Allyship-Control-Workbook

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

What does allyship look like to you? What is it not?

What do you think would make you a stronger ally? What’s preventing that?

What are you nervous or uncomfortable about?

TURN YOUR CAMERA BACK ON
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

Allyship

Allyship is an active and consistent effort
to use your privilege and power to support
and advocate for people with less privilege

How to practice allyship in breakout groups

Share the mic

Make space for everyone to speak. Step back if you often share first or when
exploring areas where you hold privilege.

Commit to confidentiality

Don’t use other people’s names when sharing stories and keep everything
shared confidential.

Be mindful of your a-ha moments

When you see something through a new lens, remember that it might be part
of someone else’s day-to-day. Be aware of how your sharing will land for them.

Don’t question others’ experiences

Don’t question or discount the lived experiences of others.

Give one another grace

Believe one another’s best intentions and be patient when mistakes are made.

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discussion about allyship

Goal: Sharpen your definition of allyship and understand what you and your colleagues
hope to get out of the workshop

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Do not put others on the spot by asking them to share personal stories.
If someone does share a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Discussion prompts

Introduce yourselves if you don’t know one another already
Did your definition of allyship change after watching the video? Why or why not?
What are you hesitant about coming into this workshop? What do you hope to leave with?
Have you seen any examples of impactful allyship in your workplace or life?

MODULE 2

Unpack
your
privilege

Privilege

Privilege is the unearned advantage we get
from being part of a dominant group whose
needs have traditionally been prioritized

TURN YOUR CAMERA BACK ON
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discussion about privilege

Goal: Reflect on areas of privilege that you often take for granted

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Respect privacy—don’t ask others to share their personal experiences.
If someone wants to share, create space and don’t question or invalidate what they say.
Be particularly mindful of your a-ha moments during this discussion.

Discussion prompts

What stood out to you about your own privilege?
What’s one area where you hold privilege that you take for granted? What in your life
might be different without that privilege?
What is challenging to you when thinking about your own privilege?

MODULE 3

Uncover
workplace
inequities

Workplace categories

Everyday interactions

Workplace norms
and expectations

Hiring

Advancement and
recognition

Dotted line connecting minds of two employees

Mentorship and
sponsorship

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Uncover workplace inequities

Spend the next 15 minutes individually exploring all five workplace categories
on pages 18–67.
Try to move to a new category every 3 minutes. This will help you make it
through all five categories, even if you can’t fully explore all the statements in
each category
Scroll to the next page to begin by reading an overview of inequity in
everyday interactions

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Understanding workplace inequities:

Everyday interactions

The interactions we have with our colleagues have a big impact on our comfort
and well-being at work. And casual comments, actions, and assumptions that
are rooted in bias (sometimes called ”microaggressions”) can be disrespectful
and a major source of stress for people with traditionally marginalized identities—even
if they’re not intended to be hurtful.⁶ Workplace microaggressions can be
common occurrences for people with traditionally marginalized identities, and they make
it much harder for employees with less privilege to bring their authentic selves
to work. Women of color, women with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ women are
more likely to experience microaggressions, and these slights add up: women
who experience microaggressions are three times more likely to regularly think
about leaving their job.⁷

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS:

Add a tick next to all
of the statements
that apply to you

Learn more by clicking
LISTEN TO STORY or
SEE DATA for each
statement you selected

Once you’ve
finished, move on to
the next category

I have never heard a colleague make a cruel joke about people like me

My colleagues don’t comment about my culture or religion in ways that make me feel
excluded or demeaned

No one has ever asked to touch my hair at work

Coworkers don’t confuse me with others of my race

I rarely hear comments suggesting I’m not dressed professionally enough

People rarely or never call me ”emotional” when I express my opinion at work

I can talk about my personal life without feeling like I’m coming out or explaining myself

I don’t often feel othered by the words my colleagues use

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS:

I have never heard a colleague make a cruel joke about people like me

Listen to Rima’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”Like many other people of color I've had to work
in places where people made some discriminatory
remarks or things that they maybe thought were jokes
but were pretty offensive related to race or religion. I'll
say three things about what that feels like on the other
end. It makes you feel very misunderstood. It makes you
wonder what the conversations look like when you're not
in the room and when people are maybe in their comfort
zone at home with their families, what conversations
around race or maybe religion look like there.”

”It makes you feel defensive and protective of your
community. It, I would say, hindered my ability to form
deep relationships with those people, because now I

started to feel super defensive about my identities or
my family, or what stereotypes they might believe about
my community and not wanting to get too close to
those people because of how protective I felt about the
community that they were joking about.”

”It also turns you into the person that sometimes
doesn't want to rock the boat. If everybody finds this
joke funny, you don't want to be the colleague who
is angry or ruining everyone else's fun if it seems like
it's lighthearted humor. It just basically puts you in a
position where it's hard to get close to people, but
at the same time, you're the collateral damage at
everyone else's expense or entertainment.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS:

My colleagues don’t comment about my culture or religion
in ways that make me feel excluded or demeaned

DID YOU KNOW?

People with certain backgrounds and identities are more likely to encounter
cultural appropriation and insensitive comments at work. For example, Native
American people may hear coworkers and managers use language like
”having a powwow,” ”off the reservation,” ”spirit animal,” or ”low man on the
totem pole.”⁸ Muslim women often face similar insensitive comments, such
as being asked if they’re allowed to talk to men.⁹ And Jewish employees
may have to contend with stereotypes and microaggressions around their
religion. In fact, one poll found that 61% of Americans agreed with at least
one antisemitic sentiment.¹⁰

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS:

No one has ever asked to touch my hair at work

DID YOU KNOW?

This can be a common occurrence for some Black women at work.
Asking to touch a Black woman’s hair is an example of ”hair bias” —the
idea that there’s something exotic, wrong, or unprofessional about a
Black woman’s natural hair. This bias is all too common: in fact, some
U.S. companies still prohibit natural Black hairstyles.¹¹

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS:

Coworkers don’t confuse me with others of my race

DID YOU KNOW?

Decades of research show that people often find it harder to differentiate
between people of another race than people of their own race.¹² This is called
”own-race bias,” and it’s further complicated by power dynamics: research
shows that people who hold more power, such as senior executives, are less
likely to be mistaken for someone else of the same race.¹³

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS:

Coworkers don’t confuse me with others of my race

Listen to Daisy’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”When I sat on a nonprofit board, I had been in the board for a
couple of months. I noticed that every time that we met as a group,
I would be consistently confused for the only other Latina on the
board. Now, she and I both had short hair, brown skin but that was
about it in terms of what we looked like. Having that not been the
first experience in my career and life when I had been confused
for another Latina, either in the workplace or in groups that I have
been part of, this was an experience that I was accustomed to.”

”It was an experience that no matter the years of feeling it and
seeing it still hurt. It made me feel invisible. It made me feel as
if these individuals that I've worked with closely didn't bother
enough to see me and know me to be able to distinguish me from
a completely different human being. Now, I resolved it, which I was
able to do because I've had years of experience in doing this. This
is not how I did it at the beginning of my career.”

”The way that I resolved it was by talking about it. I would quickly
remind the person. I was like, 'No, I'm not Carmen. I'm Daisy' or 'I

think you meant to say—' and in that moment, there's always this
look of panic and fright. 'Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry.' I also
didn't want to take away the discomfort from that person. I wanted
them to realize that it wasn't comfortable for me to be confused
for somebody else and that it made me feel a different way. I said
it enough times that our chair heard me and heard my colleague,
who by the way was also being confused for me. We were both
having very parallel experiences and we would both laugh at it but
that laughter came with a feeling of hurt really deep in our bellies.
We mentioned it to the chair of the board who really bravely, I
think it was a very courageous move on her part, in one of the
meetings opened up by saying, ‘I hear this has been happening.
I know there's no ill intent but I would just like for all of us to be
more conscious about how we engage and connect with each
other because these are acts of microaggressions that continually
happen to women and men of color.’ I have to say that after that it
never happened again.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS:

I rarely hear comments suggesting I’m not dressed professionally enough

DID YOU KNOW?

People with traditionally marginalized identities are often held to higher standards when it
comes to professional attire.
Black women can miss out on jobs, promotions, and other opportunities
because of arbitrary judgments about their appearance.¹⁴ To avoid this penalty,
many Black women say they have to dress more formally than their colleagues
and spend more money on hair and accessories.¹⁵
Most Latinas in corporate America also say that they style their hair and makeup
conservatively (87%) and dress conservatively (84%) in order to fit in at work.¹⁶
1 in 5 LGBTQ+ workers has been told or had coworkers imply that they should
dress in a more feminine or masculine manner.¹⁷

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS:

People rarely or never call me ‘emotional’ when I express my
opinion at work

DID YOU KNOW?

Women in general tend to be criticized as ”emotional” when they express a
strong point of view, whereas men usually don’t face this kind of judgment.¹⁸
In addition, research shows that Latinas are often labeled as heated or emotional
when they are merely speaking without being deferential.¹⁹ This is rooted in the
pervasive stereotype that Latinas are too intense, feisty, and emotional.²⁰
Similarly, Black women are more likely to be labeled as angry, even though
research shows they are no more likely to experience or express anger than
Americans as a whole.²¹ These labels have profoundly damaging consequences:
in one study, when Black women were viewed as angry, they received lower
ratings and raises than white women viewed the same way.²²

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS:

I can talk about my personal life without feeling like
I’m coming out or explaining myself

DID YOU KNOW?

More than 60% of LGBTQ+ respondents report needing to correct
colleagues’ assumptions about their personal lives.²³ And 35% of LGBTQ+
employees feel compelled to lie about their personal lives at work.²⁴
There’s also a double standard: 70% of straight cisgender workers say ”it is
unprofessional” to talk about sexual orientation or gender identity at work,²⁵
but 80% of straight cis people say they talk about social relationships and
dating in the workplace weekly or daily.²⁶

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS:

I don’t often feel othered by the words my colleagues use

DID YOU KNOW?

People with traditionally marginalized identities are more likely to have to contend with offensive
language that makes them feel othered or like their right to equality is denied. For instance,
27% of women with disabilities say they regularly hear demeaning remarks about them or
people like them at work, compared to 16% of women and 11% of men overall.²⁷ Several
studies have shown that overt and covert discrimination, like offensive jokes or derogatory
language, can lead to an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and other negative health
outcomes.²⁸

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS:

I don’t often feel othered by the words my colleagues use

Listen to Deena’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”In the earlier part of my career, I was not necessarily fully
closeted, but I did not talk about being a lesbian. I think the
reason for that was I was very unsure of myself in the earlier
part of my career. As maybe you can imagine, you're trying to
establish yourself, you want credibility. I'm a woman, and I'm
blessed and cursed with a very young-looking face. I'm usually
read as the intern, even if I am, in fact, the program manager.
One thing that I think is taken for granted, and people may
not notice unless it personally affects them, is the extent to
which casual jokes or particularly gossip about LGBTQ people
happens in the workplace.”

”I remember being so disappointed, and really scared in some
of my earlier jobs, when I would hear people laughing that they
had heard one of the leads for a client was a lesbian. I heard it
as, ‘This is somebody to laugh about’, or ‘this is exciting gossip.’
I remember thinking, 'Oh, that's how you feel about people

like me.' ”The thing about being LGBTQ is, it’s not a visible
form of diversity, and unlike more casual read elements of
who we are, it’s invisible. Although this isn’t always the case,
it’s incredible the comments people will make in front of
you because they've assumed that you're straight, or they
assume that you're not LGBTQ.”

”Unfortunately, made me think differently about my
colleagues, and these colleagues later in my life, later in
my career, became really close friends. They actually had
no idea and were frankly mortified that they had ever made
these comments and jokes.”

”One thing I would say is, it's important to know how much
of a person's life experience and identity is not going to
be readily visible to you. It's not going to be readily known.
That's really why it's important to do the work on ourselves
to hopefully approach people with a greater sense of
awareness and inclusion.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Understanding workplace inequities:

Workplace norms and expectations

Workplace norms include everything from the way we set up our
physical workspaces, to the hours we expect our colleagues to be
available, to the software and tools we use. Because many of our
current norms were established when the workforce was primarily
made up of white, cis, straight, able-bodied men, they often prioritize
that group’s needs. This places an additional burden on those with
traditionally marginalized identities to fit in, feel comfortable, and succeed.²⁹

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN WORKPLACE NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS:

I can use company bathrooms without stress or anxiety

I have never declined a work social event because the building wasn’t accessible

I often have leftover sick days that I can use as vacation time

I have never had to disclose an invisible disability to get the support I need at work

I can take paid time off to care for someone without worrying that people will think I'm
not committed to my job

I don’t have to take PTO days to celebrate my religious holidays

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN WORKPLACE NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS:

I can use company bathrooms without stress or anxiety

DID YOU KNOW?

In 2016, 59% of respondents to the U.S. Transgender Survey said that in the
past year they avoided using a restroom because they were worried about
confrontations or other problems. Nearly one-third of respondents said they
avoided eating or drinking so they wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom.³⁰

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN WORKPLACE NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS:

I have never declined a work social event because the building wasn’t accessible

Listen to Andraéa’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”I was working for an organization and they were
having a happy hour and actually my role at the
organization was around access and inclusion. I
made apparently the wrong assumption that when
events were being hosted, even if they were social
events, that accessibility would be considered.
There was a happy hour that some colleagues
were planning. I RSVP'd and planned to go, hadn't
thought much about it, I think, until the very last
minute. I asked about entry, because I was used
to sometimes maybe entering through a different
door or what have you.”

”It turned out that the person organizing it had
completely just forgotten to ask about accessibility. It
turned out that the location had a step. Then they were
at the last minute trying to figure out whether they
could get a ramp and what would work and all of this.
I ended up not going, and to be honest, it had little to
do with the fact that we could have found a solution.
I could have probably offered a solution, but it really
sucks to be in a workplace, especially where you've
been for a while, and you advocate for your needs and
they're still overlooked in settings that perhaps aren't
the most formal, so I decided not to go.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN WORKPLACE NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS:

I often have leftover sick days that I can use as vacation time

DID YOU KNOW?

