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Better Allies
@betterallies.bsky.social
680 followers 120 following 350 posts
Influencing how workplaces become better, one ally at a time. Posts by Karen Catlin, author of Better Allies® books & the 5 Ally Actions newsletter

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betterallies.bsky.social
Better Allies @betterallies.bsky.social · Jan 29
DEI activities still legal in the USA:

Endorsing coworkers.
Amplifying voices in meetings.
Acknowledging ideas.
Using inclusive language.
Sharing unwritten rules.
Diversifying networks.
Structured interviewing.
Pay equity reviews.
Workplace accommodations.
Learning to pronounce names.
betterallies.bsky.social
Today kicks off #TransgenderAwarenessWeek. One small way to support this community is using images of transgender people to illustrate any subject matter, not just stories about transgender topics.

See the Gender Spectrum Collection & Queer in Tech stock photo sites at betterallies.com/photos
November 13, 2025 at 4:36 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
Would you be surprised, or not-so-surprised, to learn that a key driver of gender inequity is who gets stuck with non-promotable work?

#BetterAllies #BetterWorkplaces #InclusionMatters
November 12, 2025 at 6:14 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
Looking to create a better workplace? Here are some ideas:

-Don’t let AI speed up discrimination
-Avoid black, white, dark, or light as metaphors
-Avoid phrases that diminish or disparage Indigenous people
-Use stock photos of transgender people (and not AI)
-Speak up
mailchi.mp/ab2286ccbac0...
5 Ally Actions - Nov 7, 2025
mailchi.mp
November 12, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Better Allies
amcell.bsky.social
Calling Men, Male Faculty - could you please check that you are not set to take part in a "manel", before accepting an invitation to speak at an event, or in a seminar series? #DEI theconversation.com/whats-wrong-... (2020, & still wrong)
What’s wrong with ‘manels’ and what can we do about them
Homogenous, male-only panels remain prevalent, despite growing numbers of women experts in multiple fields.
theconversation.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:07 AM
betterallies.bsky.social
I ensure fair access to promotable work because women, esp women of color, spend significantly more time on tasks that don’t lead to advancement. (Eg onboarding new hires, scheduling social events, resolving conflicts, or jumping in to help when others are overloaded)
Graphic with the message I ensure fair access to promotable work because women, especially women of color, spend significantly more time on tasks that don’t lead to advancement. There’s also a drawing of a person giving a virtual presentation, with another person who appears to be a woman contributing work to the presentation. She comes across as busily supporting the other person, and not getting the highly-visible, career-advancing opportunity to present a work project. Along the bottom is the @BetterAllies handle and credit to @ninalimpi for the drawing.
November 11, 2025 at 5:18 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
TIL that @uofmichigan has a free, inclusive stock photo collection of adolescents in healthcare settings.

www.michiganmedicine.org/community/co...
Youth in Health: Inclusive Stock Photography Collection | Michigan Medicine
Explore a set of inclusive youth-centered stock photos where authentic youth voices inclusive of a wide range of identities are featured.
www.michiganmedicine.org
November 11, 2025 at 4:35 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
The most popular suggestion from my 5 Ally Actions newsletter last month? Use this hyperlegible font.
November 7, 2025 at 10:40 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
Will you be praised, or punished, for using AI? Depends on your gender.

Listen to this excerpt from this episode of The Culture Advantage, where Dr. Michael Baran and Karen Catlin chatted about all things allyship..

www.instagram.com/reel/DQrz6Ku...
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
www.instagram.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:54 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
If your organization uses AI to screen resumes or evaluate candidates, don’t let it make decisions unchecked. Advocate for a short pause step in the hiring process to review the AI-generated materials for biased assumptions about age or gender.
November 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
Learn about my backstory & how I became a 4x author of books and a popular weekly newsletter about how people can create better workplace cultures where everyone can thrive.

On The Culture Advantage podcast with Dr. Michael Baran
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjfo...
"I never leave the pizza boxes:" Ally Actions with Karen Catlin
YouTube video by Culture Advantage Podcast
www.youtube.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:09 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
Change is coming. I could feel it in the air last night.

And my speaking calendar has loads of availability.

Create the culture you want (and others need) with the Better Allies approach. Practical ways to cultivate a workplace where everyone can do their best and thrive.

www.betterallies.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:34 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
Research from Stanford is troubling yet not surprising: AI can reinforce age & gender bias, esp against older women:

Portrayed women as younger & less experienced
Rated older men’s resumes more favorably

If you use AI to screen resumes or evaluate candidates, don’t let it make decisions unchecked.
Graphic with the message AI might speed up hiring; It shouldn’t also speed up discrimination. Before finalizing candidates, Let’s review AI-generated material for biased assumptions about age or gender. There’s also a drawing of three cards, representing job candidates of different racial identities and genders. Along the bottom is the @BetterAllies handle and credit to @ninalimpi for the drawing.
November 4, 2025 at 6:58 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
This segment of today's "5 Ally Actions" newsletter is generating a lot of buzz: Use this hyperlegible font

Access the links and read the other ally actions at mailchi.mp/28bf70c7a9e4...
Screen shot of the 5 Ally Actions newsletter from October 31 2025, showing action number 3: Use this hyperlegible font. The text reads: In 2022, a newsletter subscriber told me about a free typeface from the Braille Institute that can help increase character recognition, which ultimately improves the readability of a document for low-vision readers. It’s called Atkinson Hyperlegible, named after Braille Institute founder J. Robert Atkinson. I immediately downloaded it, and I’ve used it ever since in my client proposals and contracts.Learn more about its benefits in this Instagram post by BlindishLatina. As we wrap up National Disability Employment Awareness Month in the U.S. (October), I hope you’ll consider using it. And remember, it’s absolutely free.
October 31, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Reposted by Better Allies
manuinclusionroom.bsky.social
How many times have you heard a joke about your origin or accent and felt unable to respond, or that your reaction wasn’t seen as legitimate?
betterallies.bsky.social Better Allies @betterallies.bsky.social · Sep 23
Picture this: An employee calls out a manager’s “joke” about accents as offensive. The manager shrugs it off. “It was just a joke. I have the right to free speech.”

