Allyship in the Workplace

Here at The Candidate, we believe that diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords, but essential values that make us stronger. We are constantly pushing ourselves to learn more and improve our understanding, and we are proud to share that we have achieved our Disability Confident Employer certification and have a fully qualified Mental Health First Aider on our team.

But we're not stopping there. We are committed to taking our journey into equity further, and that's why our Executive Search Recruitment Director, Laura Walters, and Marketing Manager, Natalie Metcalf, recently completed The Other Box's 'Allyship in the Workplace' course. This eye-opening experience has taught us invaluable lessons about how to become better allies and how we can create a truly inclusive workplace.

So, if you're ready to join us on our mission to promote diversity and inclusivity in the workplace, keep reading and discover the exciting insights we gained from this empowering course.

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Understanding your starting point

One of the most powerful takeaways from the course was understanding our privilege and how it affects our interactions with others. We realised that individual action is crucial when it comes to creating positive change in the workplace, industry, and society at large. By looking inwards and understanding what privileges you hold, it can set you up for success when it comes to supporting those in the workplace who may face certain barriers.

Introspection can be uncomfortable. The course provided us with a safe and supportive space to explore complex issues surrounding privilege and power dynamics. Through guided activities and opportunities to reflect, we gained a deeper understanding of how to use our privilege to become better allies for those around us. We learned that allyship is not a one-time event, but rather a continuous and reflexive process that requires ongoing reflection and learning.

By taking individual responsibility and actively working towards creating a more equitable workplace, we can make a real impact on our teams, organisations, and the world.

Allyship in different forms

Another key takeaway was understanding that there are many different ways you can be an ally in the workplace and support colleagues from underrepresented groups. The Other Box categorised these allyship personas as champions, upstanders, amplifiers, sponsors, scholars, confidantes, and advocates.

A champion is someone who willingly defers to colleagues from underrepresented groups in meetings and visible situations, such as conferences and industry events. They actively work to create space for diverse perspectives to be heard.
An upstander is someone who doesn't stay silent in the face of discrimination. They take action to combat wrongdoing, including pushing back on offensive jokes and language.
An amplifier works to ensure that marginalised voices are both heard and respected, often by providing representation within communication.
A sponsor vocally supports the work of colleagues from underrepresented groups in all contexts, especially in situations that can boost their standing and reputation.
A scholar seeks to learn as much as possible about the challenges and prejudices faced by colleagues from marginalised groups. They listen and learn without inserting their own opinions or ideas.
A confidante creates a safe space for members of underrepresented groups to express their fears, frustrations, and needs.
Finally, an advocate uses their power and influence to bring peers from underrepresented groups into highly exclusive circles. They work to address unjust omissions and hold their peers accountable for including qualified colleagues from diverse backgrounds.

Discovering how you best support others is a great way to enhance your allyship journey, which is what this course really allowed us to understand.

Continuing your journey

Finally, as mentioned before, the course taught us that allyship is a continuous, reflexive journey. Adopting a ‘growth mindset’ can allow us to challenge our own beliefs and become more understanding and supportive people.

Continuing your allyship journey is a vital step in creating a truly inclusive and equitable workplace. As individuals, we can take several actions to deepen our understanding and challenge our assumptions, including diversifying our media inputs, questioning common stereotypes, and being intentional about where we spend our money. We can find our voice and speak up, get involved with employee resource groups at work, and use our allyship persona to find our activism style.

As organisations, we can also take important steps to make diversity, equity, and inclusion part of our strategy. We can commit to reporting our D&I KPIs and targets, creating a culture where people feel safe and confident to speak up, and combining equity with equality. By doing so, we can increase the diversity of thought and bring broader perspectives into our decision-making processes, and it then becomes the responsibility of every employee to work towards creating a workplace that is both fair and personal to individual needs. Transparency is what changes organisations, and it starts with every individual taking ownership of their allyship journey.

We are always on a journey when it comes to diversity and inclusivity, and we have really enjoyed learning more through this course. We would highly recommend enrolling in one of The Other Box courses – you won’t regret it!

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