Many chronic medical conditions require an employee to miss work—for example, to
manage pain or for medical treatment. However, depending on their company’s paid
leave policy, the employee may not have the flexibility to get the care they need.
One study found that employees with chronic diseases had an absentee rate that
was more than six times the rate of employees without a chronic illness.³¹ And this
can affect a large percentage of employees, since 68% of adults between the ages
of 45 and 64 are living with at least one chronic condition.³²

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN WORKPLACE NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS:

I have never had to disclose an invisible disability to get the
support I need at work

DID YOU KNOW?

When workplaces don't offer a basic level of flexibility and accommodation,
employees with invisible disabilities, such as ADHD or a chronic illness, may be forced
to reveal their disability in order to get the accommodation they need. And this may
create further issues for them: research shows that when an employee with an invisible
disability is granted an accommodation (like being able to begin work an hour later
to accommodate the effects of a medication), coworkers may react negatively to what
they see as special treatment—and that might result in fewer people disclosing their
disabilities.³³ But when workplaces establish flexibility as the norm, it is less likely that
those who need accommodations will feel othered or put on the spot.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN WORKPLACE NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS:

I can take paid time off to care for someone without worrying
that people will think I'm not committed to my job

Listen to Daisy’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”Having to worry whether I can take my kid to an orthodontist appointment
or miss a meeting or miss a presentation that I may not be delivering on is
a constant worrying feeling that mothers have, that parents have, and that
caregivers have. I wish I didn't have to worry about taking that extra hour or
two hours to take care of my child, but I do.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN WORKPLACE NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS:

I don’t have to take PTO days to celebrate my religious holidays

Listen to Rima’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”I am Muslim, and I'm practicing, which means that every year for around 30 days I practice Ramadan.
Ramadan is a month where Muslims fast from food and water from sunrise to sunset for 30 days straight.
Given that there are over 4 million Muslims in the U.S. you would think that certain programs would at
least acknowledge that this thing exists for people for 30 days, but that has not been my experience.”

”I have had no shortage of academic and professional experiences that literally fell right in that month.
One of my first professional experiences coming out of college was there was a summer training
required, a mandatory summer training that fell right during Ramadan. While I'm not expecting
them to just completely change their plans for the subset of people, I was expecting some sort of
acknowledgment of the fact that not everyone is going to be able to fulfill this mandatory experience
the same way, or that maybe some accommodations should be made to the people who are literally not
eating or drinking water during working hours.”

”There just didn't seem to be much accommodation for that at all.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Understanding workplace inequities:

Hiring

We all want hiring to be fair and equitable. But job candidates with
less privilege face barriers and biases that make it harder for them to
get noticed.³⁴ Even when they do land an interview, they may not be
evaluated fairly—they’re often held to higher standards and have to
work harder to prove their competence.³⁵

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN HIRING:

When I apply for a job, I’m pretty sure my name won’t hurt my chances of getting an interview

I don’t usually worry that wearing a symbol of my religion or culture to an interview will decrease my
chances of getting a job

I’ve never hesitated to include an award, club, or affinity group on my résumé because it reveals my
sexual orientation or gender

When I interview for a job, I don’t have to ask questions in advance to make sure the building or video
conference software is accessible to people with disabilities

One or both of my parents graduated from college

I have taken an unpaid internship to pursue a passion or break into my desired field

I don’t have to worry about previous employers misgendering or dead-naming me when they serve as references

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN HIRING:

When I apply for a job, I’m pretty sure my name won’t
hurt my chances of getting an interview

DID YOU KNOW?

In one study, Black applicants needed to show an average of eight more years of
experience to receive as many callbacks as those with white-sounding names.³⁶
Applicants with white-sounding names like Emily and Greg were 50% more likely to be
called to interview than those with Black-sounding names like Jamal and Lakisha.
Another study found that 21% of Asian applicants who removed any references to
their race from their résumés (like changing their name from ”Lei” to ”Luke”) received
callbacks, compared to 11.5% who didn’t remove any racial clues or references.³⁷

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN HIRING:

I don’t usually worry that wearing a symbol of my religion or
culture to an interview will decrease my chances of getting a job

DID YOU KNOW?

Visible symbols of some religions can trigger discrimination. For example, one study
found that Muslim women applicants who wear a hijab to an interview are less likely
to be offered jobs than Muslim women candidates who don’t.³⁸

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN HIRING:

I’ve never hesitated to include an award, club, or affinity group on
my résumé because it reveals my sexual orientation or gender

DID YOU KNOW?

1 in 5 LGBTQ+ people says they have experienced discrimination based on their
sexual orientation or gender identity when applying for jobs.³⁹
When a woman has something on her résumé that indicates she’s LGBTQ+, like
volunteering for an advocacy group, she is 30% less likely to get a callback.⁴⁰

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN HIRING:

I’ve never hesitated to include an award, club, or affinity group on my
résumé because it reveals my sexual orientation or gender

Listen to B’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”When I am applying for a new job, I am debating
about whether or not to include a lot of my
experiences that have to do with mentoring trans
youth or planning a trans conference or adding
my pronouns to my résumé because I'm not sure
if that will turn my potential future employer off
from not wanting to hire me.”

”If it feels inappropriate to include those things,
if I am sharing too much by saying them, or if the

person looking at the piece of paper actually won't
even know what those things mean, then there would
be an inherent disconnect that I won't even get to
explain. Ultimately, I decided that I want to put those
things on my résumé because if that's an employer's
reaction, then I don't think I want to work at that
place, and I want to work somewhere that I get to be
myself.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN HIRING:

When I interview for a job, I don’t have to ask questions in advance to
make sure the building or video conference software is accessible to
people with disabilities

Listen to Andraéa’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”I am a wheelchair user, a power wheelchair user, and
so there is no space that I ever enter that I don't have to
think about accessibility. That includes jobs, interviews,
and I have had multiple experiences where that's been
a concern. Specifically I can think of a time when I was
applying for a long-distance job in a different city and
I was trying to even figure out whether I wanted to
disclose, because as a chair user a lot of times I'm used
to rolling into a room and people see the disability, see
my chair, but when I was applying long-distance that
wasn't the case.”

”I was really concerned. I had to spend some time doing
research on the building, where it was in the city and how
I would get there and all of those pieces. If there was a
button that I could use to get in the door, or if there was
a security guard at the door, would I be able to get up to
whatever floor it is and all of that. Access is a huge thing
and it can even be a deterrent for me. There've been jobs
that I have not been able to apply to simply because of the
fact that they weren't in locations that I ultimately would be
able to access for employment.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN HIRING:

One or both of my parents graduated from college

DID YOU KNOW?

In one study, men were less likely to receive callbacks when hiring managers
knew that they received financial aid or were first-generation college graduates.
Men who participated in activities associated with higher class status, such as
sailing or classical music, received the most callbacks.⁴¹

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN HIRING:

DID YOU KNOW?

I have taken an unpaid internship to pursue a passion or
break into my desired field

Certain industries can be difficult to break into without an unpaid
internship. But many people cannot afford to work for free.⁴²

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN HIRING:

I don’t have to worry about previous employers misgendering or
dead-naming me when they serve as references

Listen to B’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”During the time period when I transitioned to
using the name that I do now, I knew that I was
looking for a new job and that meant that I needed
to think about references. At that time, most of
those people were professors of mine in college.
It meant that when I was thinking about my
references, I needed to think about who's going to
use the name and pronouns that I want my future
employer to use.”

”It meant scanning through the list of people that I
think of as mentors and thinking about which one
of these people is going to talk about me the way
that I want to be talked about, and knowing that
they might even have that conversation and they
might mess up on my pronouns, or they might say
the wrong name for me during that conversation,
and I might never know, but that I needed to trust
that the work that they had done on my behalf was
going to follow through and that I would be able to
be accurately represented to my future employer.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Understanding workplace inequities:

Advancement and recognition

People with less privilege face a steeper path to advancement.
They get less recognition for their ideas, and they’re less likely
to be given stretch assignments and high-profile projects.⁴³
They can also be held back by bias in performance reviews and
promotion decisions—especially when reviews and promotions
are based on subjective or vague criteria.⁴⁴

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN ADVANCEMENT AND RECOGNITION:

I don’t have to worry that my race or whom I love contributed to me missing out on a promotion

I’m usually not interrupted when I speak up in meetings

My performance reviews are mostly focused on my work and not my personality or ”style”

I have not been asked to limit my interactions with clients or external partners because of my gender
or sexuality

People don’t dismiss my ideas or ignore my suggestions because they perceive I have a disability

My manager supports my career advancement by giving me stretch assignments or encouraging me to
learn new skills

I can go to informal networking events without worrying people like me won’t be welcome there

I generally get credit for my ideas and contributions at work

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN ADVANCEMENT AND RECOGNITION:

I don’t have to worry that my race or whom I love
contributed to me missing out on a promotion

DID YOU KNOW?

Lean In’s Women in the Workplace report found that for every 100 entry-level men promoted
to manager, only 85 women were promoted. The numbers are worse for some women of
color: for every 100 men, just 71 Latinas and 58 Black women were promoted.⁴⁵
Some Black people and people of color face extra barriers to getting promoted or being
paid fairly. Fifty-seven percent of Black people report being discriminated against when it
comes to being paid equally or considered for a promotion or a raise.⁴⁶
And at the first promotion to manager, the representation of LGBTQ+ women starts to drop:
LGBTQ+ women make up 2.3% of entry-level employees but only 1.6% of managers.⁴⁷

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN ADVANCEMENT AND RECOGNITION:

I’m usually not interrupted when I speak up in meetings

DID YOU KNOW?

Participating in meetings and discussions is critical to establishing credibility at work.
But it can be much harder for some employees—especially women—to make their
voices heard. In one study, men interrupted women nearly three times as often as they
interrupted other men.⁴⁸ Bisexual and lesbian women are even more likely to report
being interrupted and spoken over, and the same is true for women with disabilities.⁴⁹

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN ADVANCEMENT AND RECOGNITION:

My performance reviews are mostly focused on my work
and not my personality or ‘style’

DID YOU KNOW?

In a study of performance reviews, 66% of women received negative feedback
on their personal style such as, ”You can sometimes be abrasive.” But only 1%
of men received that same type of feedback. Men are more likely than women
to receive specific feedback that helps them grow, for example, ”You should
deepen your domain expertise in this area.”⁵⁰

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN ADVANCEMENT AND RECOGNITION:

My performance reviews are mostly focused on my work
and not my personality or ‘style’

Listen to Rima’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”My first year or my first few months into a job, my boss asked me to fill out my own performance review and the
ask was that I would do the performance review. We would meet a few days later to discuss the difference between
my self-assessment and his assessment of me at the time. I didn't think too much of it because I am a very reflective
person. I'm very committed to personal growth. I was actually excited at the opportunity to assess myself along this
rubric and have a discussion and, more importantly, get some feedback from my boss about what I can be doing
better and where I'm already doing pretty well.”

”One thing to know about me before I move on with this is that I am a pretty self-critical person, as a lot of us are.
I rated myself very inaccurately. I want to say I rated myself pretty harshly on that rubric and it didn't help that in
the office, we didn't really have a clear understanding of what the standards were for our performance. I came in
prepared that day expecting almost that my ratings would be a lot more harsh than his ratings of me. To my surprise,
when we met, it was very clear that he had not done the evaluation of me at all. It was clear that the intent was just to
have me do an hour and a half or two hours of work that he didn't have to do. He literally took my self-assessment
and submitted it as his performance review of me, which was problematic in so many ways.”

”The most problematic thing about this is that because I rated myself pretty harshly and because a lot of my
colleagues didn't do that or had a real process with their performance review, I was robbed of a 2% pay raise.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN ADVANCEMENT AND RECOGNITION:

I have not been asked to limit my interactions with clients
or external partners because of my gender or sexuality

DID YOU KNOW?

Working directly with clients and partners can provide career-advancing
opportunities. But in a 2011 survey, 20% of transgender respondents said
they were removed from direct contact with clients.⁵¹

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN ADVANCEMENT AND RECOGNITION:

People don’t dismiss my ideas or ignore my
suggestions because they perceive I have a disability

DID YOU KNOW?

In one study, employees with disabilities were significantly less likely
than those without disabilities to say their ideas to drive value for the
company won support from management.⁵²

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN ADVANCEMENT AND RECOGNITION:

My manager supports my career advancement by giving me
stretch assignments or encouraging me to learn new skills

DID YOU KNOW?

