lower.

Flexibility, whether part-time, flexible hours or location, has long been recognised as key to attracting women to the workforce. Women tend to have more domestic responsibilities than men which can mean that a 9-5 office-based role can be impractical. By failing to offer flexible or remote working, women often feel they cannot align their career ambitions with the demands of the rest of their lives.

These are women who would otherwise return to the workplace with their many talents and experiences, as well as bringing that added dimension that drives innovation – diversity. This wasted talent is a significant loss to a business’s ability to compete and innovate.

Until now, many companies have been reluctant to embrace remote and flexible working models, decisions often clouded by stereotypes or an outdated understanding of their employees’ expectations. Some have just been hesitant to innovate and embark on a major disruption to their working model.

2020 has changed all that.

This year, thousands of companies have had to enact a live trial of remote and flexible working, unplanned for, untested but utterly essential for their business continuity.

Even the most sceptical employer has learned that remote working not only works, but will be a vital part of their ability to competitively attract and retain the best talent. Microsoft’s research confirms this with 83% of UK managers revealing they expect to have more flexible and work from home policies moving forwards.

This shift holds immense potential for inclusion and diversity. Mounting research has demonstrated the impact of diversity on creativity and innovation (the World Economic Forum calls the business case for diversity ‘overwhelming’), and the UK’s economic growth will depend upon its ability to innovate and compete on a global stage.

Remote working is not without its challenges, but what we have seen is that not only is it possible to do many more jobs remotely than was previously thought, but that productivity actually tends to increase not decrease. What’s more, employees have rapidly come around to the many advantages of being able to be based where they choose and not having to commute. It is not just women who stand to benefit from this new working set up. Research from Timewise in 2018 showed that while 91% of women wanted flexibility, so did 84% of men, 92% of 18-34 year olds and 88% of 35-54 year-olds. This is a wake-up call and significant opportunity for industry.

Companies who adapt to these new rules of play have the potential to recruit the best talent, regardless of location or even available working hours. This is a win-win situation and something that will prove fundamental to the UK tech industry’s ability to address the skills gap, and compete on a global stage.

This competitiveness is currently not a given. The new Microsoft and University of London research shows that 46% of UK firms fall into the least competitive quadrant of competitiveness. Clearly, we are facing a skills gap, and UK businesses need to eliminate barriers to finding talent.

The UK has to reinvent itself. If we could show we retain our competitiveness in terms of innovation and technology, while also beginning to offer a new definition of what work is, where and when it happens, we can begin to redefine our productivity as a nation.

And that can drive competitiveness and economic recovery. Doing the right thing is no longer just the right thing, it is the smart business thing. Embracing the benefits of remote work to find and retain the best, most diverse talent pool will make a positive impact on the bottom line and on the economic recovery of the whole country. There has never been a more important time for the UK to take action.

‘Learn more about Microsoft UK New World of Work’

Debbie Forster is an award-winning leader and a recognised figure in the areas of diversity, tech, innovation and education and was named by Computer Weekly as the Most Influential Woman in UK IT for 2019. She is co-founder and CEO for the Tech Talent Charter, an industry collective which aims to deliver greater inclusion and diversity in the UK tech workforce. As part of her wider portfolio, Debbie works as an executive coach, and a consultant specialising in supporting start-ups, scale ups, SMEs and social enterprises. Debbie was awarded an MBE in January 2017 for “Services to Digital Technology and Tech Development”.

Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) named Debbie Woman of the Year for 2016 and her work for the TTC was recognised by Women in IT awards 2018 for Diversity Initiative of the Year. She was awarded Women in IT Awards Diversity Leader of the Year 2019 and Computer Weekly also named her Most Influential Woman in UK IT for 2019 .

After 20 years working within education, Debbie joined e-skills UK, the national IT Sector Skills Council, heading up their educational programmes, liaising with both policy makers and leaders in the IT industry. Debbie then became the Co-CEO of Apps for Good, an award-winning education charity. Debbie joined Apps for Good in 2010 and took the organisation through a period of exponential growth, from 2 centres in London to almost 1000 schools around the world; reaching 75,000 young people in just 5 years, with 50% of its students and 40% of its tech mentors being female.