What does allyship look like to you?

Welcome back to #FoodForThought, a newsletter serving up food for your brain — exploring news headlines and trending conversations in diversity, inclusion and belonging. Below, you’ll find insights from new LinkedIn News Live series #InclusionMatters and what’s on the minds of LinkedIn members in D&I. Hit subscribe above to be notified of future editions and share your thoughts in the comments.

“Do the research,” transgender advocate Amao Leota Lu replies firmly when I ask for her take on what makes a good ally.?

Appearing on episode 2 of Inclusion Matters — a new LinkedIn News series exploring diversity, inclusion and belonging across Australia, New Zealand and APAC — the LinkedIn Top Voice says it’s important not to rely on a trans or gender diverse person to “do the work for you”, explaining that by making that effort, it creates a safe environment for sharing.

“When I have someone in my organisation that approaches me, I’m going to want to feel comfortable. I’m going to want to feel connected with them, and I’m going to want them to know what they’re talking to me about, in terms of 'have you done your research about my community'?”

WATCH Inclusion Matters: Gender Equity

The connectivity piece is important to fellow LinkedIn Top Voice Niti Nadarajah too, who advocates for vulnerability as a way of creating psychologically?safe spaces and encouraging people to share their own experiences. Nadarajah acknowledges that while the pandemic encouraged professionals to open up, it needs to continue: “In order to create psychological safety, one of the things that you need to have is trust, and you need to have trust in the people that lead and you need to have trust in each other.”

But the founder of Coaching By Niti is well aware that vulnerability alone isn’t enough when it comes to allyship. Nadarajah says allies must be upstanders, not bystanders, believing that those on the sidelines are often in a better position to jump in and call out injustices.

Former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick agrees: “We need to have courage and we need to speak up in those moments because it is the micro moments that lead to the exclusion of women from workplaces.” Broderick explains it can be as simple as shutting down an inappropriate comment, not laughing at joke said in a meeting, and understanding the nuances behind that workplace behaviour.

“The women said to him, 'We laugh because we have to fit in, Steve’s our boss. And if we don’t fit in, we don’t survive in this company. But when you, as a CEO, laugh, you let us all down.'"

The Founder of Male Champions of Change believes an educated ally is an effective ally and one who takes “equal responsibility and accountability for change".

What does an effective ally look like? How can we each step up to make workplaces and communities psychologically and physically safe spaces for everyone? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Join us at 2pm on Wednesday, July 13 for episode 3 of Inclusion Matters. We'll be talking about disability in the workplace with Missing Perspectives Head of Creative Hannah Diviney and Paralympian Matt Levy. Click the image above to RSVP and receive a notification when we go LIVE.

Trending Conversations

Is it better to bring your 'whole"'self to work, or your 'best' self? That’s just one of trending on LinkedIn in diversity, inclusion and belonging.

CLICK the play button below to see what professionals are talking about and join the conversation in the comments.?

Something for you

Each week, I try and end on something to make you smile and think:

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Reporting by: Natalie MacDonald, Harriet Sinclair, Cathy Anderson, Emma Hudson, Abhiraj Ganguli, Marty Mccarthy, Brendan Wong

Photo credit: Getty Images