Being an Ally at Société Générale
Middle of the day. At a bank. A diversity and inclusivity talk.
At the very least, we hoped a few people would come for the free food. But over 50 people showed up. We were absolutely delighted to see so many faces, keen to hear more about inclusion and diversity.
We were invited to Société Générale by James Green, VP Project Manager & Innovation Ambassador, to run a lunch event on ‘Being an Inclusivity Ally’. James had recently signed up to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community at Société Générale and is taking his role very seriously. Speaking with James, it’s clear he knows that being an ally is all about action, so he wanted to offer people the chance to learn how they could be a part of creating a culture where everyone feels like they belong - and give them the tools to do so.
Our audience of fifty or so people weren’t quite sure what to expect. There were some that came with a genuine desire to do better at fighting bias and others who thought they were in for a bit of a dressing down.
So we started telling our stories; both personal experiences and ones we’ve heard - examples of the exhaustion we feel when having our expertise questioned on a daily basis or facing other regular bias and the toll this has on a workforce
We explained just how critical it was to have allies challenge the status quo and help alleviate that burden.
How important is inclusivity and diversity?
BCG’s 2017 Gender Diversity Survey shows that among companies where men are actively involved in gender diversity, 96% report progress. Conversely, among companies where men are not involved, only 30% show progress.
But stories alone aren’t enough. At The Honeycomb Works, everything we do is underpinned by data and research (we love data - a lot.), so we shared some stats as well to help people understand the scale of the problem. However, the focus of our session at SG was to help their people understand that being an ally goes beyond awareness, into action.
The question we get asked most when it comes to inclusivity and diversity is ‘What exactly is that action and how can I make sure I’m doing it right?’ That question is one of the fundamental reasons we always take a behavioural approach; covering three to six very specific behaviours that people can adopt on a regular basis to help them immediately use their privilege for good and challenge biased communication.
Most of us have been in a situation where someone says something discriminatory and our first reaction is ‘did I just hear what I think I heard?’ Stunned, we often say nothing and our regret of not acting sits with us for days.
So how can you take action? Ask for clarification. A simple ‘what do you mean by that?’ will force the speaker to think about what they just said and explain it. Best case scenario, this leads to them realising what they said was wrong, maybe the result of some unconscious biases, and they apologise. But even if they don't understand why what they did was wrong, being challenged once means they are less likely to make a similar comment again.
Of course, this might be the reaction you get. Which means you have to move onto other tactics, which we cover in our workshop and the Challenging Bias Honeycomb cell.
Finally, we ended with a discussion on how we can create new habits and a commitment to do at least one thing differently. With each of us taking small, positive steps we can begin to really create an inclusive and diverse workplace. All the attendees received access to the Honeycomb app where they could be reminded of the habits we covered, get feedback and track their progress.
We’re always delighted to see businesses like Société Générale champion diversity and inclusion, with employees like James and our brilliant host David Coates, a senior trader in emerging markets, leading the conversation.
Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of these sessions is the feedback from attendees who’ve learned something new and made a commitment to take positive action in their daily work life.
So what feedback did we hear?
“I was proud of the impact this event made in broadening the conversation of how to be an ally at SG. Colleagues at all levels from around the organisation have reached out to share their stories and asked to be part of the ally network. People related to this event on a personal level, and want to be part of creating an even more inclusive environment.”
David Coates, Société Générale
‘Taking personal responsibility for challenging bias at work isn't an easy thing, but the response was incredibly positive. I was really impressed with the number of people who came forward afterwards to discuss their individual experiences and make commitments to take action.’
Caroline Marsh, Director of Behavioural Science and Research, The Honeycomb Works
Do it the right way
Société Générale is doing this the right way. They are taking a proactive approach to creating an inclusive culture, driven by leaders within the organisation who genuinely care deeply about being sure that everyone feels like they belong.
They aren’t putting the burden on the under represented groups, but helping people understand how everyone, especially those with power, can do their part. They know change doesn’t happen overnight but by taking measures before issues arise they can act systematically and be armed with actionable, proven tactics to prevent and deal with any future problems.
What’s next?
We’re all so excited about supporting allies that we’ll be back next month to run the same session for more people in Société Générale’s brand new Canary Wharf offices.
We know this sixty minute session is not going to sort everything. But what it will do is generate momentum and excitement, giving us a room full of advocates ready to make things better and making embedded long term behaviour change possible. It all starts with that.
Need to build momentum internally to get your business case approved? Want to excite people about diversity and inclusivity? Have people who want to make a difference but are nervous about getting it wrong? Get in touch to book your own Being an Ally Workshop with us.