An ally is someone who is not a member of an underrepresented group but who takes action to support that group to help make their workplace more diverse and inclusive for all.
For workplaces to become truly inclusive it is up to people who hold positions of privilege to be active allies and to take responsibility for making changes that will help others be successful.
Allies at all levels can take action with simple, everyday efforts that make a real difference and in this series, we highlight some things that you can do to be an ally and to support your colleagues from underrepresented groups.
#48: Talk about your equality goals and values
It is important for firms and senior leaders and partners in firms to talk about their equality goals and values. Firms should empower their leaders to talk about their equality goals and values of equality to their teams and team leaders and managers should make should that they are talking about it to their teams.
Talk about the initiatives that you are involved with and are engaging in all the time, including at the start of the project (not just the final reveal) so that your employees know that you are doing things, that you are listening to them, and that you are making progress (and it is on the agenda). Too often things are not communicated and this can leave employees feeling unheard, isolated, and feeling like things will never change.
Read the full “How to be an Ally” series here.
