A quick guide: What is allyship?

There are different ways to be an ally, which are sometimes broken down into different names. Take a look below to learn a bit more about some allyship terminology.

Performative allyship

The main way people get allyship wrong, and possibly do more harm to a group of people, is called ‘performative allyship’.

This is when a person takes steps to profess support for a marginalised group when there is something in it for them.

Examples of performative allyship: 

• Posting on social media about a cause and receiving many ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ but not taking any further action to support the cause in which your social media says you care deeply.
• In the workplace, performative allyship often looks like a senior person sending a whole company email saying they are ’sponsoring’ or ‘championing’ a group, but never bringing up the rights/needs of this group in important meetings or when decisions are being made.

Performative allyship erodes trust and can lead to further exclusion and feelings of being repeatedly let down.

Intersectional allyship

Intersectionality is how social categorisations, such as race, class and gender, apply to an individual or group. This means there will be overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. In simple terms, intersectionality is acknowledging that everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and oppression.

To be an intersectional ally, you should be constantly aware and recognise the individual experiences that people can face, all of which may be different. Recognise and honour identities, as well as work to rectify interlocking systems of oppression.

Examples of intersectional allyship:  

• Instead of just posting on social media posts about a cause and receiving many ‘likes’ and ‘shares’. Intersectional allies amplify diverse voices, share resources available to specific groups of people, donate to organisations that support specific communities and educate themselves about how race, class and gender would impact individuals or groups.
• In the workplace, rather than sending a whole company email, a senior person instead advocates for groups in important meetings or when decisions are being made considering all the different experiences and outcomes people may have due to their intersecting identities.

Upstander

Being an upstander refers to being the opposite of a bystander. When an ally becomes an upstander, they see things that are wrong and act on them.

Examples of being an upstander: 

• When you witness someone making inappropriate jokes in a social setting, instead of staying silent or just feeling uncomfortable, you speak up in the moment by saying something like “That’s not okay” or “I don’t find that funny”.
• In the workplace, if you hear a colleague’s name being mispronounced, you immediately correct them by saying the name properly yourself.

Confidant

Being a confidant means you are an ally that creates a safe space for people to express their fears, frustrations and needs.

Examples of being a confident ally: 

• By listening to stories and experiences, whilst fully believing their individual experience, you can make them feel supported and safe.
• In the workplace, when your colleague shares with you that they experience microaggressions, you listen without interrupting or offering immediate solutions, fully believe their account without questioning whether they might be “overreacting,” and create ongoing space for them to process their experiences while asking how you can best support them on their terms.

What can we do to be allies?

It can be tough to understand where to start with being an ally, sometimes our fear of getting it wrong or of being performative leads to us taking no action. Take a look below at where to start with being an ally.

Learn

The first thing anyone who wants to improve their allyship needs to do is invest in learning. We need to get an understanding of the issues facing the marginalised group, the barriers which they are confronting and some perspective on what it is like to be from that group.

As an ally, you will never be able to understand in the same way as a person with lived experience will. That’s ok because it’s not your role. But if you don’t have a broad understanding, you risk breaking trust during sensitive moments or taking steps in the wrong direction.

Great ways to learn about different diverse groups: 

• Read blogs on the Inclusive Employers website
• Members have access to a bank of resources, from guides to factsheets, that allow continued learning
• Attending our webinars (Members get free access).
• Your organisation may also run learning sessions for events like Black History Month, LGBTQ+ Pride or awareness days. You can find all the upcoming awareness days on the Diversity Calendar.

Listen

The second thing is to ask and listen.

Find out what the community needs from you as an ally:  

• Do they need signatures to get a Bill of Rights through Parliament?
• Do they need you to bring up their cause in a senior-level meeting?
• Do they need you to change a policy to include them?
• Do they need you to challenge behaviour?

The individuals you are allying with know their wants and needs best. Don’t expect them to do the work for you; you need to be active in working out how you action your allyship but also listen to what they need.

Advocate

To be an ally, actions and words must align. Being a true ally is advocating for a group or individual when there is no benefit to you. Either the action will have no impact on you, or the change could mean you lose out. For true equity to happen, people in the majority will need to lose some opportunities to make space for opportunities for all. If you believe in equity, then you have to be comfortable with this.

You could do this by: 

• Share your platform and opportunities. When you’re invited to networking events or professional gatherings, extend invitations to colleagues from underrepresented groups. If spaces are limited, consider offering your spot to someone who could benefit more from the opportunity.
• Receive feedback with openness. View feedback as a gift rather than an attack. Defensiveness undermines allyship- instead, listen actively and reflect what you can learn and change.
• Self-reflect on your actions regularly. Take time to honestly assess your behaviours, both obvious and subtle. Notice patterns in how you interact with different groups and identify areas for improvement.
• Address inappropriate behaviours such as microaggressions and banter (even if the person didn’t mean it). Focus on the impact rather than intent and escalate to appropriate channels when necessary.
• Encourage broader participation. Actively invite your peers to join diversity and inclusion efforts. Use your influence to expand the circle of engagement. Advocate that your peers to join diversity and inclusion initiatives in your workplace.
• Choose inclusive language consistently. Make conscious efforts to use language that welcomes everyone, including pronouns and terminology that don’t inadvertently exclude.
• Pass along meaningful opportunities. When you’re offered high-visibility projects, speaking engagements, or career-advancing chances, consider whether a colleague from a marginalised background might benefit more from the exposure.
• Include diverse voices in decision-making. Ensure that people with relevant lived experiences have genuine input in discussions that affect them, not just token representation.
• Build trust through consistency. Allyship isn’t a one-time declaration; it’s an ongoing commitment that requires sustained, reliable action over time.