Be An Ally For Female Co-Workers
Updated: Dec 29, 2020
We are AVA, a macro-learning environment for ambitious professional women. We provide weekly on-line content and timely in-person workshops to build critical workplace competencies. Send this to friends and and share on social media @advancewithava.
We founded AVA based on our deep conviction that all women need to proactively help other women in the workplace - no matter what industry, or level, whatever background or career goal. We take a broad, diverse and inclusive approach to sharing tools and skills for women to be engaged, satisfied and successful in their work.
There remain many challenges for women in the workplace - unequal pay or treatment, being outnumbered or stigmatized for our "femaleness", and even outright harassment. However, the tide is turning. Not only are women gaining in numbers and statistics (see our blog Are You AVA?), women are helping each other more than ever. According to Laura McGee, CEO of Diversio, a firm which helps companies overcome diversity issues:
“We know that women are under-sponsored by senior men, and may need to compensate by developing strong professional relationships with other women. My hypothesis on the research findings is that these women are effectively acting as mentors and sponsors for one another.”
In fact, our logo was designed to represent female inclusion, support, connectedness and diversity. Brittan Trozzi, a full-stack marketing and strategy virtuoso, at b*star creative, designed the logo to symbolize our goal of helping women take flight in their careers. She also carefully wove together colors that are strong, feminine, bright and diverse to clearly represent women working together toward their individual success.
The female founders of AVA have 60 years of experience between us. So we've seen a lot! And we are grateful to the many women who helped us along the way. Here are some suggestions from our experience as to how you can use your vantage point to be an ally to other women.
Be A Supporter, Not A Rival
Be on the look-out for opportunities to support women in your company and your inner circle.
Support the opinion of another woman in a meeting, especially if she is being mansplained, not listened to, talked over or robbed of credit for her idea.
Reach out to new women in your office - show them the ropes, share the lay of the land and look for opportunities to bring them to a networking events you’re attending.
Watch for open job roles or positions that you hear of and share them with women in your company or your female network.
See Something, Say Something
If you observe anything untoward happening to another women, be there to support her. Speak up or divert attention and help her get out of the situation. Additionally, warn other women, discreetly, about situations or people that could become a personal risk for them. If you have information about unequal salaries (and are not bound by confidentiality due to your job role), share that information and help her strategize how she can ask for a raise or equal pay. Many women we know openly share and compare their salaries – knowledge is power in this realm for sure!
Celebrate Success
Be the change you want to see. We love being the ones to identify and shout out success where we work! Be happy for one another, even if she got the promotion you wanted. Rising tides lift all boats. Brag about your fellow female colleagues’ accomplishments or successful project. It’s good for you, them and the company when we point out what's working well.
Look for ways you can be an ally to your fellow females in your workplace. And if you attend our workshops or if you share our tools and advice we give on our social media, you can be an AVA Ally.
What topics do you want to discuss? Let us know in the comments below. #advancewithava