Inclusion: Three Ways to be an Ally in the Workplace

A few days after the world celebrated International Women's Day, I started to think even more about how far we've come and (ugh) how far we have left to go. On March 8 I was honored to lead my office in celebration, and for the event, played a webinar to celebrate #IWD2019 recorded by the Lean In organization. The stats were honestly disheartening, as we learned how so many women around the world still don't have rights that we take for granted. For example, being able to go school, to go to work, to have the right to drive a car. I learned some stats about the gender pay gap - did you know, at this rate it will take 202 years* to close that gap? Yeah, you heard that right, YEARS. But on the flipside, some of the stats were fantastic! For example, seeing how much progress has already been made by so many women over the years, and also strides in 2018 alone. All those ladies have been swinging at that glass ceiling for years, and have finally broken through it. It's amazing to see.

With continued progress, we can all break barriers and shatter our own glass ceilings, so that the future of women in the workplace is more optimistic. Though on the quest to shatter our ceiling, all of us (men and women) must be encouraging and empowering to those around us. Can you imagine how successful the women in our lives will be, with ALL of our support, cheering her on?

Whether or not your organization has a Diversity & Inclusion initiative, here are three ways you can support the women in your workplace, and ways you can be an ally to each other:

1. Encourage them to get a seat at the table. In some cases, this could be related to confidence if your female colleague hasn't had much opportunity. But, there could be a lack of diversity and inclusion in your workplace too. So - let's say there are no female writers that author your company's blog. As an ally, seek out talented women in your organization and suggest they write one, and let them know you think they'd be great at it. Second, do you know of a female colleague who is doing a wonderful job, but they get zero credit for it? Send a note of praise to their boss AND tell them in person how you value their work. Bonus: giving compliments will improve the mood of you AND your colleague...just sayin'. Third, do all of your meetings consist of men? Reach out other female members of your organization, brief them on the meeting outline or project, and ask them to come to the meeting with some ideas. Make a point to ask for their thoughts in the meeting.
2. Listen, and don't interrupt. Oh, and once they get to the meeting, listen. In my earlier point, your colleague just got a chance to attend a meeting where she could finally contribute. Don't diminish her presence and her idea by interrupting her, or talking over her. Yeah....don't be that person. We all deserve to voice opinions that could help our organizations succeed. Okay, but what if you're attending a meeting, and you see this happen?? It's your turn to speak up! As an ally, redirect the conversation back to her and allow her to communicate her idea.
3. Refer talented women to your organization. If you're reading this and thinking about the lack of women in your organization, in leadership, in your industry...it's time to do something about it. We all know smart, talented women - why not recruit them to join your organization? Reach out to those talented women that you know. If she isn't aware of your respect for her skills, let her know. Tell her how you believe your organization can benefit from her skills. Fight for her to speak to your hiring manager. Also, if you know some smart, talented women that would be great in your organization, but may not have the skills (yet), reach out to your Human Resources department. Find out what the skill expectations are for those roles, and encourage your friend to work on developing that skillset. This could be done by taking classes, getting a certification, doing a project on the side to gain experience - but find out what's needed and expected, so you don't send them off in a gazillion directions.

Then, repeat steps 1-3 as needed until everything in your workplace seems more gender-balanced. No one got where they are, by sitting by and waiting for things to happen to them. Stand up for each other, ask for what you want, join the conversation, and be a cheerleader for each of the women in your organizations. 

Amanda Wax is an IT professional, who uses boots (not heels) to kick down the glass ceiling a little more every day. Amanda is a Senior Program Manager at Veeam Software and a Veeam Women in Green Chapter Leader in Columbus, Ohio.

*"The state of women at work"; Image courtesy of Good Housekeeping.