A diversity, inclusion and belonging "ally" is someone who is willing to take action in support of another person, in order to remove barriers that impede that person from contributing their skills and talents in the workplace or community.
How to be an ally
It is not required to be an ally to work at GitLab. At GitLab it is required to be inclusive. Being an ally goes a step beyond being inclusive to taking action to support marginalized groups. The first step in being an ally is self-educating. This is a page to list resources that GitLab team-members have found helpful in learning how to act as an ally.
What it means to be an ally
Take on the struggle as your own
Stand up, even when you feel uncomfortable
Transfer the benefits of your privilege to those who lack it
Acknowledge that while you, too, feel pain, the conversation is not about you
Concepts & Terms
Privilege: an unearned advantage given to some people but not all
Oppression: systemic inequality present throughout society that benefits people with more privilege and is a disadvantage to those with fewer privileges
Ally: a member of a social group that has some privilege, that is working to end oppression and understands their own privilege
Power: The ability to control circumstances or access to resources and/or privileges
Marginalized groups: a person or group that are treated as unimportant, insignificant or of lower status. In a workplace setting, employees could be treated as invisible, as if they aren't there or their skills or talents are unwelcome or unnecessary
Tips on being an ally
Identifying your power and privilege helps you act as an ally more effectively
Follow and support those as much as possible from marginalized groups
When you make a mistake, apologize, correct yourself, and move on
Allies spend time educating themselves and use the knowledge to help
Allies take the time to think and analyze the situation
Allies try to understand Perception vs. Reality
Allies don’t stop with their power they also leverage others powers of authority
We held a 50 minute Live Learning Ally Training on 2020-01-28. The recording follows along with the slide deck and agenda.
Being an Ally Knowledge Assessment
Anyone can become certified in GitLab Ally Training. To obtain certification, you will need to complete this Being an Ally knowledge assessment and earn at least an 80%. Once the quiz has been passed, you will receive an email with your certification that you can share on your personal LinkedIn or Twitter pages. If you have questions, please reach out to our L&D team at learning@gitlab.com.
GitLab Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging resources
Allies familiarize themselves with GitLab's general DIB content
