How can allies help create an inclusive workplace?

It is important that the world has people that speak up for people who can’t necessarily always speak up for themselves and I think this absolutely applies to the workplace as well. In a very corporate environment such as JLL, there are probably a number of people who feel they are out of place at times and not seen for their actual self, mainly because they may be afraid to be their true selves because they are afraid to be judged or that people will make assumptions based on stereotypes that society has created and consequently they would be treated differently because of that.

A lot of major corporations tend to brush things like this under the rug and be rather stuck in their ways, as it has probably been working pretty well for the majority of their people. They are missing one thing, however – one very important thing – not everyone is the same and we can’t treat people based on our personal assumptions. Cultures and societies progress and norms are changing more and more over time.  This is why Allies play such a crucial role. We are here to empower people to think bigger and educate people about fairness, mutual respect, equality and acceptance.

I think that we are lucky to work for a company that is rather forward-thinking and progressive. This can be seen for example in events and training sessions that take place across the company throughout the year, our gender-neutral toilets in our offices or our ‘Dress for the Day’ policy where we encourage people to be themselves at the workplace and express their identity and not follow the corporate “everyone looks the same” dress code. These things go such a long way and they confront people to be more open-minded and considerate of others that are unlike them.

It also provides the opportunity to have an open dialogue. A lot of people at the workplace (and outside of the workplace) treat people under the assumption that they are straight and the gender they appear to be. This can be extremely discouraging for people who are not straight and don’t identify themselves with the gender they appear to be.  And this is where Allies can function as an educator and eye-opener to people. We can speak up and encourage people to confront their conscious and unconscious biases and to make an active effort to act and treat people more inclusively, even though it may make them feel uncomfortable.

I think it is important that Allies are not afraid to educate people whether they are in junior roles or very senior roles. It is even more important to educate people in very senior roles and encourage them to become Allies themselves, as they form part of the Leadership team and true Leaders are always: Influencers. The more open-minded, accepting and educated a Leadership team is, the more it will reflect on the wider business and subsequently, it will create a more inclusive workplace. 

       Chamini Krishnaratne

          Pan EMEA HR Advisor