“Allyship is about a purposeful collaboration of a dominant group of members to actively promote equity and equality and bring in change in the workplace,” said Dr. Jagatheesh Jayanand, Head – Learning & Talent Development, Bosch India. He was speaking at the 4th successive edition of The Power of I conference hosted by Avtar. An impressive lineup of DEI practitioners, enthusiasts, and senior leaders from abroad and India witnessed the virtual event themed ‘Diversity @ Dispersed, Digital, & Dynamic Workplace ‘.
The panel discussion titled, ‘Are you a Bystander or an Ally’, saw intense conversations around allyship in the workplace and was moderated by Dr. Nandini Murali, Vice-President, Learning & Research, Avtar Group. To Dr Jagatheesh’s statement on allyship in the workplace, Smriti Mathur, Senior Director, and Head of Human Resources Pega India added, “Allyship is more about an approach to life, to learn, listen, and act. The crucial step to allyship is to educate ourselves that it isn’t intuitive.” The discussion extended to exploring the defining moments of allies, with Rajesh Chopra, Head – Advisors South Asia, Mastercard Inc. responding, “We consciously included some changes in our hiring practices, and this was the one defining moment that led to a series of them. Those inclusive practices offered strategies that are beneficial and not only improved larger organizational benefits but also saw improved gender ratio, even at senior levels.”
Not very different from male allies, the woman allies in the panel also shared their experience of evolution, defining their allyship journey. “I started as a learner. I was just a volunteer. I invested time in sitting with women colleagues to correct their resumes, I would attend groups working with the pride community – editing their works in the background but also making sure I learned in the background. These are some of the actions some can take,” stated Vieshaka L Dutta, Director – Diversity Equity and Inclusion, India and APAC, Publicis Sapient, discussing actions taken to be an authentic ally. Adding her input, Smriti responded with an interesting take on how allyship is viewed and used. She says, “Lot of us struggle with the term allyship. It’s important to understand how your presence creates an impact in a situation. It starts with understanding the concept and learning about it, building a state of empathy and learning through experiences.”
Reiterating the fine line between an ally and bystander, Smriti said, “A lot of times, the difference between an ally and a bystander is that the latter is waiting for a perfect moment to jump in, but you don’t know whether you are right or wrong. It’s not that you don’t have an intent, or you are not trying to learn, or you don’t know you are going to make a mistake or not.” She added, “…it is important to learn through your experiences, and it is okay to make mistakes, just apologize. But don’t be a bystander. Be an upstander; if you are seeing somebody speak, question, or act in a way that is not comfortable, stand up and explain to everyone the situation as to why you are not comfortable. These activities create a culture of inclusion of belongingness.”
