An Impact breakfast interactive workshop for Office Support Clients
As part of our Social Impact commitment, we were excited to host our Office support clients for an interactive breakfast workshop. This was an hour-long session delivered by Talent and Inclusion Recruiter – Daniel Asaya and organised by our Head of Support (Michelle Davies) and Temp Manager (Denise Watson).
The aim of the workshop was to improve our clients’ understanding on workplace stereotyping, its effects in the workplace and ways to reduce it. We also explored topics around privilege and how to be a supportive ally.
What is workplace stereotyping?
Workplace stereotyping is a fixed, overgeneralised belief about a person or group of people. This stereotype may be based on your past experience with someone of a similar age, gender, ethnicity, background, education, etc., or your cultural biases and prejudices (which we all have).” Brent Watson
Privilege: What it means and doesn’t mean
“If you get upset when someone points out that you have privilege, that probably means you don’t fully understand what privilege is.” – Maisha Johnson
- Means There’s a Whole System at Work – These systems – like ableism, white supremacy, and classism – get structural support from laws, the media, and policies that affect our lives every day. Most of us aren’t taught that these systems are such an influential part of how the world works.
- Doesn’t Mean You Didn’t Work Hard or You Should Feel Bad About Your Good Fortune – You shouldn’t feel guilty for your success or hard work. It’s just important you’re aware of the access your privilege gives you over others.
How to be a supportive ally
In a 2016 tweet, Kayla Reed co-founder and executive director of Action St. Louis (a grassroots racial justice organisation that seeks to build political power for Black communities in the St. Louis, Missouri, region of the United States), laid out what it means to be an effective ally:
A – always centre the impacted
L – listen & learn from those who live in the oppression
L – leverage your privilege
Y – Yield the floor
Franchesca Ramsey also explained 5 tips to becoming an ally in this short YouTube video
A big thank you to all our guests and we look forward to continuing this important conversation in our upcoming events. If you are interested in joining our future discussions, please email daniel.asaya@impact-london.com