How to be an ally to women at work

Learn how to amplify women's voices and advocate for each other's success.

Before You Start

Goal: Explore what it means to be an effective ally to women at work—and leave with a concrete plan to advocate for a colleague, amplify women's voices, and build an advocacy alliance.

Watch: "How to be an ally to women at work." Members are encouraged to watch beforehand, but a quick recap at the meeting works too.

Meeting Agenda · Approx. 75 mins

  • Member Updates · 15 mins
  • Icebreaker · 10 mins
  • Key Takeaways · 5 mins
  • Activity 1: Highlight others' skills and accomplishments · 15 mins
  • Activity 2: Help make sure women's voices are heard · 10 mins
  • Activity 3: Form an ""advocacy alliance"" · 10 mins
  • One Action · 3 mins
  • Wrap-Up · 7 mins

👋 Member Updates · 15 mins

Go around your Circle and share personal updates. Keep them brief and focused on significant changes or important decisions since the last time you met. It's OK not to have one every month. If you have a One Action update from last time, share that too.

🧊 Icebreaker · 10 mins

Invite everyone in the group to share. Keep answers to one or two minutes per person.

Think of a time when a colleague spoke up or advocated for you at work. What happened? How did their advocacy benefit you?

💡 Key Takeaways · 5 mins

There's tremendous power in women advocating for each other at work—especially for anyone who holds more power to advocate for those who hold less.

  • Advocacy has a multiplier effect. Speaking up for a colleague's work or ideas amplifies her voice in rooms where she may not be heard
  • Help women find space to speak. Inviting women to talk, redistributing speaking time, and amplifying ideas with credit are concrete daily actions.
  • Build advocacy alliances. Because women are often taken more seriously when they advocate for others rather than for themselves, forming a mutual advocacy group creates real bargaining power for everyone involved.

🏋️ Activity 1: Highlight others' skills and accomplishments · 15 mins

Write it down (5 mins): Think about all the women you work with who are at your level or more junior. Whose work has impressed you? Who do you think should get more recognition? Write their names down. For each woman on your list, consider the most effective actions you can take to advocate for them—advocating directly for their promotion, speaking about their work in a public setting, or influencing whether they're assigned high-profile work.

Discuss as a group (10 mins): Share one of your advocacy plans with your Circle so you can all learn from each other's ideas.

🏋️ Activity 2: Help make sure women's voices are heard · 10 mins

Discuss as a group: Which of the following steps do you consistently take? Which would you like to make part of your regular workday?

  • Invite other women to speak
  • Distribute speaking time equally
  • Ask to hear from women who are being interrupted or spoken over
  • Amplify other women's ideas by repeating them and giving credit
  • Praise and showcase other women's work
  • Create systems to distribute "office housework" like note-taking
  • Share public speaking opportunities with women who have less power than you

🏋️ Activity 3: Form an "advocacy alliance" · 10 mins

Women are often taken more seriously when they advocate for others rather than for themselves—so forming a mutual advocacy group creates real power for everyone involved.

Think about which coworkers you could join up with and become mutual advocates for. Make notes about how your group would work—how often will you check in, and how will you share updates? Go around the room and have everyone share their plans with the Circle.

✍️ Write It Down · 2 mins

Take a few quiet minutes to connect the discussion to your own life. Make a quick list of actions or questions to revisit later.

Think about one woman in your workplace whose contributions deserve more visibility. What's one specific thing you could do this week to advocate for her?

🎯 One Action · 3 mins

Commit to one concrete action — big or small — you'll take before next meeting. Go around the Circle and share (1 minute or less per member). Vocalizing it helps hold each other accountable.

Choose one of the advocacy actions you planned in Activity 1 and commit to doing it this month. Or commit to starting an "advocacy alliance" among women you work with.

📅 Wrap-Up · 5 mins

Before you break, plan your next meeting and close on an energetic note. Go around your Circle one by one and finish the sentence:

Now I am feeling… (choose one word).

  • Set the day, time, and location
  • Choose the next topic or resource
  • Confirm who's leading the discussion
  • Decide how you'll stay in touch in between