Allies for Inclusion
Women and underrepresented groups of people alone cannot solve diversity and inclusion problems. An ally is a person who stands up for others to proactively build inclusion in our workplace. Be The Ally is a company-wide program that gives everyone who works at Meta common language, tools, and space to practice being a stronger ally at work. Employees are strongly encouraged to attend our Meta’s Be The Ally (virtual) program. They can also choose to become certified to be a Be The Ally Circle facilitator, serving as an ambassador and bringing the program’s messages and opportunities to their teams. Be The Ally also provides resources for continued independent learning, and a Meta Resource Group for ongoing conversation and collaboration.
Through Be the Ally, participants learn to:
- Build Deep Empathy
- If Managing Bias is our lecture, Be The Ally is our lab. Attendees bring real-life ally challenges to the table and learn about the impact that others experience when they are part of an underrepresented or “outsider” group.
- Fine-tune “Ally Radar”
- Participants learn about all the ways they can be a stronger ally to their colleagues… and all the times they may have missed out on opportunities to do so.
- Build Muscle Memory
- Taking actions to be an ally often feels uncomfortable the first several times a person tries it. These sessions allow participants to practice, make mistakes in a safe environment, and even push their own comfort levels to build ally muscle memory so it’s easier to take action in the real world the next time an opportunity arises.
- Make an Impact
- Rather than asking, “Who should have been the ally in that situation?” Be The Ally pushes people to ask, “How can I play a small part in being an ally in every situation?” Creating a diverse and inclusive work environment is everyone’s responsibility, and it will take all of our ally actions, across all levels and functions.