Some groups are far less likely than others to be offered opportunities by their
managers. For example, Black women are less likely than white women to say that
their manager provides them with opportunities to manage people and projects or
showcase their work.⁵³

Similarly, people with disabilities are less likely than others to be asked to give a
speech or presentation at work, which means they have fewer opportunities to
showcase their expertise and make the case for a promotion.⁵⁴

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN ADVANCEMENT AND RECOGNITION:

I can go to informal networking events without worrying people like me won’t
be welcome there

Listen to Ally’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”When I was in graduate school, one of the things that I hated,
hated, was that almost every week, sometimes twice in a week,
there would be these networking events because they were
supposed to help you get connections so you could become
a journalist and be in the field one day and be a writer at your
favorite magazine, and all this stuff. But almost every networking
event consisted of white men. Like it was all white guys, which
was confusing since most of our department for my program was
women. But for some reason the networking event was like all the
people with jobs who you could talk to, were all white men only.
The thing I would hate is when I showed up to the networking
event, it would be only the white guys in my program who showed
up. Like one white girl, one brown girl, and me. And it would make
me immediately uncomfortable, because you’re very aware that
you’re the only one, so one of few women, you’re the only Black
girl in the room, great. And you start walking around the room
and quickly realize that no one is interested in talking to you. It’s

almost as if you’re invisible. As if you’re not a member of this
program and didn’t work just as hard to be here. And you have
to really assert yourself, and I think maybe some people don’t
know but I’m an introverted person for the most part. I don’t
have problems asserting myself, but I prefer not to. So that’s
discomfort and made me anxious. And then once you assert
yourself it’s like ‘whoa.’ The looks you would get immediately
that were like, ‘Who is this like aggressive angry Black girl? We
are just two bros trying to have a conversation right now. So out
of place.’ There wasn’t like one networking event where that
happened, it happened every week of my life, for maybe like
the first six months before I eventually was like you know what,
maybe networking events just aren’t it for me. Or, maybe I just
need to find networking events that are geared specifically to
women, specifically to Black women, specifically to people of
color. And just use those as opportunities, because I am not
going to find my people here. I’m not going to find my support
system here. And I’m sure as hell not going to find my job here.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN ADVANCEMENT AND RECOGNITION:

I generally get credit for my ideas and contributions at work

Listen to Rima’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”I was involved in a group interview where it was the final phase of a series of interviews I'd been in to be part of this super prestigious
program at school. We were asked to work on a couple of group projects in front of two moderators who were assessing us based on
our communication skills, ability to work together in a team, all of that good stuff. I took on the role of synthesizer or the person who was
hearing a bunch of things that people were saying in the group and trying to come up with ideas to move the team forward. I naturally
wasn't speaking much, but when I was speaking in this group, I felt like I was adding a lot of value.

The few times I made contributions, and this happened repeatedly in a series of 30 minutes, a white woman in the group repeatedly
took credit for my contributions or gave credit to the white man in the group. This happened four different times. I wanted to call her out,
probably around the second time or third time, but as a woman of color, I was afraid that the moderators, both of whom were also white,
would feel that I was either being aggressive or that it would affect my ability to get into the program. I didn't know how to call her out in a
way that was straightforward but also wouldn't affect my performance in that interview.”

I was constantly in that 30 minutes wondering, how can I navigate this situation given I'm not given credit for my good ideas,but I'm also
not able to acknowledge that I'm not getting credit for my good ideas. Basically, after that interview, I just went to my car and busted
out crying. I felt very helpless, I felt voiceless. I didn't really know what to do. I felt even more upset that nobody in the group noticed
this dynamic or the moderators didn't seem to notice the dynamic and maybe interfere and make sure that I wasn't being interrupted,
steamrolled and even worse, discredited when I was contributing.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Understanding workplace inequities:

Mentorship and sponsorship

Support from mentors, sponsors, and senior leaders can have a
significant impact on our careers. Mentors are people we can turn to
for career guidance and advice, while sponsors are advocates who
highlight our accomplishments and open doors that help us advance.
But because white, straight, cis, able-bodied men hold the majority of
positions of power in most workplaces, and because we’re more likely to
gravitate toward people who remind us of ourselves (a tendency called
”affinity bias”), people with traditionally marginalized identities can get left out.⁵⁵

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN MENTORSHIP AND SPONSORSHIP:

It’s easy to find potential mentors or sponsors I identify with

I see myself reflected in the leadership team at my organization

Senior leaders at my company have probably navigated challenges similar to mine

I have family members or people in my network whom I can go to for career advice

I have had meaningful interactions with senior leaders at my company

A mentor or sponsor has helped me get a job or a promotion

I feel comfortable telling my mentor or manager about challenges I’m facing at work

TURN YOUR CAMERA BACK ON WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN MENTORSHIP AND SPONSORSHIP:

It’s easy to find potential mentors or sponsors I identify with

DID YOU KNOW?

71% of sponsors say their primary protégé is the same race or gender as they are.⁵⁶
And 62% of women of color say not having an influential mentor holds them back in
their careers.⁵⁷
In one survey, 70% of Latinx respondents reported ”potential mentors don’t notice
me” and 60% reported ”potential mentors are unwilling to develop a relationship with
me because of my ethnicity.”⁵⁸
Almost 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ employees feels it's difficult to find the right mentors at work.⁵⁹

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN MENTORSHIP AND SPONSORSHIP:

I see myself reflected in the leadership team at my organization

Listen to Daisy’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”I've been struck with how over the course of my
career, especially as I've risen up the ranks, that
every time that I would join a new company, almost
every Latinx employee would come to me with this
sense of awe and hope and optimism because
they could finally see themselves reflected in
senior leadership in the organization. It dawned on
me one day that I never did that because I never
expected there to be a senior executive at any
organization when I was starting out in my career
that would be Latinx. I didn't have that hope. That
wasn't the truth that I believed in.”

”It gives me hope to see young people want to
see themselves reflected, demanding it, and
finding their places where they can come and find
community with someone that looks like them.
Every time I join a company, all the young Latinx
employees come to me, and I am more than happy
to support and encourage them and show them the
way and let them know that they too can aspire to
be what I am and much more.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN MENTORSHIP AND SPONSORSHIP:

Senior leaders at my company have probably navigated
challenges similar to mine

DID YOU KNOW?

When you see yourself reflected in leadership, you’re more likely to feel as though
senior leaders understand your challenges and are prepared to support you. But
some employees rarely have this experience. For example, just 3% of C-suite, 5%
of SVPs, and 6% of VPs are women of color, despite women of color making up
18% of entry-level staff.⁶⁰

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN MENTORSHIP AND SPONSORSHIP:

I have family members or people in my network whom I can go to for career advice

Listen to Rima’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”I am an Arab and Muslim woman, and I'm the founder of
a media company that serves Arabs and Muslims through
authentic media. I was most recently blessed enough to be
in an accelerator where I got a lot of mentorship resources
and even funding for this idea. While I was so grateful to be
able to meet with mentors weekly on our business idea and
growing our business and really finding new and improved
ways to serve my community, I was so surprised by the amount
of times that I was having to explain pretty basic things to my
mentors because they weren't members of the Arab or Muslim
community.”

”Instead of taking the time to talk about business advice or
navigating a tough business situation, I was caught in many

moments having to explain the fact that it's really hard to find
market sizing data on Arabs in America because we're still
considered white by the U.S. Census. That just presents a whole
series of issues for people who are creating something to serve
that community. It's really hard to understand how big the
opportunity is given we just lack data.”

”I was having to explain a lot of cultural nuances around
things that you do or don't do when working in these specific
communities. Not that I was upset by having to explain those
things; it's just part of the process. I really wish that I had a
mentor who understood my community either because they
were part of it or just were more knowledgeable about it. It's not
a resource that I have access to currently in this space.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN MENTORSHIP AND SPONSORSHIP:

I have had meaningful interactions with senior
leaders at my company

DID YOU KNOW?

Fifty-nine percent of Black women have never—not once—had an
informal interaction with a senior leader at their company; less than
half (47%) of white women are in the same position.⁶¹

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN MENTORSHIP AND SPONSORSHIP:

A mentor or sponsor has helped me get a job or a promotion

Listen to Daisy’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”I remember when I received a promotion years ago that
was not accompanied by a raise. I did some research,
found out what the market pay was for someone at that
level and title, and went to my boss, who was the head of
HR, to advocate on my own behalf. She pushed back and
said that I was not eligible for that raise, that we could talk
about it in a couple of months.”

”I used that opportunity to go and speak to my sponsor,
who had been not just sponsoring but mentoring me for
months and thought that I would get some wise counsel
from her. However, what I received when I went to her

was a very steadfast response saying I was asking for too
much and that I needed to wait my turn. I remember just
thinking and picking up the little courage that I had in that
moment and asking her, 'Would you give the same advice
if I was a man, because I know that men come to your
office all the time, demanding things and they get them
and I'm not coming here to demand something I don't
think I deserve.' She said, 'You know, I would say the same
thing,' but something in the pit of my stomach told me
that wasn't the case. I left and I actually left that company
two months later.”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INEQUITY IN MENTORSHIP AND SPONSORSHIP:

I feel comfortable telling my mentor or manager about challenges I’m facing at work

Listen to Ally’s experience

TRANSCRIPT:

”When I was in my early twenties, fresh out of J school, was working at a
prestigious news organization, at the time they were the number one news
organization in the world, and I was in a program that was specifically used to
filter, to bring in talented people of color, Black and brown people, because
they were lacking in this news organization. And it was a program that put
you on a track to become a television news producer and I was working for
one rotation at a very popular evening news program and we had a morning
meeting every day that we would use to pitch ideas. And I was always trying
to pitch ideas, or find the right moment to get my idea heard, and it never
really happened for me. I was kind of just talked over and it was a room of
mostly white men. A few women. I think as far as diversity goes beyond that
it was three people who were Asian and only two people in the room who
were Black the day that my incident occurred.”

”I was sitting in the meeting and hearing the executive producer go through
the pitches and kind of realizing, ‘Wow, we’ve been telling really white stories
for the last several weeks. And only focusing on white voices and white
experiences. It would be really great if we could get something different.’
And he said, ‘It would be really great if we could get some Black stories in
here.’ And then he and everyone in the room proceeded to turn around and

face myself and the other Black person in the room who happened to be
sitting next to each other, in the corner, in the back.”

”It was extremely uncomfortable. And when it was over, I talked to one of my
mentors who was a white woman who was older than me, and told her about
the experience. And her feedback was really, her response was, ‘Did you
pitch?’ And I said, ‘Well, no. I didn’t have any story to suddenly pitch on the
spot as the voice of all Black people.’ And she kind of was like, ‘You always
say you want your voice to be heard and you want your experience to be
heard, that was a great opportunity. My feedback to you would be next time,
when the spotlight’s on you, like seize the moment.”

”And compare that to the conversation I had with another mentor who was
a peer, who was also a Black woman, and as soon as I told her about the
experience she was like, ‘Of course that made you uncomfortable. I totally
get that. That’s cringe-worthy. I can’t believe they did that to you.’ Because
she understood the experience of being put on the spot and being made
a representative for an entire culture of people. An entire race of people.
Versus the other person. So I would say that’s the first time I felt discomfort
telling a mentor about a challenge I faced at work. And it became the last
time I considered that woman a mentor.”

TURN YOUR CAMERA BACK ON
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discussion about workplace inequities

Goal: Understand the systemic barriers that hold people with traditionally marginalized
identities back in the workplace

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Respect privacy—don’t ask others to share their personal experiences.
If someone wants to share, create space and don’t question or invalidate what they say.
Be particularly mindful of your a-ha moments during this discussion. Think about how they
may land for others in your group before—or while—sharing.

Discussion prompts

What data or story stood out to you? Whom does it impact?
Do you see any of the inequities you read about in your workplace? If so, how?
Have you noticed other inequities in your workplace within these categories?

MODULE 4

Discover
your power

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

DISCOVER YOUR POWER:

Everyday interactions

What tasks do you work on or decisions do you make that
influence your everyday interactions?

Common types of power people tend to overlook: attending meetings;
organizing meetings; relationships with colleagues; participating in
casual conversations

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

DISCOVER YOUR POWER:

Workplace norms and expectations

What tasks do you work on or decisions do you make regarding
the flexibility or accessibility of your workplace?

Common types of power people tend to overlook: making decisions
about office supplies, software, or facilities; organizing work social
events; having the option to take advantage of flexibility (on hours, PTO,
etc.); ability to contact people who set internal policies

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

DISCOVER YOUR POWER:

Hiring

What tasks do you work on or decisions do you make around hiring?

Common types of power people tend to overlook: reviewing résumés;

access to a job board with your company's postings; participating in

interviews; writing or reviewing job descriptions

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

DISCOVER YOUR POWER:

Advancement and recognition

What tasks do you work on or decisions do you make regarding
advancement or recognition?

Common types of power people tend to overlook: participating in formal
or informal performance reviews; having opportunities to call attention
to work (for example, on panels, in team meetings, or via weekly emails);
participating in brainstorms or other forums where ideas are shared

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

DISCOVER YOUR POWER:

Mentorship and sponsorship

What tasks do you work on or decisions do you make with mentorship
or sponsorship?

Common types of power people tend to overlook: having a role
that others (inside or outside your company) may aspire to; having
skills that others (inside or outside your company) may want to learn;
interacting with people with influence at your company

TURN YOUR CAMERA BACK ON
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discussion about power

Goal: Understand your power to enact change in your organization

Tip for practicing allyship in this space

Remember to create space for everyone in your breakout group to share.

Discussion prompts

Share one type of power you have that you'd never thought of before. If there’s time,
push yourself to share a second from a different workplace category.
What opportunities do you have to use your power to practice allyship?
How might your privilege contribute to the power you have in your workplace—whether
your role or your level?

MODULE 5

Learn
allyship
actions

Types of allyship actions

Woman standing and thinking with thought bubble

Individual

Our actions to
educate ourselves,
model good behavior,
or change our mindset

Interpersonal

Our actions to support, surface
issues, or push for changes
through our day-to-day
interactions with others

Structural

Our actions
pushing for change
in norms, policies,
or systems

Directions

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

You’ll have about 15 minutes to read through all of the individual,
interpersonal, and structural actions on pages 81–92.
Some actions have audio stories that you can listen to.
Begin by reading the strategy summary on the next page.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Strategy 1:

Create or help facilitate
more inclusive meetings

Meetings are a critical part of the workplace—they’re where we build credibility,
collaborate, earn respect from colleagues, and interact with peers and
leadership. But they can also be times when people with less privilege are less
heard than others.⁶² If you typically schedule or facilitate meetings or gather
with your team in small groups, learn about the actions you can take to make
them more inclusive. And if you don’t facilitate meetings but do often attend
them, learn about how you can show up as an ally.⁶³

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Strategy 1:

Actions to create or help facilitate more inclusive meetings

Individual

Share your pronouns
Use inclusive language
Observe group dynamics
Challenge your bias

Interpersonal

Reduce interruptions
Give credit
Invite more voices

Structural

Distribute speaking time
Ensure meeting environments
are accessible
Create systems to distribute
”office housework”

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Share your pronouns and don’t assume others’ gender

If you’re cisgender—meaning you are the gender you were assigned at birth—then
sharing your pronouns (such as she/her/hers, they/them/theirs, he/him/his, or some
combination, like she/they) at the start of a meeting or in your video conferencing
profile can normalize the practice of stating pronouns.⁶⁴ It also signals you won’t
assume others’ gender and lessens the burden on trans, nonbinary, or genderqueer
people so they are not the only people in the room sharing their pronouns. If you
don’t know someone’s gender, use they/them or ask. If you feel nervous about
adding your pronouns or starting to state them at the beginning of a meeting,
you can tell your manager or others in the meeting why you are choosing to do so
and why you think it’s important. You can also place your pronouns in your email
signature, which meeting attendees will see if you send out a note beforehand.

