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.
#51: Share Development Opportunities
Not all opportunities are created equal and often underrepresented groups get overlooked. So it is important to share development opportunities with others and/or create these opportunities. If you are a manager this might mean – offering opportunities equally (and thinking carefully about your allocation process), if you are senior it might mean suggesting your colleagues to your boss for consideration and speaking up and highlighting why a particular person might be a good option, it might mean mentoring others and encouraging and empowering colleagues to put themselves forward for opportunities that they may have written off because they don’t think that someone like them would be chosen.
Read the full “How to be an Ally” series here.
