Ensure Fair Access to Promotable Work, and Other Actions for Allies
Better allyship starts here. Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a workplace where everyone can thrive.
1. Ensure fair access to promotable work
Dr. Lise Vesterlund , a professor at the University of Pittsburgh and coauthor of The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work, has spent years researching a driver of gender inequity: who gets stuck with non-promotable work.
In a recent interview, she explains that non-promotable tasks are necessary for the team to function. They include activities like onboarding new hires, scheduling social events, resolving conflicts, or jumping in to help when others are overloaded.
The problem? These tasks rarely lead to advancement. They don’t showcase specialized skills, they’re often invisible, and they’re not directly linked to organizational currency.
As Vesterlund notes:
“Across industries, we see that women, especially women of color, spend significantly more time on these kinds of tasks. In one professional services firm, women logged 200 hours more per year on non-promotable work than men. That’s time not spent on high-visibility, promotable activities.”
And even when managers have clear performance data, they still rate employees with stronger assignments more favorably, regardless of their actual performance.
Let’s be intentional and systematic about allocating promotable assignments, as fair access is critical for everyone’s career progression. For example:
- Track who gets high-visibility projects.
- Circulate stretch opportunities rather than tapping the same people.
- Protect employees from being overloaded with non-promotable tasks.
2. Avoid the “they’re too good in their current role” trap
Even with fair access to promotable work, some people aren’t promoted because they’re so good at their current job. They’ve become mission-critical, and their bosses are reluctant to let them do something else.
In a LinkedIn post, Erin Donahue , who is a leader in the Ontario Government, wrote,
“As a leader, when I see someone excelling — whether it’s their technical expertise, their ability to problem-solve, or the way they bring out the best in others — I don’t think: ‘I can’t afford to lose them in this role.’”
Instead, Donahue says she considers:
- How do I celebrate this person’s talent?
- How can I reshape how we use that strength to benefit the broader team?
- How do I create opportunities that allow them to stretch, grow, and multiply their impact?
Let’s all avoid the “they’re too good in their current role” trap and look for opportunities to help people grow and have a larger impact.
3. Just say hi
On a recent episode of The Culture Advantage Podcast, Dr. Michael Baran and I chatted about all things allyship, including some of the things that are surprising to people as they learn more about allyship.
Here’s one example. Baran interviewed a blind man who described walking down a hallway at work. People would silently flatten themselves up against the wall to get out of his way. The man said, “I get it. You’re trying to be helpful. I totally understand that. But it makes me feel not normal and like a burden. And if you just said hi, that would solve it all.”
Let’s all remember to just say hi.
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4. Tell people you want to get their name right
After reading my October 24 newsletter about the importance of learning to pronounce names, subscriber Kendall Murray asked me a follow-up question:
“I am in the learning & development space and often have trainings with 30–50 people. I’m hesitant to ask someone to pronounce their name in front of a large audience because it can feel like a microaggression. I wouldn’t ask ‘Scott’ to do that, for example. I don’t have the names in advance, so I can’t check for pronunciations I’m not sure of. Any recommendations on doing this in a way that doesn’t single folks out?”
Great question.
Something I’ve done at the start of workshops is say, “It’s important that I pronounce your names correctly, so please let me know if I get it wrong when I call on you.”
It works. Many have thanked me, and people have corrected me when I’ve mispronounced their name.
5. Pay it forward
I hear from many of you that this newsletter is helping you become a better ally. That it’s your favorite email of the week. That you recommend it to colleagues and discuss it in team meetings. That you appreciate my guidance and humility. 🙏
It’s an honor to do this work, and I don’t ask for much in return. That said, I make a request at the end of each year: Please consider donating to Digital NEST, a non-profit organization I care about deeply.
Digital NEST offers free technology learning centers for Latinx and all underserved youth in areas surrounding Silicon Valley, providing teens and young adults with the skills and resources to launch their careers and soar.
As a board member of this organization, I’m excited about our plans to have an even more significant impact. To achieve our goals, we rely on financial support from donors. Whether someone gives a few dollars or thousands, each and every donation makes a difference.
If you’ve received some value from this newsletter over the past year, please consider paying it forward with a donation to Digital NEST. (By using this link, I’ll be notified that you made a donation, but not the amount of your gift.)
That’s all for this week. I wish you strength and safety as we all move forward.
Karen Catlin (she/her), Author of the Better Allies® book series
Copyright © 2025 Karen Catlin. All rights reserved.
About the Author: Karen Catlin
After spending 25 years building software products and serving as a vice president of engineering at Adobe, Karen witnessed a sharp decline in the number of women working in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, she knew it was time to switch gears.
Today, Karen is a highly acclaimed author and speaker on creating workplace cultures where everyone can thrive. She has published four books in the Better Allies series and emails a roundup of 5 Ally Actions to over 40,000 newsletter subscribers every week.
If you would like to invite Karen to deliver an engaging, actionable talk about how to be a better ally and create a culture where everyone can do their best work, please fill out her contact form.
Or, say thanks to Karen and buy her a coffee ☕
I loved this, Karen! I appreciate the reminder to get out of our heads and just say hi :) And thank you for sharing Digital NEST! We are so grateful for your thoughtful leadership 💚