effective allyship within your company
published 7.7.20
In the third part of our conversation series, Leading Humans [in 2020], we sat down with Rachel Dorcelien (DoorDash) and Ryan Lathrum (BounceX, soon to be Wunderkind) to chat about what allyship means within companies and how to cultivate effective platforms that support underrepresented employees.
The bottom line?
In order to become effective allies, we first need to do our homework.
What does this homework entail, and what should you keep in mind when talking about and acting on DEI efforts? Here are the four key takeaways from our conversation.
view your dei efforts as a journey, not as a box to be checked off of a list or a task for the hr department to handle
In order for your DEI efforts to truly be effective, they need to be woven into the fabric of your company, not siloed into a department or considered as standalone projects. Organic DEI movements and ERGs that start amongst employees are fantastic foundations, but if your company wants to show employees that it takes DEI seriously, it is necessary for management to take action. Ryan noted it’s important to step in to provide structure and guidelines where appropriate, dedicate funding to ERGs, and tap into outside resources and professionals. Support the employees who have taken it upon themselves to lead these initiatives - formalize the work they are doing to elevate underrepresented communities by recognizing it in performance reviews and treating this kind of work as a part of their job, rather than a non-work related project. Put resources towards formalizing a platform for underrepresented voices to be heard, and then make sure leaders understand their responsibility to engage with that platform and not only listen to those voices, but advocate for them too.
alleviate the burden of representation from your underrepresented employees and recognize them for the work they do
Don’t just turn to the employees who are championing DEI work for advice. Hand them the microphone, give them the stage, and make sure these champions get recognition for their work. Leaders not only need to educate themselves, but also need to listen to the needs of employees without placing the burden on employees to come up with the solutions.
As the Black Lives Matter movement has placed an unspoken burden on Black employees to help their companies navigate these times, it is vital to recognize their voices and their work, but relieve them of their burden as well. At DoorDash, after a Black employee began to hold Zoom meetings to create a safe space for her peers, Rachel’s team got permission from them to step in and commit funding to hire professional facilitators so that Black employees don’t carry the burden of facilitating those discussions. Ask your employees: what do you need, what can we do, and what tools can we give you as a community? Use the answers you receive to inform the internal systems you create that sustain allyship.
ergs should not be viewed as the only “safe” or “brave” spaces within companies. your goal should be to transform your entire company into a safe space
A safe space is a space where people feel safe in their identities and feel comfortable learning and asking questions. While ERGs should always be safe spaces, this does not mean that they should be the only safe spaces in companies. In fact, the best goal to set is for your entire company to be a safe space. DEI best practices are not to be implemented in the silo of an ERG, and employees' full identities should be appreciated and celebrated always, not just within the confines of a diversity group.
Brave spaces (a term coined by our own Nadia Z. Ismail) evolve from safe spaces, and are places where employees who feel safe can also feel courageous in their actions that challenge the status quo. Brave spaces should empower employees with the certainty that their decisions are supported by company leaders, allowing them to take risks and opportunities to push for change..
You don’t need an ERG to have a safe or brave space, but know that cultivating a company culture that is safe takes a lot of work. It involves everyone reaching an understanding that individuals each experience struggle and success differently and are all products of their unique lived experiences. It involves being conscious about microaggressions, implicit biases, and systemic racism, and actively learning about how to dismantle these mindsets. We’re not just talking about creating ERGs and having these conversations behind closed doors. We’re talking about shifting company cultures to be more equitable in a systemic and systematic way.
leaders need to be held accountable, but don’t forget they are human too
There is no question that leaders should be the strongest allies, and should be transparent with the progress they’re making and the goals they’ve set. However, leaders are humans too. They are learning about diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and they fumble and make mistakes just like the rest of us. At the leadership level, there is high visibility for potentially being perceived as ignorant, intolerant, or simply uneducated. While it is their responsibility to educate themselves, it’s also important to help leaders feel equipped to tackle these challenges. We need everyone in this fight.
When coaching leaders in DEI, you need to understand what foundation they already possess, and what they are most inclined to respond to. Will they easily recognize the business need? Do they empathize more with the emotional need? Work with them to define their role and allyship with ERGs and underrepresented employees, then show them what progress looks like and what goals need to be attained. Laying out explicit targets and responsibilities will help keep leaders accountable to themselves and their companies.
We are all in this journey of allyship together, moving out of our comfort zones into learning and growth mindsets. In the same way that plants need healthy soil to thrive in, cultivating an inclusive and equitable company culture is vital for the success of diversity initiatives and ERGs. Lay the groundwork first and fertilize the soil that will allow underrepresented employees to thrive and all employees to bring empathy to the workplace.
If you’d like to learn more about incorporating allyship into your organization, please reach out. We’d love to chat.
by Sophia Wu
Research Associate