Individual action

Listen to B’s experience

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Use inclusive language

Even though our intention may not be to harm, certain words are hurtful
to marginalized groups because of the historical context associated with
them—be aware of what these are and make an effort not to use them.
This might mean gendered terms (e.g., ”man up”) and ableist language,
meaning language that is offensive to people with disabilities (e.g., ”blind
spot”), language co-opted from indigenous communities (e.g., ”spirit
animal” or ”powwow”), or language that excludes trans people (e.g.,
”female/male”).⁶⁵
Diversity Style Guide for media professionals can be a helpful place to
start. You should also research resources specific to communities you
want to educate yourself about to learn how certain words and phrases
can cause harm. If you do accidentally use a term you know isn’t inclusive,
correct yourself and explain why it was hurtful.

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Observe group dynamics

Get in the habit of noticing the identities of everyone in the room at
meetings you attend. Be aware of how your privilege might impact your
experience in the room—and how it could differ for those who don’t share
that privilege. For example, if you are one of five men in a meeting and
you notice that there is only one woman, think about what that experience
might be like for them.
Women and people of color—and particularly Black women—are often
the ”Onlys,” meaning the only person of their gender and/or race in
a room. Women who are Onlys are twice as likely to be subjected to
demeaning or disrespectful remarks and 80% are on the receiving end
of microaggressions.⁶⁶ If you notice that someone holds an identity that
is vastly outnumbered in the meeting, give them a chance to speak and
make sure their ideas are heard.

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Challenge your bias

Educate yourself on some of the most common ways bias can show
up in meetings and apply that to understanding what bias looks like in
meetings at your company. This will help you recognize patterns like who
is most likely to be interrupted, who has to work harder to earn credibility
and why, and who is most likely to dominate the conversation.
Lean In’s 50 Ways to Fight Bias program is a good starting point to
understand common examples of bias, including how they show up in
meetings, why they happen, and why they matter. Once you familiarize
yourself with the different types of bias, reflect on whether you fall into
any of these bias traps in the way you interact with colleagues or
facilitate meetings.

Individual action

Listen to Kimberly’s experience

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Reduce interruptions

Women, and especially women of color, are interrupted far more
often than men.⁶⁷ If you run meetings, set the norm that interruptions
aren’t welcome or reduce interruptions by asking for contributions in
a structured way (e.g., taking turns around the table). When a person’s
ideas aren’t heard, it can make it harder for them to be perceived as key
contributors, which can harm their career progression.⁶⁸
For any meeting you’re attending, if someone does interrupt, step in. For
example, you may comment, ”I think Maria was saying something, and
I’d love to hear what they have to say.” Teams that foster diverse points of
view often have better ideas and get more done.⁶⁹

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Give credit

Give credit where it’s due. This might include pointing out when a
colleague’s idea is repeatedly ignored or calling out when a colleague’s
idea is stolen. Repeat the name of the person who had the original idea
to make sure colleagues realize whose idea it was. You can also highlight
someone’s positive contributions to a meeting by following up afterward
with the team or sending a quick note to their manager. These actions may
seem small in the moment, but over time they can help your colleague’s
career advance.⁷⁰

Interpersonal action

Listen to Daisy’s approach

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Invite more voices to the table

When putting together an invite list for a meeting you run, or when
looking at the list for a meeting you’ll attend, ask yourself whose
perspective is missing. Broaden your invite list, and think about who else
you could reach out to, even if they are new or on a different team.⁷¹
Whatever the case, ensure their contributions are acknowledged as part
of their ”official” work, to avoid unintentionally placing an additional
burden on them to contribute outside of their core role. Adding more
diverse viewpoints means it may take longer to incorporate everyone’s
feedback; adjust your timeline earlier rather than later to make sure you
can thoughtfully engage and respond to more diverse points of view.

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Distribute speaking and presentation time

Distribute speaking and presentation time by making sure a few people
aren’t dominating the conversation. It’s hard for anyone to be perceived as
a key contributor when their ideas are consistently overlooked, and people
with traditionally marginalized identities often have to work harder to make
sure their ideas are heard.⁷²
If you’re leading a meeting in person, keep note of who has spoken and
who hasn’t and give the floor to people who haven’t had as much airtime.
On video calls, you can encourage people to place an asterisk in the chat to
indicate they want to speak so you can call on them in order.
You can also try rotating who is facilitating or running your weekly meetings.
Or you may divide up sections of the agenda for different folks to lead;
smaller portions like welcomes, check-in questions, closings, and next steps
can be great starting points for those with less experience.

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Create systems to distribute ”office housework”

Think through the parts of a meeting that either take extra time from certain
members or detract from their ability to participate. Create a process
to rotate those responsibilities so that they don’t always fall to the same
person—or to one group of people.⁷³ For example, take turns keeping notes
in meetings or picking up administrative tasks like sending follow-ups or
scheduling the next meeting.

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Ensure meeting environments are accessible

Ask in advance if people need accommodations in order to participate
in meetings, especially if new people are joining. You might
automatically include a note in your meeting invitations asking people
to tell you if they need accommodations. Seek out accessibility best
practices to ensure that people with visible or invisible disabilities are
able to join and contribute.
If there’s content to discuss or make decisions about in your meeting,
you can provide materials ahead of time for people who process
information better beforehand. And provide multiple ways for
attendees to contribute, such as inviting people to speak, using the
chat, or opening the floor for feedback via an email afterward.

Structural action

Listen to Andraéa’s approach

or read the transcript here

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discussion about allyship strategies

Goal: Learn specific allyship actions you can take based on your positional power—and
brainstorm how to apply them at your workplace

Remember to create space for everyone in your breakout group to share.
If someone shares a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Discussion prompts

Talk about one individual, interpersonal, and structural action. For each action, discuss:

What would it look like for you to practice that action in your role at your organization? Whom
would you talk to, what would you do, or how would you get started?
What inequity will that action address? What group will it advance or support?
What challenges might you face? How might you—individually or with others in your group—start
to work through those?

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

TURN YOUR CAMERA BACK ON
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Directions

You’ll have about 15 minutes to read through all of the individual,
interpersonal, and structural actions on pages 96–106.
Some actions have audio stories that you can listen to.
Begin by reading the strategy summary on the next page.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Strategy 2:

Prioritize inclusion
in your work product

Most of us have an opportunity to make the work that we produce on a day-
to-day basis more inclusive. Whether it’s the language we use in internal and
external communications, the way we build web pages, or the imagery we select
for marketing materials, our choices impact whom our work resonates with and
who can use it. Learn how to make intentional choices as part of your daily work.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Strategy 2:

Actions to prioritize inclusion in your work product

Individual

Reflect on how bias shows up
in your work
Showcase a wide range of
identities
Use inclusive language
Seek out best accessibility
practices

Interpersonal

Ask for input
Communicate your values
Share ideas with colleagues

Structural

Set diversity, equity, and
inclusion requirements
for partners, vendors, and
suppliers
Include equity in your
definition of success

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PRIORITIZE INCLUSION IN YOUR WORK PRODUCT

Reflect on how bias shows up in your work

Review your past projects and note the perspectives that are or aren’t
represented. Maybe you select images for your company’s website and you
notice that you almost always choose photos of white people. Or maybe you
have never considered how your work lands for employees or customers
with disabilities. Think of a few instances where your bias might show up in
your work product or everyday tasks and then take actions to counteract it. If
you're not sure where to start, seek out ERGs (employee resource groups) or
DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) associations in your field that discuss or
publish their thoughts on common ways bias may show up.

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PRIORITIZE INCLUSION IN YOUR WORK PRODUCT

Showcase a wide range of identities

When creating written materials and visuals, feature people with a diverse
range of identities. This is just as important for internal communications
across your team as it is for external, customer-facing materials.⁷⁴ For
instance, share examples of people across race, age, gender, or disability
in presentations or feature their experiences when explaining how a
product works.

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PRIORITIZE INCLUSION IN YOUR WORK PRODUCT

Use inclusive language

The language and images you use have the power to make people with
traditionally marginalized identities feel seen—or not.⁷⁵ Make a point of
seeking out resources that can help you make informed decisions
about language and imagery, and incorporate these recommendations into
your work. Many policy and advocacy organizations publish guidelines
on inclusive language (for example, GLAAD’s media reference guide and the
ADA’s guidelines for writing about people with disabilities).

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PRIORITIZE INCLUSION IN YOUR WORK PRODUCT

Seek out best accessibility practices

In many cases, there are publicly available guidelines for making written,
web, graphic, and video materials accessible to people with disabilities—
for example, using ADA standards for font size, color contrast, and
hyperlinks. Research best practices in your discipline or industry and
incorporate them into your work. Integrate accessibility requirements into
your project timeline so you aren’t scrambling to make adjustments at the
last minute. Instead, start viewing these practices as core elements that will
make your work stronger.
Think about whether there are others in the organization whom you have
to talk to in order to make this a reality, and make an action plan to start
having those conversations. For example, maybe you have to speak to
someone about getting extra budget to ensure there is an ASL (American
Sign Language) interpreter at an event you’re organizing. Or maybe you
need to plan extra time when making website changes to ensure your site
is accessible to people with visual disabilities.

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PRIORITIZE INCLUSION IN YOUR WORK PRODUCT

Ask for input

If a project aims to reach or speak to a certain group of people, make sure
people from that group contribute ideas and review the final product. This
might involve contacting someone outside of the organization if you don’t
have anyone on staff who has lived experience in a given area. If you are
staffed on the project but don’t have lived experience, consider giving up
your spot or advocating for people to be added to the team. Be mindful of
integrating these voices and subject matter perspectives and not co-opting
or dismissing them without constructive dialogue.

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PRIORITIZE INCLUSION IN YOUR WORK PRODUCT

Communicate your values

Take the time to define your values around equity when it comes to your
work. Be on record with your values by including them in your personal and
professional development goals and reinforcing them in any presentations
or updates you might give about your projects.⁷⁶ For example, you may
commit to run work by a diverse focus group for input before publishing. Or
you may commit to meeting recommended accessibility guidelines for your
product by the end of the half.

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PRIORITIZE INCLUSION IN YOUR WORK PRODUCT

Share ideas with colleagues

As you begin to build an understanding of best practices for making
your work more inclusive, share those with others in your role inside and
outside your company. This might look like compiling an informal internal
guide or process that you encourage others to use, or it may look like
sharing ideas through a ”lunch and learn” or other forums for discussing
approaches to work. You may find that your efforts can provide a strong
catalyst for others to adjust their approaches as well.

Interpersonal action

Listen to Taylor’s experience

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PRIORITIZE INCLUSION IN YOUR WORK PRODUCT

Set diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements for partners,
vendors, and suppliers

If you help select which vendors you contract with, you can choose to work
with companies that uphold your values and aspirations. Maybe this looks
like requiring that they pay their workers fair wages or ensuring equal-
access hiring. You may even choose to establish a client charter that defines
the values that are critical throughout your partnerships and that you share
with clients or vendors before beginning work together.
Be aware of roadblocks to implementing this strategy, like the fact that it
may take longer to choose a partner or that you may have to go beyond a
pre-established relationship with an organization you worked with in the
past. Be realistic about how this will impact your timeline and communicate
why you think it’s important to your manager or senior leadership.

Structural action

Listen to B’s experience

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PRIORITIZE INCLUSION IN YOUR WORK PRODUCT

Include equity in your definition of success

When you’re setting goals for reach, users, downloads, or efficacy, think
about what would be impactful and meaningful for people with traditionally
marginalized identities. That might look like thinking about how they will use
your work product, designing for those needs, and measuring whether your
design worked. It also could include testing your product with more people
before launch to ensure it's solving for the intended impact on those
communities.

Structural action

TURN YOUR CAMERA BACK ON

WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discussion about allyship strategies

Goal: Learn specific allyship actions you can take based on your positional power—and
brainstorm how to apply them at your workplace

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Remember to create space for everyone in your breakout group to share.
If someone shares a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Discussion prompts

Talk about one individual, interpersonal, and structural action. For each action, discuss:

What would it look like for you to practice that action in your role at your organization? Whom
would you talk to, what would you do, or how would you get started?
What inequity will that action address? What group will it advance or support?
What challenges might you face? How might you—individually or with others in your group—start
to work through those?

MODULE 6

Review
the Active
Allyship
Framework

Active Allyship
Framework

See your privilege is connected to Identify inequities at work, Consider actions to take, and Own your positional power

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

One Commitment

THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING IN
TODAY’S WORKSHOP

MODULE 7

Follow-up
sessions

Strategy 3: Contribute to or create
fairer hiring and promotion practices

FOLLOW-UP SESSIONS

SESSION #1

Follow-up
sessions

Strategy 4: Proactively create an
inclusive culture

Strategy 5: Intentionally invest in
the advancement of people with
traditionally marginalized identities

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Instructions

Welcome back! Here is what you need to know for today:

Pages 117 through 148 in this workbook will walk you and your breakout group
through everything you need for today’s session
Start by picking one person to moderate today’s conversation. This person is
responsible for:
- Managing the agenda and keeping the group on track to finish on time
- Sharing their screen during group work (pages to share will be marked with a
  purple box in the upper right corner, as shown above)
- Coordinating with the group to take turns reading shared pages aloud

Let’s get started! The moderator can start sharing their screen now.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Agenda

1 hour

Reflect on your One Commitment

10 min

Explore Strategy 3: Contribute to or create fairer
hiring and promotion practices

30 min

Practice using the Active Allyship Framework

15 min

Make your One Commitment

5 min

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

How to practice allyship in breakout groups

Share the mic

Make space for everyone to speak. Step back if you often share first or when
exploring areas where you hold privilege.

