How to be a better ally at the workplace – As heard from DEI Champions and HR Leaders

15 June 2023

The best takeaway from any conversation are the practical tips from an individual’s lived experience. We had some interesting and powerful conversations at the end of our open session on Building Inclusive Organisations : LGBTQIA+ Inclusion last month.

The following are some themes and suggestions of effective approaches to LGBTQIA+ Inclusion, which were shared by the senior leaders who attended the event.

The key themes that emerged were reducing microaggressions and demonstrating actionable allyship.

  • Behaviours and actions need to demonstrate acceptance (vs judging) and validation(vs dismissal ) of LGBTQIA+ individuals’ gender and/or sexual identities as reality, and not an imagined problem. (“We have more important things to discuss than this” –is an example of dismissal when discussing inclusion).
  • Allies believe in and want equal rights for everyone and insist that all people are treated fairly – irrespective of difference.
  • Allies are people who take positive action to improve the climate around them.
  • Work to improve self – whether it is educating on the issues, or recognising, voicing against and reducing microaggressions. Take responsibility of silence as well.
  • Call out offensive and heterosexist verbiage.
  • Creating awareness around stereotyping of a singular LGBTQIA+ experience.
  • Good allies also confront both interpersonal biases (e.g., a coworker making an offensive comment) and systemic biases (e.g., a workplace dress code that discriminates against gender-queer individuals).
  • Listen more than speaking in discussions of LGBTQIA+ issues .
  • Being okay with the discomfort of not knowing and being vulnerable about the discomfort – we may know not everything, as long we can be curious with an intention of understanding.
  • Ask, clarify whenever in doubt, and do not make assumptions.

Being a good ally is beneficial to both the ally and those with marginalised gender and/or sexual identities, and actively role modelling allyship behaviours over time will help to build a culture of inclusion – empowering others to speak up and become allies themselves.