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5 Ally Actions - Apr 29, 2022

Better allyship starts here. Each week, Karen Catlin shares 5 simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace.

Know someone who wants to be a better ally? Forward our newsletter to them. Received a forwarded copy? Sign up here to get 5 Ally Actions delivered to your inbox every Friday.

1

Know your why


In her book The Wake Up, Michelle MiJung Kim shared that the most common question she gets as a diversity and inclusion workshop facilitator is “What can I do?” (Sometimes, it’s an even more direct, “Tell me what to do.”) She acknowledged it’s because “we’ve been trained to crave immediately actionable solutions that bring immediate results.”

I admit I see myself in her description.

Yet, the work of being more inclusive needs to start with knowing your why. Otherwise, our actions to be better allies can become performative gestures.

For example, why do you share your pronouns in your email signature? If your goal is to normalize the behavior to support transgender and non-binary colleagues, stating your pronouns is not enough. Be sure to also understand the barriers they face because of company policies and culture and how you can advocate for change. (You’ll find some ideas in Clark Musto’s story of going through a gender transition.)

If you include a land acknowledgment at the start of a meeting, ask why. If the goal is to show solidarity with Indigenous people or perhaps because everyone else is doing it, explore additional ways to support Indigenous people. (FYI, I explained why I share a land acknowledgement in a previous newsletter.)

As Kim wrote, “Consistently interrogating our why helps unearth our true motivations and goals, guides our what and how to be more holistic and precise, and grounds us for the long haul.”


2

Diversify your network


Last week on Twitter, Dr. Sarah Temkin posted a photo of the Obstetrics & Gynecology journal website, pointing out that the editor and deputy editors are all men. Yet, 60% of OB/GYN doctors are women.

I’ll chalk this up to the “just like me” network phenomenon. When we have homogeneous networks, we tend to nominate, recommend, and advocate for people “just like us” for jobs, leadership roles in professional societies, and editorial boards like that journal.

Homogeneous networks form because of how we network, spending time with people we have something in common with. Herminia Ibarra, a professor of organizational behavior at the London Business School, says, “Left to our own devices … we produce networks that are ‘just like me’.”

Research backs this up. For example, a report from the Kapor Center for Social Impact states that 75% of white people don’t have any people of color in their network. Furthermore, according to a study by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, women are more than five times more likely to rely on a network that is mostly female.

Now it’s your turn. Reflect on your professional network. If it’s full of people just like you, you’ve got work to do. Consider why you should have a more diverse network. (My recommendation? So that you’re in a better position to recommend and nominate people who are different from you.) Then identify actions you can take.

Looking for ideas? Keep reading.


3

Host a storytelling series


When I was out for a walk the other day, I listened to Brené Brown’s most recent book Atlas of the Heart. She mentioned one of her core beliefs: “People are hard to hate close up.” I found myself thinking about various approaches to get to know the individuals we work with and being curious about their experiences. Here’s just one.

My friend Dr. Kelly Paradis, an associate professor in Radiation Oncology at Michigan Medicine, told me about the “Becoming Series.” It’s a facilitated conversation where an employee tells the story of who they are and how their life experiences influence how they see the world. Overall, the goal is to help employees get to know each other better, which in turn helps create more understanding and inclusivity.

The series originated in 2019 at the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR). Since then, it has turned into one of their most popular Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offerings. Because of its success, other departments across Michigan Medicine now host these conversations, too.

Allies, consider creating a similar storytelling series for your team or organization. Start with one person who is willing to share their story. Meet ahead of time to identify the flow of the interview, perhaps using the prompts provided by MICHR for the Becoming series.


4

Provide free period products


While I’ve written about the benefits of free period products in a past newsletter, I recently learned something about the cost. If your organization doesn’t yet provide pads and tampons in your restrooms and cost may be given as a reason why, you’ll want to share this data point with the facilities team:

More than 200 Apple retail stores provide free period products at an estimated cost of US $5 per year per female employee. That’s right. Just $5/year.

Apple and many other organizations use the Aunt Flow service. According to their website, “Providing period products recuperates lost work hours, increases school attendance, and is just the freakin’ right thing to do.”

You know what else is the right thing to do? Provide these products in all restrooms, not just the women’s rooms. Non-binary & transgender men may also need them.


5

Build collaboration equity (continued)


In last week’s newsletter, I shared a few ways that Google is building “collaboration equity” in their hybrid meetings, including using tools like polls and chats for both in-person and remote participants, and starting meetings by asking for input from folks who are not in the room, so they feel welcome to contribute from the start.

I also asked all of you for other ideas for building collaboration equity. Here are some of the ideas that you shared:

  • Encourage everyone attending in a conference room to join by laptop.
    “As we first explored hybrid meetings, virtual team members often felt left out, with in-person teammates chatting together in a conference room as virtual joiners stayed mute and just watched. Now, when we join a call as a group from a conference room, teammates in the room also dial in individually, turning on video and muting their mics and speakers. Those in the room can then monitor the chat, look to the screen when they speak, and actually engage with those online, instead of just those in the conference room. The virtual joiners can see everyone individually, as if we were all virtual, instead of seeing one camera of ant-sized, pixelated teammates gathered around a table.” –Newsletter subscriber Katie Cassedy
  • Alternate who develops the agenda and facilitates a team meeting.
    “This allows different perspectives on development of topics, time allocation, and meeting facilitation. Each team member can have 1-1 time with the leader to align on topics or ensure the leader’s topics are included.” –Newsletter subscriber Carolyn Rospierski
  • Include “post-meeting conversations” in the meeting notes.
    “People who are in-person at the office meeting room often have informal conversations [after a meeting wraps up]. Sometimes it’s small talk, catching up on people’s lives, and sometimes it’s updates on things happening in the office, opinions on corporate decisions, etc. Because people on video miss out on such conversations, someone present in the room could capture key points from the post-meeting conversations.” –Anonymous newsletter subscriber

Once again, I feel compelled to shout for all to hear, “I have the best newsletter subscribers!” Thank you for contributing your ideas and wisdom. 🙏



That’s all for this week. I wish you strength and safety as we all move forward.

— Karen Catlin (she/her), Author of Better Allies®


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I’m excited about my upcoming talks for the California Water Association, Deloitte, Google, and Return of the Masterminds.

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