Commit to confidentiality

Don’t use other people’s names when sharing stories and keep everything
shared confidential.

Be mindful of your a-ha moments

When you see something through a new lens, remember that it might be part
of someone else’s day-to-day. Be aware of how your sharing will land for them.

Don’t question others’ experiences

Don’t question or discount the lived experiences of others.

Give one another grace

Believe one another’s best intentions and be patient when mistakes are made.

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Discussion about your One Commitment

Directions: Spend 10 minutes sharing your progress on your One Commitment using
the prompts provided

Discussion prompts

Were you able to make any progress toward it? Why or why not?
As you worked on your One Commitment, did you have any new realizations around:
- Your privilege
- Inequities in your workplace
- Your positional power
- Allyship actions you can take

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Directions

We’ll take the next 30 minutes to explore another strategy. As a reminder, in our
previous workshop we already learned about two strategies:
- Strategy 1: Create or help facilitate more inclusive meetings on page 81
- Strategy 2: Prioritize inclusion in your work product on page 96
Today, we’ll dig into how to contribute to or create fairer hiring and promotion
practices.
First, we’ll explore the strategy and its actions individually. Take the next 15 minutes
to read through pages 121–135, then we’ll come back to discuss. Moderator stop
sharing screen for individual work and start timer for 15 mins.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Strategy 3:

Contribute to or create fairer hiring
and promotion practices

Many of us play some role in hiring and promotions—whether that’s setting
policies that dictate how these processes work, interviewing candidates and
reviewing résumés for a particular role, or giving feedback on a colleague’s
performance. Inequities in the workplace mean that many people with
traditionally marginalized identities have to clear a taller bar to get hired and
to continue advancing.⁷⁷ Learn ways to make entry and advancement more
equitable for everyone.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Strategy 3:

Contribute to or create fairer hiring and promotion practices

Individual

Challenge your bias
Use gender-neutral
language and share your
pronouns

Interpersonal

Include more voices
Address bias if you notice it
- Ask a probing question
- Stick to the facts
- Explain the bias
Showcase others’ work
Provide accommodations

Structural

Use clear criteria
Appoint a ”criteria monitor”
Anonymize résumés and assignments
Implement unconscious bias training
for evaluators
Widen your network for recruitment
Require a diverse slate
Include D&I goals in performance
reviews

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Challenge your bias

Notice whether bias creeps into the way you evaluate potential
candidates for hiring and promotions. Do you think they’re a ”good fit”
because you have schools or hometowns in common?⁷⁸ Are you excited
about attributes that have more to do with shared privileges as opposed
to their experience for the role? Do you notice a pattern of considering
more men for promotions based on their potential, as opposed to their
performance?⁷⁹ Educate yourself about how bias can show up in the
evaluation process and then take steps to counteract it. Lean In’s 50 Ways
to Fight Bias program is a good starting point to understand how bias
can show up in hiring and promotions.

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Use gender-neutral language and share your pronouns

In the interview and evaluation processes, use gender-neutral pronouns
(”they” and ”them”) to refer to a candidate until you know their pronouns.
This reduces the chances that you’ll unintentionally misgender someone.
And at the beginning of interviews, share your pronouns to signal you won’t
assume gender and to make space for candidates to share theirs.⁸⁰

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Include more voices

A balance of interviewers brings unique perspectives to the process. Include
colleagues from various levels and diverse backgrounds in interviews, the
calibration process, and promotions discussions. Notice who is invited to sit
in on hiring and promotions meetings and then include more people with
diverse points of view.

Interpersonal action

Listen to David’s experience

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Address bias if you notice it

When the evaluation criteria are unclear or if candidates are all judged differently,
it’s easier for biased comments to creep into the decision-making process. Here
are a few ways to call out bias if you notice it influencing which candidates move
forward or who is offered a promotion:

Ask a probing question: If you overhear
biased comments or questions that may
influence an applicant’s chances of getting
hired or a colleague’s chances of getting a
promotion, you can call it out by asking a
probing question. For example, you might
ask, ”What makes you think that?” to help the
person who made the remark realize their
comment isn’t based on hard evidence.⁸¹

Stick to the facts: When you can, shift the
conversation toward concrete, neutral
information to minimize bias. For example,
if someone makes a subjective or biased
comment in a hiring or promotions meeting,
refocus attention back to the list of criteria
for the role.⁸²

Explain the bias: Surface patterns of bias
you’ve observed, like a manager questioning
the commitment of mothers but not fathers,
or a hiring committee that advances white
people based on potential but requires
people of color to demonstrate more
expertise in order to be hired.⁸³ Explain
what those patterns mean—for example, you
might explain that by holding mothers to
a higher standard, you make it harder for
them to get the opportunities they deserve.
Or you might share how arbitrarily judging
candidates against different sets of criteria
makes it harder for people of color to
get hired.⁸⁴

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Showcase others’ work

Doing so can be key to getting someone noticed for a promotion. It can
also help to foster fairness, since many people with traditionally marginalized
identities are more likely to have their competence questioned and their ideas
overlooked; highlighting contributions can be an important way to ensure
the advancement of colleagues with traditionally marginalized identities.⁸⁵
If someone helps make your work product better, or if they are acting to improve
your workplace’s culture, make a point of letting others know you
think they’re doing a good job. You might send an email to their manager
or make a point of saying in a meeting, ”I just wanted to thank Sue
for their contributions on the project.”

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Provide accommodations

Before an interview, make sure to ask whether candidates require any
special accommodations. You can also proactively share directions to
the interview that describe the layout of the building so that people with
physical disabilities have more information on how to navigate it.

Interpersonal action

Listen to Andréa's approach

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Use clear criteria

Use clear and consistent review criteria that are in place before the hiring
or review process begins so they’re applied consistently to all candidates.
In hiring, it can be helpful to ask all candidates a list of the same questions
so it’s easier to judge responses. For promotions, define clear requirements
for each level of a role and use those to evaluate candidates who are up for
promotion. Evaluation tools should be designed to gather objective input:
using a quantitative rating system—such as a five-point scale with concrete
anchors—has been shown to reduce bias, as compared to relying on open-
ended questions. Evaluators should also be prompted to support their
ratings with explanations and specific examples.⁸⁶

Structural action

Listen to Kimberly's approach

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Appoint a ”criteria monitor”

Have an HR team member or an employee from a different department sit
in on hiring and promotion conversations to make sure evaluators remain
focused on the criteria for the role. If they can’t sit in on the meetings
themselves, have them debrief or review the assessments. Research shows
that when a specific person monitors for this, evaluators are less likely to
base their recommendations on subjective factors, such as a candidate’s
”culture fit” or personality.⁸⁷

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Anonymize résumés and assignments

Try to anonymize résumés and skills assignments as much as possible,
especially in the early stages of the hiring process. Research shows that
anonymous evaluations reduce bias in hiring and improve outcomes for
women and people of color.⁸⁸

Structural action

Listen to Daisy's approach

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Implement unconscious bias training for evaluators

Require anti-bias, antiracism, and diversity and inclusion training for
everyone evaluating candidates or colleagues for promotion. Make sure
the training addresses disability and sexual identity as well as race and
gender. Only 19% of companies require bias training for employees
involved in hiring, and a mere 4% require training for employees involved
in performance reviews. To be effective, bias training needs to teach
employees to counteract bias in specific scenarios.⁸⁹

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Widen your network for recruitment

Share your job descriptions with organizations that help you reach groups
who are underrepresented at your company—for example, HBCUs, state and
community colleges, or disability advocacy organizations. And ensure that
your recruitment team seriously reviews candidates who are not referred
by current team members, since people tend to refer others who look like
them, which can limit your organization's diversity.

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Require a diverse slate

Require a diverse slate of candidates when filling open roles. Research
shows that reviewing a wider range of applicants can be a powerful
driver of change at every level. A truly diverse slate includes two or more
candidates from any underrepresented group. Research shows that when
only one woman or one Black person is included in a list of finalists, there is
statistically zero chance they will be hired—but when two such candidates are
included, the chance that one of them will be hired rises dramatically.⁹⁰

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Include D&I goals in performance reviews

Implement regular pulse surveys to get feedback on how included
people feel at the organization, and hold leadership accountable in their
performance reviews for those inclusion scores.⁹¹

Structural action

Strategy 3: Contribute to or create
fairer hiring and promotion practices

TURN YOUR CAMERA BACK ON
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Discussion about allyship strategies (15 mins)

Goal: Learn specific allyship actions you can take based on your positional power—and
brainstorm how to apply them at your workplace

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Remember to create space for everyone in your breakout group to share.
If someone shares a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Discussion prompts

Talk about one individual, interpersonal, and structural action. For each action, discuss:

What would it look like for you to practice that action in your role at your organization? Whom
would you talk to, what would you do, or how would you get started?
What inequity will that action address? What group will it advance or support?
What challenges might you face? How might you—individually or with others in your group—start
to work through those?

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Next, we’ll practice using the
Active Allship Framework.
As a reminder, the Active
Allyship Framework is meant
to help you think about how
to best use your privilege and
power to address inequities—or
in other words, how to practice
allyship.
It maps to what we covered
in the workshop: privilege,
workplace inequities, positional
power, allyship actions

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Privilege is the unearned
advantage we get from being
part of a dominant group whose
needs have traditionally been
prioritized.
Pages 11–12 show the personal
privilege exploration.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Workplace inequities are the
lack of fairness or injustices
in the workplace that result
in barriers to access and
opportunity for one group more
than another.
Pages 17–67 show the
workplace inequities
exploration with relevant
research and stories.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Your positional power is your
ability to enact change in the
workplace based on your role
and level in your organization.
Pages 71-75 show your power
statements.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Allyship actions are steps you
can take to show up as an ally in
your workplace. In this program,
we’ve organized allyship actions
under five high-level strategies.
You’ve now learned about three
of the five strategies. Pages 82,
97, and 122 show the action
summary pages.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Build your Active Allyship Framework

Now let’s take 15 minutes to practice
using it.

5 minutes: Think about an opportunity
you have to practice allyship. On
the next page, answer each of the
questions related to that opportunity.
10 minutes: Come back together as a
group to discuss.

Remember:

The framework isn’t linear—you can fill
it out in any order.
Everyone has different privilege
and positional power, so everyone’s
framework will be different.

An inequity I see
at work is…

The action I’ll
take as an ally
is…

I’m able to act as
an ally because…

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Build your Active
Allyship Framework

What workplace inequities have
you noticed?

What actions might you take?

What positional power do you have?

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discuss your Active Allyship Framework

Goal: Share out your Active Allyship Framework with your group

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Remember to create space for everyone in your breakout group to share.
If someone shares a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Prompt

Take turns sharing your screen and share what you wrote down with the group.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Make your One Commitment

Finally, let’s spend a few minutes journaling about our One Commitments—meaning
what we hope to accomplish between now and the next follow-up session.

As a reminder, here are a few examples of a One Commitment:

Practice an action or two that you discussed with your group.
Practice the action you explored through the Active Allyship Framework.
Continue to review what we learned here by going through your workplace privilege
statements, rewatching some of the videos, or talking to someone else in the workshop
about allyship.

Let’s turn to the next page to complete our One Commitments individually.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

One Commitment

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discuss your One Commitment

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Remember to create space for everyone to share.
If someone shares a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Goal: Share out your One Commitment with your group

Prompt

Take turns sharing your One Commitment with the group

SESSION #2

Follow-up
sessions

Strategy 4: Proactively create an
inclusive culture

Strategy 5: Intentionally invest in
the advancement of people with
traditionally marginalized identities

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Instructions

Welcome back! Here is what you need to know for today:

Pages 151 through 182 in this workbook will walk you and your breakout group
through everything you need for today’s session
Start by picking one person to moderate today’s conversation. This person is
responsible for:
- Managing the agenda and keeping the group on track to finish on time
- Sharing their screen during group work (pages to share will be marked with a
  purple box in the upper right corner, as shown above)
- Coordinating with the group to take turns reading shared pages aloud

Let’s get started! The moderator can start sharing their screen now.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Agenda

1 hour

Reflect on your One Commitment

10 min

Explore Strategy 4: Proactively create an inclusive
culture

30 min

Practice using the Active Allyship Framework

15 min

Make your One Commitment

5 min

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

How to practice allyship in breakout groups

Share the mic

Make space for everyone to speak. Step back if you often share first or when
exploring areas where you hold privilege.

Commit to confidentiality

Don’t use other people’s names when sharing stories and keep everything
shared confidential.

Be mindful of your a-ha moments

When you see something through a new lens, remember that it might be part
of someone else’s day-to-day. Be aware of how your sharing will land for them.

Don’t question others’ experiences

Don’t question or discount the lived experiences of others.