Let’s notice when someone misuses free speech as a shield for harmful behavior. And speak up.

#Inclusion #BetterWorkplaces
Graphic with the message I don’t let “free speech” excuse harm in workplaces. Because some people invoke “free speech” to defend harmful behavior. It was just a joke. I have the right to free speech. There’s also a drawing of a person holding a bubble indicating they’re saying something. The bubble has a triangular warning sign in it. Along the bottom is the @BetterAllies handle and credit to @ninalimpi for the drawing.
September 26, 2025 at 7:38 AM
betterallies.bsky.social
Sometimes the smallest interventions lead to better outcomes. (Like putting a 🎃 by your door to signal to the neighborhood children that you have treats on Halloween!)

Back to the topic of workplaces: Check out today's 5 Ally Actions for some interventions you can take.

mailchi.mp/28bf70c7a9e4...
5 Ally Actions - Oct 31, 2025
mailchi.mp
October 31, 2025 at 6:22 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
Research from Harvard found reminding hiring managers to consider what perspectives are missing from teams led them to hire better talent:

“If you hire everyone with similar characteristics, your group thinking and decision-making will be weaker as you’ll miss out on important perspectives”
October 30, 2025 at 7:55 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
They better not overturn it.

In 2015, Jim Obergefell was the face of a US Supreme Court case ruling same-sex marriage is legal. He’s continuing his fight as SCOTUS plans to rule on Davis v. Ermold next week, which could overturn the historic precedent his case set.

dailyorange.com/2025/10/jim-...
10 years later, Jim Obergefell says fight for marriage equality isn’t over
Obergefell visited SU on Wednesday to tell students the fight continues, especially as cases challenging his SCOTUS precedent loom.
dailyorange.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:54 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
After the nth PR person told me to do videos based on my "5 Ally Actions" newsletter, I took the plunge.

That was 18 months ago. I've since published 64 shorts on YouTube.

If you'd like to create a better workplace, subscribe to The Better Allies Minute channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Banner for The Better Allies Minute, a YouTube channel about creating a better workplace in less than 60 seconds. It has a photo of Karen Catlin with a large friendly smile.
October 29, 2025 at 5:58 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
TIL "California law requires that K-12 schools provide inclusive curriculum that reflect the roles & contributions of our diverse population, incl. all genders, races, person with disabilities & members of other ethnic, cultural, religious & socioeconomic status groups."

oag.ca.gov/news/press-r...
Attorney General Bonta: California Schools Will Remain a Welcoming, Inclusive, Safe Place for All
SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement on President Trump’s executive order targeting transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and gender nonconforming students: “Califor...
oag.ca.gov
October 29, 2025 at 4:07 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
Something is very broken indeed.

“Melinda French Gates wants to find a solution for women leaving the workforce. The number of women in the workforce has fallen by 500k this year, while the number of men rose by 400k, which told the philanthropist that ‘something is very broken.’” -Fortune MPW
October 28, 2025 at 6:30 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
I love research like this.

To overcome biases and hire the best candidates, use a simple nudge:

“If you hire everyone with similar characteristics, your group thinking and decision-making will be weaker as you’ll miss out on important perspectives”

Source: HBR hbr.org/2025/10/a-re...
Graphic with the message use this nudge to find the best candidates (and overcome bias). “If you hire everyone with similar characteristics, your group thinking and decision-making will be weaker as you’ll miss out on important perspectives”. There’s also a drawing of two people who look like they’re discussing a resume. Along the bottom is the @BetterAllies handle and credit to @ninalimpi for the drawing.
October 28, 2025 at 5:34 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
This week's "5 Ally Actions" newsletter is resonating a lot with folks, especially on LinkedIn and in my inbox.

Simple actions to create better workplaces - the kinds of places you want (and others need).

mailchi.mp/40cdc9c1f11a...
Photo of Karen Catlin with a large smile, standing near a suspended glowing light bulb. The next reads Join 40,000+ learners who are creating workplaces where everyone can thrive with 5 Ally Actions, a weekly newsletter by Karen Catlin. The URL is Better Allies dot com slash subscribe.
October 24, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Reposted by Better Allies
piglita.bsky.social
This is so important. People say (and spell) my name incorrectly all the time. So I appreciate it when people ask how to say my name. I try to do the same for others.
betterallies.bsky.social Better Allies @betterallies.bsky.social · 23d
When you consistently say someone’s name wrong, you send the message that they’re not important.
October 24, 2025 at 1:44 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
I do my best to learn how to pronounce someone's name.
How about you?
Graphic with the message I learn how to say someone’s name. By consistently mispronouncing someone’s name, you’re saying “You’re not important enough for me to put in the effort.” There’s also a drawing of a person holding two cards, with a large magnifying glass above them, signaling they are searching for the right pronunciation of a name. Along the bottom is the @BetterAllies handle and credit to @ninalimpi for the drawing.
October 23, 2025 at 6:17 PM
betterallies.bsky.social
You know what’s common sense?

Creating better workplace cultures where everyone can do their best work and thrive.

(Follow me or read my books for everyday actions *you* can take to create a better workplace)
October 22, 2025 at 1:17 PM