We are Allies
A key part of our Diversity & Inclusion strategy is to have visible allies throughout Atos. Our allies are advocates of equality and look to take action in the workplace or community to support underrepresented groups. They play an important role in embedding an inclusive culture throughout our organisation.
We launched the ‘We are Allies’ programme to give all employees in Atos UK & Ireland the ability to boost their involvement in Diversity & Inclusion whilst providing a way for them to concretely signify their commitment to equality.
Our allies stand for inclusion and equality, rejecting discrimination or prejudices and supporting each other as colleagues and valued members of the Atos family. They are expected to act on four key commitments:
1. Sign our Allies Pledge to visibly demonstrate their commitment to inclusion
2. Embed Diversity & Inclusion into their personal goals via objectives and individual development plans
3. Share learning on Diversity & Inclusion by engaging with and understanding our strategy – advising colleagues, friends and family on this
4. Continually learn about different areas of Diversity & Inclusion – by regularly attending events, contributing to initiatives and accessing the range of training and resources available to educate themselves
Within the first month of the programme’s launch we had over 300 allies sign our pledge. We’re looking forward to further building on this; our aim is for all employees to identify themselves as allies and to encourage them to take an active role in our Diversity & Inclusion ambitions.
Tamsin McCarthy – We are Allies Programme Lead
“I am incredibly proud of the We are Allies programme and the members that have already pledged their support. After joining our Diversity and Inclusion employee networks, I became fascinated with the concept of allies and the crucial role they play in creating inclusive cultures. It became clear that we would benefit from harnessing the power and potential of these passionate allies throughout our organisation. We hope to educate, support and inspire allies to become visible diversity and inclusion advocates and show our employees, wherever they are in the business or across the country, that we are their allies. When we all come together we are stronger, our voice is louder and there is no limit to the positive change that can be achieved.”
Richard Cooke – Network Technical Architect
“I joined the Diversity & Inclusion Allies programme because I believe that everyone deserves a fair chance. I’m proud to say that Atos employs people from many different backgrounds and cultures, and I hope to broaden my knowledge on each one – through the Diversity & Inclusion employee networks and training modules that Atos has created – and encourage others to do the same.””