Give one another grace

Believe one another’s best intentions and be patient when mistakes are made.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discussion about your One Commitment

Directions: Spend 10 minutes sharing your progress on your One Commitment using
the prompts provided

Discussion prompts

Were you able to make any progress toward it? Why or why not?
As you worked on your One Commitment, did you have any new realizations around:
- Your privilege
- Inequities in your workplace
- Your positional power
- Allyship actions you can take

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Directions

We’ll take the next 30 minutes to explore another strategy. As a reminder, we already
learned about three strategies:
- Strategy 1: Create or help facilitate more inclusive meetings on page 81
- Strategy 2: Prioritize inclusion in your work product on page 96
- Strategy 3: Contribute to or create fairer hiring and promotion practices on page 121
Today, we’ll dig into how to proactively create an inclusive culture.
First, we’ll explore the strategy and its actions individually. Take the next 15 minutes
to read through pages 155–169, then we’ll come back to discuss. Moderator stop
sharing screen for individual work and start timer for 15 mins.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Strategy 4:

Proactively create an inclusive
culture

The culture and norms of a workplace can have a significant impact on
employees' sense of inclusion and belonging—and in turn, on job satisfaction.
Whether you're a leader who creates policies that shape these norms or an
entry-level employee who interacts with others, your actions can contribute to
or change the culture. Learn how to make intentional choices that can help your
colleagues feel comfortable being themselves at work.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Strategy 4:

Proactively create an inclusive culture

Individual

Educate yourself about the day-
to-day experiences of others
Notice when the workplace
might not work for others
Use inclusive language
Model flexible work

Interpersonal

Check in privately
Practice micro-interventions
Center the experiences of
marginalized employees
Invite others on your journey

Structural

Develop clear and specific
conduct guidelines
Make work events accessible
Provide identity-specific
inclusion training for all
employees
Advocate for transparency
Link metrics to rewards

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Educate yourself about the day-to-day experiences of others

Learn about the experiences and needs of people with traditionally
traditionally marginalized identities by listening to friends and coworkers with
those identities. Proactively seek out books, articles, movies, and shows created by
people with traditionally marginalized identities. If you don’t have natural
opportunities to hear directly from folks in your life, don’t ask people with
traditionally marginalized identities whom you don’t know well to explain
something that impacts them or their community. Instead, seek out books, social
media accounts, podcasts, or articles that explain the way systems and policies have
impacted some groups differently from the way they’ve impacted you or
your family. Many organizations offer lists, like this LGBTQ+ movie and book
list from Out and Equal.

Individual action

Listen to Kimberly's experience

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Notice when the workplace might not work for others

As you move through your workday, think about which identities you
hold that give you privilege, such as your race, class, religion, ability,
gender, or sexual orientation. Then question how your experience
might be different if you didn’t hold those identities. That might look like
noticing whether the office is physically accessible, whether there are
gender-neutral bathrooms, or whether your policies support caregivers
or people with invisible disabilities.

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Use inclusive language

Our casual conversations and small talk can have an impact on our
colleagues. For example, realizing you shouldn’t assume you know the
gender of a colleague’s partner when you ask about their weekend. Or
not questioning a coworker about their religion in a way that implies it is
different or abnormal.⁹² The SumOfUs style guide can be a good place to
start to learn to be mindful of language you should avoid when talking about
disability, sexuality, gender, and race. If you do say something offensive or
hurtful to someone else, apologize once you realize it or when someone
points it out and commit to doing better in the future.

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Model flexible work

If you are a manager or leader, you can create or reinforce norms that
help employees better balance work and life. Model your values by taking
advantage of flexibility offered by your employer, like using your full parental
leave or taking mental health days off and letting employees know it’s
okay to do the same.⁹³ The goal is to make space for employees to use the
flexibility they need so they can truly be productive and happy in their jobs.

Individual action

Listen to David's experience

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Check in privately

Our time at work isn’t happening in a vacuum. When there are news events
that impact a colleague’s community, it may be helpful to reach out and
check in with that colleague, depending on your relationship with them.
However, if you haven’t previously had one-on-one conversations about
the topic with your coworker, it may not be appropriate or helpful to reach
out—use your best judgment and remember to keep their needs centered,
instead of thinking about how it will make you feel to contact them.⁹⁴

Interpersonal action

Listen to Rima's experience

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Practice micro-interventions

Micro-interventions are everyday acts that push against bias and lend support to
an employee from a marginalized group. When you overhear a biased comment
or witness a microaggression, speak up in the moment, or pull the person aside
later. The best way to speak up, according to research, is to give a clear, brief, calm
explanation of what was done wrong and why it caused harm.⁹⁵ An intervention
like this may seem small, and it may be tempting to put off acting in the hopes that
someone else will solve the problem, but employees are more likely to push back
against bias and serve as allies when they see their coworkers do it. So to truly create
a culture of inclusivity, it’s important to call out a lack of inclusivity when you see it.⁹⁶

Interpersonal action

Listen to Deena's approach

or read the transcript here

Listen to Taylor's experience

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Center the experiences of marginalized employees

If you’re in leadership or you’re a manager, ask those with marginalized
identities what the organization could do to better support employees.
However, don’t make extra, unpaid work for marginalized employees.
Aim to solicit feedback in a variety of ways (anonymous, in person, or a
personalized note depending on what the employee prefers) and make
it optional to participate. Clarify that the feedback itself is for inclusion,
signaling your openness to hearing feedback that may be relevant to
identity. If employees with traditionally marginalized identities do contribute,
let their manager know the value they've contributed to the project and
advocate for that work to be rewarded in performance reviews.

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Invite others on your journey

Research shows that people’s mindsets are impacted by those around them,
so you can try to multiply your impact by connecting with others around
you.⁹⁷ Talk to other people whom you see practicing allyship to share ideas,
resources, and hold one another accountable. For example, join or form
employee resource groups, book clubs, or standing lunch discussions. You
could also invite others to come along when you participate in trainings or
events held by underrepresented or marginalized people. Over time, you may
find this helps you motivate and support one another as you develop as allies.

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Develop clear and specific conduct guidelines

Develop guidelines to explain exactly what an inclusive culture looks
like and what constitutes unacceptable behavior. To be treated seriously,
these guidelines must be supported by a clear reporting process and swift
consequences. Companies should also hold periodic refreshers to drive the
guidelines home and make sure all employees understand them.⁹⁸

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Make work events accessible

Make sure that work events are inclusive for people with disabilities,
caregivers, and those who don’t drink alcohol. For example, if most
networking events are held in bars after work hours, it can send a message
that employees who don’t drink—and other groups like caregivers who need
to be home soon after work—are not considered when social events are
planned. It also means those employees are often excluded from the team
bonding that can lead to career opportunities. You might launch or suggest
launching a survey so employees can share the types of spaces, times, and
activities that work best for them.⁹⁹

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Provide identity-specific inclusion training for all employees

Request or provide training related to anti-racism, visible and invisible
disabilities, trans-inclusive work environments, or other identity-specific
trainings. Employees, especially managers, should know how to create an
environment that makes employees comfortable talking about what they
need in order to be successful and happy at work. Employer Assistance and
Resource Network on Disability Inclusion is one place to start for employers
looking for disability inclusion training, and Stanford offers free lessons on
topics like unconscious or implicit bias and anti-racism.

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Advocate for transparency

Organizations that practice open communication, especially when it comes
to diversity, equity, and inclusion, are more likely to have employees
who buy into organizational change.¹⁰⁰ There are a couple of key ways to
advocate for transparency:

Share diversity metrics with all employees, including goals and metrics that
will track those goals. For instance, if companies don't set goals by gender
and race combined, they are not explicitly prioritizing the advancement of
women of color. That means women of color, who face a uniquely challenging
combination of sexism and racism, are more likely to be overlooked.¹⁰¹
Be as transparent as possible about key decisions that impact employees
and the business—including the thinking behind those decisions. Increasing
transparency across the organization reduces uncertainty and increases
employees’ sense of participation, which can lead to a more equitable
workplace.¹⁰²

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Link metrics to rewards

What gets rewarded is typically what gets done. Currently, fewer than 1 in 5
companies offers financial incentives for senior leaders who meet diversity
targets. Hold leaders and managers accountable for meeting diversity
goals by incorporating those goals into management expectations and
performance reviews.¹⁰³ You might suggest that your organization keep track
of inclusion scores collected via pulse surveys (i.e., how included and what
sense of belonging employees feel at the company) as a way for leaders and
managers to track progress against diversity and inclusion goals.¹⁰⁴

Structural action

Strategy 3: Contribute to or create
fairer hiring and promotion practices

TURN YOUR CAMERA BACK ON
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Discussion about allyship strategies (15 mins)

Goal: Learn specific allyship actions you can take based on your positional power—and
brainstorm how to apply them at your workplace

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Remember to create space for everyone in your breakout group to share.
If someone shares a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Discussion prompts

Talk about one individual, interpersonal, and structural action. For each action, discuss:

What would it look like for you to practice that action in your role at your organization? Whom
would you talk to, what would you do, or how would you get started?
What inequity will that action address? What group will it advance or support?
What challenges might you face? How might you—individually or with others in your group—start
to work through those?

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Next, we’ll practice using the
Active Allship Framework.
As a reminder, the Active
Allyship Framework is meant
to help you think about how
to best use your privilege and
power to address inequities—or
in other words, how to practice
allyship.
It maps to what we covered
in the workshop: privilege,
workplace inequities, positional
power, allyship actions.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Privilege is the unearned
advantage we get from being
part of a dominant group whose
needs have traditionally been
prioritized.
Pages 11–12 show the personal
privilege exploration.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Workplace inequities are the
lack of fairness or injustices
in the workplace that result
in barriers to access and
opportunity for one group more
than another.
Pages 17–67 show the
workplace inequities
exploration with relevant
research and stories.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Your positional power is your
ability to enact change in the
workplace based on your role
and level in your organization.
Pages 71-75 show your power
statements.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Allyship actions are steps you
can take to show up as an ally in
your workplace. In this program,
we’ve organized allyship actions
under five high-level strategies.
You’ve now learned about four
of the five strategies. Pages
82, 97, 122, and 156 show the
action summary pages.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Build your Active Allyship Framework

Now let’s take 15 minutes to practice
using it.

5 minutes: Think about an opportunity
you have to practice allyship. On
the next page, answer each of the
questions related to that opportunity.
10 minutes: Come back together as a
group to discuss.

Remember:

The framework isn’t linear—you can fill
it out in any order.
Everyone has different privilege
and positional power, so everyone’s
framework will be different.

An inequity I see
at work is…

The action I’ll
take as an ally
is…

I’m able to act as
an ally because…

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Build your Active
Allyship Framework

What workplace inequities have
you noticed?

What actions might you take?

What positional power do you have?

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discuss your Active Allyship Framework

Goal: Share out your Active Allyship Framework with your group

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Remember to create space for everyone in your breakout group to share.
If someone shares a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Prompt

Take turns sharing your screen and share what you wrote down with the group.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Make your One Commitment

Finally, let’s spend a few minutes journaling about our One Commitments—meaning
what we hope to accomplish between now and the next follow-up session.

As a reminder, here are a few examples of a One Commitment:

Practice an action or two that you discussed with your group.
Practice the action you explored through the Active Allyship Framework.
Continue to review what we learned here by going through your workplace privilege
statements, rewatching some of the videos, or talking to someone else in the workshop
about allyship.

Let’s turn to the next page to complete our One Commitments individually.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

One Commitment

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discuss your One Commitment

Goal: Share out your One Commitment with your group

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Remember to create space for everyone to share.
If someone shares a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Prompt

Take turns sharing your One Commitment with the group.

SESSION #3

Follow-up
sessions

Strategy 4: Proactively create an
inclusive culture

Strategy 5: Intentionally invest in
the advancement of people with
traditionally marginalized identities

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Instructions

Welcome back! Here is what you need to know for today:

Pages 185 through 211 in this workbook will walk you and your breakout group
through everything you need for today’s session.
Start by picking one person to moderate today’s conversation. This person is
responsible for:
- Managing the agenda and keeping the group on track to finish on time
- Sharing their screen during group work (pages to share will be marked with a
  purple box in the upper right corner, as shown above)
- Coordinating with the group to take turns reading shared pages aloud

Let’s get started! The moderator can start sharing their screen now.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Agenda

1 hour

Reflect on your One Commitment

10 min

Explore Strategy 5: Intentionally invest in the
advancement of people with traditionally marginalized
identities

30 min

Practice using the Active Allyship Framework

15 min

Make your One Commitment

5 min

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

How to practice allyship in breakout groups

Share the mic

Make space for everyone to speak. Step back if you often share first or when
exploring areas where you hold privilege.

Commit to confidentiality

Don’t use other people’s names when sharing stories and keep everything
shared confidential.

Be mindful of your a-ha moments

When you see something through a new lens, remember that it might be part
of someone else’s day-to-day. Be aware of how your sharing will land for them.

Don’t question others’ experiences

Don’t question or discount the lived experiences of others.

Give one another grace

Believe one another’s best intentions and be patient when mistakes are made.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discussion about your One Commitment

Directions: Spend 10 minutes sharing your progress on your One Commitment using
the prompts provided

Discussion prompts

Were you able to make any progress toward it? Why or why not?
As you worked on your One Commitment, did you have any new realizations around:
- Your privilege
- Inequities in your workplace
- Your positional power
- Allyship actions you can take

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Directions

We’ll take the next 30 minutes to explore another strategy. As a reminder, we
already learned about three strategies:
- Strategy 1: Create or help facilitate more inclusive meetings on page 81
- Strategy 2: Prioritize inclusion in your work product on page 96
- Strategy 3: Contribute to or create fairer hiring and promotion practices on page 121
- Strategy 4: Proactively create an inclusive culture on page 155
Today, we’ll dig into how to intentionally invest in the advancement of people with
traditionally marginalized identities.
First, we’ll explore the strategy and its actions individually. Take the next 15 minutes
to read through pages 189–199, then we’ll come back to discuss. Moderator stop
sharing screen for individual work and start timer for 15 mins.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Strategy 5:

Intentionally invest in the advancement
of people with traditionally marginalized identities

We all have power to contribute to others' career advancement—and this can be
particularly important for colleagues with traditionally marginalized identities who face
additional barriers in getting the opportunities they deserve. This can look like simply
amplifying the good work we see others doing, sharing opportunities that come our way, or
more formally mentoring or sponsoring people. Explore ways you can use your positional
power to support career advancement, in particular for those with traditionally marginalized
identities.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Strategy 5:

Intentionally invest in the advancement of people with
traditionally marginalized identities

Individual

Learn what representation
looks like in your field
Recognize affinity bias

Interpersonal

Mentor
Sponsor
Showcase work
Share public speaking
opportunities

Structural

Set representation goals
Support employee
resource groups
Create feedback channels

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INTENTIONALLY INVEST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES

Learn what representation looks like in your field

Do some research to find out which groups of people are specifically
underrepresented in your field and role. Seek out books, podcasts, or other
media to learn about the workplace experience for different identities in
your industry. This can help make you more informed about the barriers
different groups encounter to advancement so that you begin to notice
opportunities to push back against those barriers.

