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.
Measure, Monitor and Reflect
It is important that firms use data as part of their ED&I strategy. Firms and organisations should carry out a self-assessment to identify what data is available and whether they are collecting the right data (or if they need to change/update the data that they are collecting). These changes should be implemented so that firms can measure, monitor and implement changes.
For example, if firms want to focus on recruitment data, they should monitor the numbers of people applying, being shortlisted, and being selected at interview by protected characteristic. By doing this firms should be able to identify any underlying trends and barriers and look in more detail at how certain underrepresented groups (individually or in combination) perform at each stage of the process.
Once they have the data, they can explore what changes might need to be implemented.
Read the full “How to be an Ally” series here.
