Aerospace is building upon its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) by providing a forum for employees to examine and discuss unconscious racial and cultural biases in the workplace, and is actively engaged in fostering an environment in which these issues can be addressed openly and honestly, in productive and healing ways.
This year, Aerospace’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) collaborated to host two interactive virtual events designed to teach employees the critical role of allyship in creating a culture of trust, inclusion and belonging in the workplace. Both events offered employees an opportunity to participate in discussions about their own experiences and observations, and explore meaningful actions they can take to help create a better environment for their colleagues and communities.
Building upon the safe space created during the first session, objectives for the second event included the sharing of actions employees had taken to foster allyship, and a discussion of strategies for bystander intervention in the workplace and elsewhere. In addition, attendees were encouraged to strengthen their network of allies and gain the confidence needed to effectively interrupt biases and the positive impact that bystander intervention has on individuals.
During the sessions, participants learned more about the NeuroLeadership Institute’s INCLUDE program, which Aerospace launched for managers to develop stronger, more collaborative teams to promote a more inclusive environment for all employees.
In an effort to further help employees identify and mitigate bias, Aerospace launched the NeuroLeadership Institute’s skill-building program DECIDE, which is designed for all full-time and part-time managers and all regular and full-time individual contributors.
Effective allyship enables team members to feel heard and empowered to voice different perspectives and opinions. Amplifying each other’s voices creates safer environments for more understanding while also helping to combat “groupthink” and unconscious biases, which is especially applicable given Aerospace’s unique role.