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INTENTIONALLY INVEST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES

Recognize affinity bias

Affinity bias means we gravitate toward people like ourselves in
appearance, beliefs, and background. And we may avoid or even dislike
people who are different from us.¹⁰⁵ If you’re a manager, notice if you
”click” with certain team members more than others and think about
why that may be. Or notice if your outings after work often exclude
certain groups of people. It’s natural to form friendships at work based
on commonalities, but be mindful of what those commonalities are and
whether or not you’re unfairly judging someone.

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INTENTIONALLY INVEST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES

Mentor

Mentor people with traditionally marginalized identities by giving them
feedback, workshopping problems or roadblocks they may be facing, and
sharing guidance to help them grow. You might do this with someone in your
organization, reaching out to second- and third-degree connections in
order to find mentoring opportunities in your wider network, or working
with the organizers of networking events to make it easier for attendees
to get in contact with you. Even if you’re early in your career, consider that
there are people still trying to get their first job who could benefit from
your experience.

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INTENTIONALLY INVEST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES

Sponsor

Sponsorship can open doors—and employees need more of it. But not
everyone knows what it is or how it differs from mentorship. It might be
helpful to think of it like this: mentorship is talking to someone (offering
advice or counsel, for example) and sponsorship is talking about someone
(playing up their skills and abilities to someone with enough positional
power to advance their career). Research shows that, fewer than half of the
employees at the manager level or higher serve as sponsors, and only 1
in 3 employees says they have a sponsor.¹⁰⁶ You can sponsor people with
traditionally marginalized identities by advocating for them to get the work
opportunities you think they’re qualified for, like recommending someone for
a stretch assignment or pushing for them to get additional headcount on
their team to do their best work. You might advocate for or launch a more
formal sponsorship program at your organization that helps connect junior
employees to those who can advocate on their behalf.

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INTENTIONALLY INVEST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES

Showcase work

People with traditionally marginalized identities may have a harder time earning
credibility and getting recognition for their work.¹⁰⁷ You can showcase a
colleague’s work by mentioning their contributions to other coworkers or
even to people outside of your workplace. Or you can look for more formal
channels to shine a spotlight on their work, like proposing they present at a
team or company meeting or advocating for them to be publicly listed as a
contributor on an important project they worked on.

Interpersonal action

Listen to David's experience

or read the transcript here

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INTENTIONALLY INVEST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES

Share public speaking opportunities

Presentation roles at events or conferences are career-advancing
opportunities that may be harder for marginalized people to gain access
to.¹⁰⁸ If you're speaking at an event and notice that the speakers lack
diversity (for example, there are no women or no people of color), offer
to give up your seat to increase the diversity of the group. If you know
someone else who could take your place, nominate them by name. You may
even consider adopting a formal policy of not participating in events that
don't meet certain standards you set for representation.

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INTENTIONALLY INVEST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES

Set representation goals

Intentionally set representation goals for increasing the number of people with
traditionally marginalized identities who work at your organization. For example,
rather than just setting goals related to race or gender, set representation targets
for gender and race combined—i.e., set goals specifically for women of color.
You can also set targets for your workforce across disability and sexual orientation,
such as the goal of having a workforce that is at least 3% LGBTQ+.¹⁰⁹ Work
across departments to determine goals that are realistic for your organization.
Before setting goals, get a baseline view of where the organization stands by
having employees voluntarily complete a demographic survey. This allows you
to see if people with marginalized identities are concentrated in lower-level
positions. Then you can set goals that will help your organization thoughtfully
move to greater diversity.

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INTENTIONALLY INVEST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES

Support employee resource groups (ERGs)

If you are in leadership, provide ERGs with the space to make a difference.
Consult with ERGs when pulling together speaker lists for corporate events
or when creating new diversity and inclusion initiatives. If you’re a manager or
running a team, consider whether ERGs could provide a helpful perspective to
your project or in defining larger company goals. And importantly, recognize
the contributions ERGs make in ways that give members the credit they
deserve—for example, share members' contributions with their managers
to include on performance reviews or name members' publicly as key
contributors to a project.

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INTENTIONALLY INVEST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES

Create feedback channels

Create or advocate for systems that let people at your company (including
leaders) hear directly from people with traditionally marginalized identities about
the barriers they face to advancement in your workplace. For example, you
can implement anonymous surveys or host town halls where employees with
traditionally marginalized identities are invited to speak. There may be issues
holding people back that the organization as a whole isn't aware of. Ensure that
employees can share their perspectives through these channels without fear.

Structural action

Listen to Deena's experience

or read the transcript here

TURN YOUR CAMERA BACK ON
WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discussion about allyship strategies (15 mins)

Goal: Learn specific allyship actions you can take based on your positional power—and
brainstorm how to apply them at your workplace

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Remember to create space for everyone in your breakout group to share.
If someone shares a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Discussion prompts

Talk about one individual, interpersonal, and structural action. For each action, discuss:

What would it look like for you to practice that action in your role at your organization? Whom
would you talk to, what would you do, or how would you get started?
What inequity will that action address? What group will it advance or support?
What challenges might you face? How might you—individually or with others in your group—start
to work through those?

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Next, we’ll practice using the
Active Allship Framework.
As a reminder, the Active
Allyship Framework is meant
to help you think about how
to best use your privilege and
power to address inequities—or
in other words, how to practice
allyship.
It maps to what we covered
in the workshop: privilege,
workplace inequities, positional
power, allyship actions.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Privilege is the unearned
advantage we get from being
part of a dominant group whose
needs have traditionally been
prioritized.
Pages 11–12 show the personal
privilege exploration.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Workplace inequities are the
lack of fairness or injustices
in the workplace that result
in barriers to access and
opportunity for one group more
than another.
Pages 17–67 show the
workplace inequities
exploration with relevant
research and stories.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Your positional power is your
ability to enact change in the
workplace based on your role
and level in your organization.
Pages 71-75 show your power
statements.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

Review the Active Allyship Framework

Allyship actions are steps you
can take to show up as an ally in
your workplace. In this program,
we’ve organized allyship actions
under five high-level strategies.
You’ve now learned about all
five strategies. Pages 82, 97,
122, 156, and 190 show the
action summary pages.

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Build your Active Allyship Framework

Now let’s take 15 minutes to practice
using it.

5 minutes: Think about an opportunity
you have to practice allyship. On
the next page, answer each of the
questions related to that opportunity.
10 minutes: Come back together as a
group to discuss.

Remember:

The framework isn’t linear—you can fill
it out in any order.
Everyone has different privilege
and positional power, so everyone’s
framework will be different.

An inequity I see
at work is…

The action I’ll
take as an ally
is…

I’m able to act as
an ally because…

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Build your Active
Allyship Framework

What workplace inequities have
you noticed?

What actions might you take?

What positional power do you have?

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discuss your Active Allyship Framework

Goal: Share out your Active Allyship Framework with your group

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Remember to create space for everyone in your breakout group to share.
If someone shares a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Prompt

Take turns sharing your screen and share what you wrote down with the group.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

Make your One Commitment

Finally, let’s spend a few minutes journaling about our One Commitments—meaning
what we hope to accomplish between now and the next follow-up session.

As a reminder, here are a few examples of a One Commitment:

Practice an action or two that you discussed with your group.
Practice the action you explored through the Active Allyship Framework.
Continue to review what we learned here by going through your workplace privilege
statements, rewatching some of the videos, or talking to someone else in the workshop
about allyship.

Let’s turn to the next page to complete our One Commitments individually.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

One Commitment

MODERATOR SHARE SCREEN

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

Discuss your One Commitment

Goal: Share out your One Commitment with your group

Tips for practicing allyship in this space

Remember to create space for everyone to share.
If someone shares a story, do not question or invalidate their experience.

Prompt

Take turns sharing your One Commitment with the group.

TRANSCRIPTS

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Share your pronouns and don’t assume others’ gender

TRANSCRIPT OF B'S EXPERIENCE

”There was period of time where I had a coworker who, any time we had a staff
meeting or were in a group together, I would get nervous that she would talk
about me because she would use the wrong pronouns for me consistently. I
would always be a little bit more tense at the meetings that she was in because
I never wanted to address it directly and it made me feel like I didn't trust her. It
made me feel like the meeting was a little bit awkward because I felt like other
people knew that she was doing it wrong. There's always a moment afterwards
when someone misgenders me where I'm like, 'Is someone going to say
something' or 'What's going on here?' It would just add a little bit of stress to
those meetings for me.”

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Challenge your bias

TRANSCRIPT OF KIMBERLY'S EXPERIENCE

”Earlier in my career, I worked at a university in a role that had me work with a lot of alumni. In this
particular institution, like many older higher education institutions, it was founded with primarily white
men. Slowly but surely, they brought in women, they brought in people of color. When dealing with
alumni, it was not unusual to be speaking with an older alum who still wishes that there were not
women and people of color at the institution most likely. The conversation that I remember vividly is a
day when I had a conversation with an alum in my office. It was myself and one of my colleagues who
reported to me who was a white female.

”In the conversation, the alum continuously cut me off and physically turned his chair to directly face
my colleague to speak with her directly and ask will she be handling this project? Will she be doing
this? Even though I was the more senior person in the room, he continuously reiterated that he would
prefer to work with her, prefer to hear her response. It was an extremely uncomfortable situation, but
the only—I don't even want to call it beauty. I think the only positive outcome of that conversation
was that my colleague who was a white female at the time, she said this was her first experience ever
witnessing racism blatantly.

”Up until then, she knew and believed that it was a reality for many people, but she never had seen it
up close and personal. Although that experience was dreadful, it led to a beautiful conversation about
what it looks like, what it feels like, and how she'd be able to be an ally in situations like that moving
forward, if she witnessed it happening again.”

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Give credit

TRANSCRIPT OF DAISY'S EXPERIENCE

”It's actually quite easy to amplify others in your organization, especially those who are not often
thought of, who may be more junior in the organization, who may feel marginalized, who may be the
Onlys. By the Onlys, I mean the only woman, the only person of color, the only person with an accent,
you name it, there's always an only in your group and you know them, they know they are the only one.

”To use any opportunity that you have to recognize their contributions, to acknowledge what they have
said in a meeting, to plus one a comment that they made and to bring it to the forefront, or simply to
just say, ‘Hey, that's a good idea. Why don't we think about it and let me get back to you.’ They feel
seen. They feel acknowledged. They feel recognized.

”Another example, as a senior leader, you're often invited to speak on panels, conferences, and
workshops to represent your organization. Well, why not try to diversify that list by giving up your seat
and picking someone else in the organization, or perhaps, a few more junior, people of color, women,
or members of other traditionally marginalized identities who may not often be the ones who get picked,
but who need the practice, who need the exposure. Frankly, they're the ones that are actually doing
the work and can speak much better than you.

”A third example is just to let managers know what's happening with their team members. When you
have a good experience with someone, when someone contributes to one of the work products that
you're responsible for, it takes a minute or two to write a quick note to a manager, to let them say, ‘Hey,
such and such is a superstar. He or she did X, Y, Z. They should be rewarded. Let me know if you need
anything else from me.’ It's as simple as that.”

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CREATE OR HELP FACILITATE MORE INCLUSIVE MEETINGS

Ensure meeting environments are accessible

TRANSCRIPT OF ANDRAÉA’S EXPERIENCE

”There's a variety of things that can be done for meeting accessibility, both in person and virtual. One,
providing information upfront or prior to, for people with processing needs. Offering them in different
formats, specifically, if it's going to be in print even, or digital, large print documents, if anyone needs
braille. Absolutely making sure that anything that you're using is screen-reader accessible, whether
that's having that checked using a few visuals, making sure that any visuals that you are using have
image descriptions or alt texts. When it comes to actual meetings, captioning is really significant, really
and helpful for all people, not just people who are deaf, or hard of hearing. Having captioning and
honestly not relying on auto-captions because that's not always great. In general, allowing a space
for people to make requests for accommodations. A lot of times people don't ask because they don't
think that it's an option.

”At any invitation, any meeting or invitation that you're sending out or advertising, just having a line
that says, ”If you require accommodations, email, or complete this form,” and then offering some of
those so that whether that's ASL or whether that's CART, or just captioning, whatever. Also just being
aware of if you're using virtual resource or virtual space but you're cognizant of whether things like the
chat are accessible. Sometimes it's not accessible for people that are using screen readers. There's
also if you're in a physical space thinking about just the layout of the room, not only for people that
might have mobility devices but again, for people that might need to be seated up front or in certain
parts of the room.

”Another thing is just thinking about both virtually or in person, how a meeting is broken up. Are
you allowing breaks for people that need sensory needs or processing needs, or what have you?
Alternative formats, thinking about your PowerPoints and making sure that you're describing slides for
those that might need that support visually. There's a variety of things that you can do, but those are
just some quick ones.”

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PRIORITIZE INCLUSION IN YOUR WORK PRODUCT

Share ideas with colleagues

TRANSCRIPT OF TAYLOR’S EXPERIENCE

”There was a Scholar Strike to support the Black Lives Matter movement in academia and the Scholar
Strike called for either a walkout or a teach-in depending on what was available to you as an employee.
What was available to me was a teach-in in which I still showed up to class, but I focused the class on
racial justice topics.

