Written by:
Cathy Nestrick (she/her)
DEI Leader / Co-Host, Parity Podcast; Former VP and General Counsel, Berry Global Group, Inc.
Political allies have joined forces throughout history to defeat common enemies and liberate people. Why? Because we recognize that we are better together. Allies also belong in the workplace as we work together to support people who are underrepresented so that everyone has equal opportunities.
An ally is someone who is not a member of an underrepresented group but who takes action to support that group. As a White woman, I can be an ally by supporting a Black or Brown woman, a gay man, or a person who has a disability. Men can be allies by taking action to support women. These are just examples because there are too many potential allyships to list them all. The bottom line is that we all have the capability to take action to support someone in an underrepresented group, so we can all choose to be an ally.
Allies use their power - their credibility, influence, and network - to support someone in an underrepresented group. And every time an ally takes this action, their workplace becomes a more inclusive and equitable place to work. According to a recent study by the Harvard Business Review, when men show up as allies by proactively supporting women, 96% of their organizations see progress towards greater gender equality as compared to only 30% of all other organizations. Clearly, allies can make an impact.
If you want to be an ally but you aren’t sure how to get started, these are some ways you can start making impact today:
You can learn more about how to be an ally by reading Better Allies by Karen Catlin. As she recently said “There are many opportunities in every workplace to listen, learn, and take action as allies. It’s truly something anyone can do.” If you have a story about how an ally supported you, please reach out to me at cathynestrick@gmail.com.
Cathy Nestrick is a retired executive in the plastics industry, the founder and co-host of Parity Podcast focused on accelerating gender equality, and a DEI thought leader and speaker. You can find her on LinkedIn or www.par-ity.com.