”I reached out to a couple of colleagues and none of them had even heard of Scholar Strike. They
weren't participating. I definitely felt nervous embarking on this individually: ‘I'm just going to do this
at my workplace. I'm just going to make my class be about race today.’ I was nervous even though I do
lots of things about race in my work. I study that topic, but I was really nervous–how am I going to put
this in the classroom?

”I assigned the class a reading that was about race and entrepreneurship and how there's lots of gaps
in access to support for entrepreneurs especially those who are Black, instead of those who are white.
I sent it out to the class and said, ‘I'm not sure if you guys have heard about Scholar Strike, but as our
way of participating, we're going to be doing this reading. Slight change in plans. Try to read this over
the weekend and we're going to have a discussion.’

”It was just fantastic. I was able to address it, put it in my class, and the students really, really responded
and were talking about all of these questions and making big connections. I think it was just great
and it worked out so well that afterwards, I actually had colleagues asking me about how it was, I
incorporated that extra theme and those extra readings into the class. Even though at first it was just
this individual action I was trying to do on my own, doing it helped bring other people along.”

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PRIORITIZE INCLUSION IN YOUR WORK PRODUCT

Set diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements for partners,
vendors, and suppliers

TRANSCRIPT OF B‘S EXPERIENCE

”When I was starting my new job, I had to give my manager both my legal
name and the name I use in order to get paid. When she was setting up my
account to log in hours I realized that my login name wasn't working for some
reason. I reached out to her to ask for help. She said it wasn't working because,
for some reason, the login needed to have the first letter of my legal name
instead of the name that I use. When she forwarded me an email thread, there
was an email in which she had asked them, ‘Can't we change the email login
name to the name that B uses? If not, why can't we do that?’

”That helped me realize that she was advocating for me on my behalf without
me even having to ask. I felt a sense of relief coming to a new workplace and
knowing that this was somebody who was going to be on my side and that in
the future, if I needed advocacy and then I needed to request it, I knew I could
ask her and that she would be able to do it for me.”

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Include more voices

TRANSCRIPT OF DAVID’S EXPERIENCE

”I had the chance to talk with a leader in the aerospace industry. He shared a
story with us about how, when he was on a hiring committee, he thought he
really understood how he could be unbiased or more fair and equitable in
terms of promotions and advancement and hiring in this case. He said that it
was really interesting where they gathered the last four candidates for the hiring
committee and the best candidate was clearly a woman. He thought he would
show, again, how gender savvy he was and how he was really looking at this.
He said, ‘This job requires a lot of travel. She recently had a baby. I wonder if
this job is really the right job for her.’ He said, fortunately for him, there was a
woman on the committee and she had flames coming out of her eyes and she
was staring at him and she said, ‘I'm pretty sure she's a smart woman. When she
applied for this job, she recognized that there's a lot of travel and I'm really sure
she knows that she had a baby recently. If that's the case, why don't we just let
her make that decision and not make that decision for her?’”

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Provide accommodations

TRANSCRIPT OF ANDRAÉA’S EXPERIENCE

”It's important to make sure that people know that you are inclusive, specifically disability
inclusive. A lot of times people do not apply for jobs because they don't see anything that
lets them know that they're welcome there. It's important. Most everyone now includes EEOC
statements, we're an equal employment opportunity employer, but putting something specific
about if you're a person with a disability that requires an accommodation, email, whatever that is,
or if you have it built into your application system, online application system, and that's both for
interviews, and whether that's even after hiring or what have you.

”It's also great if you just place in your advertisements things that you know are accessible about
your location. 'We have a ramp, we have door openers, there's an elevator.' You can either do
that when you're sending information about the interview after a person has been selected for an
interview, or you can just make that public. Also, you want to just make sure that your advertising
is inclusive. If you have photos on your website or social media recruitment materials, during
job fairs, whatever that you have, that is inclusive of disabled people, recognizing that not all
disabilities are visible. It's important because that is what's really going to speak to disabled
people and know and help them know that you are open to hiring them.”

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Use clear criteria

TRANSCRIPT OF KIMBERLY'S EXPERIENCE

”During my time in talent acquisition, one of the projects that I thought was pivotal was really
developing an unbiased recruitment process. Many times people speak about wanting diverse slates,
diverse candidates, in order to interview for the role, but the process that professionals go through
can be biased in itself. One of the projects that we worked on was how to interact with candidates
throughout the interview process to ensure that as much bias as possible was removed and in this
case, developing a structured interview process was really, really helpful.

”Structured interviews in most companies, that means that each person has the same set of questions
that they ask each candidate to ensure that people are able to evaluate on the answers to the
questions, the behaviors that person exhibits, and even implementing a rating scale, to make sure that
as you're looking at candidates, it's not that one candidate who maybe knew someone had a much
easier interview than a candidate who had no previous relationship.

”It's really creating an entire end-to-end recruitment process that is much more structured so that
you're able to remove biases from candidates who potentially come from a certain institution, whether
it's higher education or a previous company or candidates who have a relationship with someone
at the organization. It's really making sure that the playing field is level for all applicants as they go
through the recruitment process.”

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

CONTRIBUTE TO OR CREATE FAIRER HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Anonymize résumés and assignments

TRANSCRIPT OF DAISY'S EXPERIENCE

”Reducing bias in recruitment and performance management, I think it's one
of the most important areas where we can change and address structural
barriers to success. That means ensuring that everyone who is part of the
recruitment process is aware of what biases can creep in, whether in sourcing,
whether in selection, whether in advancing a candidate from one stage to the
next, and even in the decisions about what they are going to get paid and
what their titles are going to be.

”Biases creep up at every step of the process and raising awareness about
them and creating bias busters at every stage of the recruitment process
enables you to not only produce a more diverse talent pipeline, but it also
enables you to start helping everyone in the process build the muscles to
ensure equity in recruitment.”

Structural action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Educate yourself about the day-to-day experiences of others

TRANSCRIPT OF KIMBERLY'S EXPERIENCE

”During my time in higher education, there was an opportunity to formally serve as an ally for
students in the LGBTQIA community. Being an ally in higher education at this time meant that
you would literally have a triangle on your door that signaled to students that they can come
and talk to you whenever they had any, anything to really talk about. The requirement, though,
was that you attended a workshop. You had to opt in to attend the workshop.

”I thought this was a really beautiful opportunity to learn about the LGBTQIA community. It
was back to basics. There literally was a workbook with terminology. You were able to openly
ask questions, ask about concerns, ask about potential scenarios that could come to you. I
really enjoyed having a formal learning environment while also understanding that terms
change, experiences change. This was a continuous learning process that I have to be a part
of, but the workshop at least gave a strong foundation so that I was armed with the language
to speak to this population, to truly serve as an ally. It also empowered me to move forward
in asking questions when I'm unsure of how to speak to a certain group, gender, ethnicity,
LGBTQIA community, that I learned the language to ask questions that were not offensive and
that really came from a place of looking for understanding.”

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Model flexible work

TRANSCRIPT OF DAVID'S EXPERIENCE

”It's interesting. It makes such a difference when men and male leaders
in particular begin to advocate for policies that are good for everyone,
including parental leave and childcare and paid sick leave, and not just
advocate for it, but make sure that their employees are taking it. It's really
critical when we see that men in particular, if they're taking their parental
leave, that they don't hide it, they don't try to slink out the back door and
be real hush-hush and quiet about it. They're actually very public about
it and putting it on their out of office reply on their email because it
normalizes and destigmatizes the use of programs like paid sick leave and
parental leave and childcare for men and women in the workplace."

Individual action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Check in privately

TRANSCRIPT OF RIMA'S EXPERIENCE

”When the Beirut blast happened in early August of 2020, my phone was flooded with so many
different friends, peers, colleagues showing me their love and support because I'm Lebanese. My
family is Lebanese. My mom was actually in Beirut at the time. Thankfully nothing happened. The
immediate thought outside of just feeling loved and supported was thank God I messaged my friends
or people from marginalized communities when things like this happened at the time or things
uniquely impacted those communities. I felt really grateful that I pushed past the fear or anxiety and
showed other people that I was supporting them or thinking of them because it made me realize how
in our own heads we can get.

”There was not one moment where I looked at my phone and was like, ‘They're tokenizing me because
I'm Lebanese’ or ‘How do they know that this actually affected me? It didn't.’ No, I looked at my phone
and I felt loved. I felt supported. I felt appreciated. I felt that people loved me and cared about me
enough to look at this global headline and think of me and want to immediately let me know that
they're thinking of me and that they want to support me.

”I think that that just really changed the way I looked at anything else and it's just not worth it to get
in my own head. The next time something happens that does uniquely impact a group of people, I'm
not even going to hesitate. I'm going to pick up my phone and let them know that they're on my mind
because it really does make a difference.”

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Practice micro-interventions

TRANSCRIPT OF DEENA'S EXPERIENCE

”One of the most important but also hardest issues to address in the workplace is I think the presence
of comments or jokes rooted in bias, and for anybody who's ever been in a meeting or in a one-on-one
with someone, and that person says something that is out of left field, it's offensive, it reeks of bias, I
think that there are stages. Stage one being shocked. ‘Did this person just say that?’

”Stage two being ‘What does that mean for me? What do I do?‘ Stage three, unfortunately, is often
regret, regret that we let the comment go without addressing it. I actually encourage people to use
strategies that work for them to address bias and bias comments in the workplace. Number one, for
example, if you are the higher level person in that dynamic, it may be wholly appropriate for you to
take a more corrective tone with that person.

”If you are not, and the person who has made the comment is above you in the organization, there are
also helpful ways to bring a person back to more professional and objective language. For example, if
someone says something offensive or rooted in bias about a colleague's 'fit' in an organization, it can
be very helpful and illuminating for both of you to say, ‘Can you tell me a little bit more about what that
means to you?‘ Draw out for them the most objective language you can.

”Is this about a person's performance? Is it about the way that this person shows up, shows up for
colleagues, shows up in meetings, but really demonstrate through your questions that you are most
interested in objective concrete feedback about an individual and not these more subjective paths that
can really bring us really quickly into implicit bias.”

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

PROACTIVELY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE

Practice micro-interventions

TRANSCRIPT OF TAYLOR'S EXPERIENCE

”I was working on a project with a few other peers and one of them kept pulling content and making
references that were very racially loaded and sometimes explicitly racist. All of the people, all of the
peers in this team we were all white and I felt like this is the time when it's most important to call out
comments like this because this is when they're going to go uncalled when it's a racist comment made
in a room full of other white people. Then it felt very clear to me that if I'm trying to act as an ally that
there's lots of questions about what should I do and how, but in this moment, the obvious answer was
it is up to me to call this out and say, 'No, that's not okay.'

”I directly said to the colleague, 'You're making comments here that are explicitly racist. I'd love to
talk with you more about that so we can understand where this is coming from and how we can do
better.' He understandably was pretty defensive. I'm sure I was a little accusatory at the time as well,
but ultimately opened up a dialogue and we ended up talking for almost like 30, 45 minutes about
this is why that comment is racist. This is why that comment is going to make people feel othered. This
is how that comment is connected to this historical context and continues stereotypes. It seemed like,
although I don't know that I cured prejudice or anything like that, it seemed like he started thinking a
little more about whether maybe that had been racist or whether there was something there.

”I think even regardless perhaps of the effect on that particular colleague, I felt like it was really
important. The thing I was maybe most proud of was that then it set an example for the rest of us on
the team that if we say something like this, that's not welcome language here.”

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INTENTIONALLY INVEST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES

Showcase work

TRANSCRIPT OF DAVID'S EXPERIENCE

”I was once at a tech conference. In a conversation with one of the participants
there, it was really interesting to hear him talk about his female partner and the
work that they were doing in their company. He was raving on and on about
how great she was and how she was just so brilliant, and they couldn't be where
they are today if it hadn't been for her. I just remember how shocking it really
was at that moment in time because you just don't hear men talk about women
like that. It makes a difference when, again, we're sharing and understanding
our privilege in the moment.”

Interpersonal action

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY

INTENTIONALLY INVEST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES

Create feedback channels

TRANSCRIPT OF DEENA'S EXPERIENCE

”Feedback is so important. Feedback is the
nutrition. It's the nourishment that all leaders need
to stay strong and to grow. In my role, I manage a
couple of teams spanning different parts of their
careers, different programmatic functions. First and
foremost, my team knows how much I value input
and feedback. In other words, I don't bring up an
invitation for feedback only when something has
gone wrong.

”I build it into our regularly scheduled check-ins.
While that may seem like a small tactic, I think it's
vital because I believe that leaders should not make
it incumbent on our teams and our direct reports to
raise issues. There can really be a lot of hesitance
there, but instead to make a feedback loop a regular
part of your weekly or your biweekly check-ins; what
went well this week, what didn't go well this week,
how did I show up for you, what are ways that I can be
supportive of you.

”By having that standing opportunity for feedback, it
loosens people up to say, ‘I'm glad we talked about
what went well on the project, but I have to tell you,
there was this one moment in this meeting, and I'm
not sure if you caught it, but have you noticed that
whenever our client looks to make a decision, he

looks to you and not me, and I'm actually the program
manager. What do you think of that?’ When you have
these feedback loops, it mitigates the challenge that
I think a lot of people have when raising questions
about bias. Many of us don't want to say to our
manager, for example, I think our client is sexist, or I
think our client is racist. That is a huge indictment of a
person, and then we often feel pressure to justify it.

”Instead of putting that pressure on someone, have
this opportunity a standing opportunity to say,
‘Did this resonate with you, or did this strike you as
strange? Or have you observed this pattern?’ Again,
I think that these feedback loops are vital, and I
also think it's equally important as a manager to
demonstrate in your actions that when somebody
who reports to you brings you challenging feedback
about yourself, that you bring them to the other side,
you don't hold on to it as something to be resentful
of, that you take action for yourself and follow up
with that employee, because it really is a two-way
street. The person giving feedback is anxious and
the person getting feedback is anxious. It's vital that
leaders assure people throughout that process that
this is a value for both of you.”

Structural action