We tapped a panel of experts for advice on how to connect with the men in your (work) life to create collaborative relationships — for the good of everyone.
Women and men are having trouble connecting at work. Lean In’s 2024 Women in the Workplace report revealed that not much has changed since the organization first started issuing these reports — a decade ago. Just like in previous years, the largest study of women in corporate America discovered that women are still “far more likely than men to deal with comments and actions that undermine their skills and expertise.”
Among other things, the report found that women are almost twice as likely as men to be mistaken for being more junior than they are; women of colour continue to deal with more demeaning interactions (such as hearing others express surprise at their language skills) and women in general endure daily “competence-based microaggressions” — not that we needed a study to tell us that men are still interrupting us in meetings.

Other studies show that men are still not showing up for women as allies in the workplace (even though they think they are). Despite the fact that most major companies now offer inclusion training, fewer than half of employees take allyship action, according to the Lean In report. Research from another Lean In study on the heels of the #MeToo movement showed that 60 percent of male managers in the United States felt uncomfortable participating in common work activities with women, including mentoring.
This is a big problem, because plenty of evidence proves we’re better when we work together. Researchers at Northwestern University reviewed 6.6 million papers in a recent study that found mixed-gender teams produce significantly more innovative, meaningful work. The lead author of the study, Brian Uzzi, professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, said: “Chances are, if we had more mixed-gender teams working on pressing issues, we’d have faster breakthroughs.”

Johns Hopkins Carey Business School defines male allyship as “actively promoting gender fairness and equity in the workplace through supportive and collaborative personal relationships and public acts of sponsorship and advocacy intended to drive systemic improvements to the workplace culture.”
Men can be powerful advocates, mentors and sponsors — and fostering collaborative relationships with them can help advance your career. We went to a panel of industry experts for advice on how to connect with the men in your (work) life to create those collaborative relationships — for the good of everyone.
Meet Our Experts
Dr. Zoe Kinias
Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour & Sustainability at Ivey and frequent contributor to Bloomberg and the Harvard Business Review.
Dr. David Smith
Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and author of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace (Harvard Business Review Press).
Dr. Phani Radhakrishnan
Professor of Organizational Behavior & Human Resource Management at the University of Toronto and consultant for the US Army Environmental Research Laboratories.
Dr. Ivona Hideg
Professor of Organization Studies at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford with a research focus on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Workplace.
ROOM asked: How can women best identify male allies in the workplace?
Dr. David Smith: “First, look at the men in your network who you feel comfortable going to with questions. That’s a good place to start. Then, identify the men involved in employee resource or networking programs — which men are showing up? Which men display behaviours that make them stand out as wanting to make a positive difference and create change in the organization?”
Dr. Zoe Kinias: “Look for someone who has their own strong support network from managers, informal mentors or peers. Men (and women) who have their emotional and practical needs met through their own connections feel more secure professionally and therefore do more for women's careers.
You can also identify a social impact leader, someone who takes a proactive, guiding role in addressing the world’s social and societal problems. Our research shows people who hold being a social impact leader as an important part of their own self-view tend to do more as mentors and sponsors, and this is true for both men and women.”
ROOM asked: What can women say or do to start building relationships with male allies in the workplace?
Dr. Kinias: “The best outcomes arise from natural working relationships — working on a project or committee together — and building the relationship from there. Getting to know your prospective mentor/sponsor/ally professionally, asking about their own work experience or career progression can be a way to start. As a professional relationship develops, it can also be about helping each other out in ways that are mutually beneficial, so it’s about reciprocity rather than just asking to be supported.”
Dr. Ivona Hideg: “Expand your network beyond your usual circle. It’s natural for men and women to gravitate toward their own groups — men often connect with men, and women with women. To break down these barriers, step outside your comfort zone by attending events, engaging in mixed gatherings, and making the effort to introduce yourself.”
Dr. Kinias: “Consider ‘near peers’ as well. Support doesn’t need to come from the C-suite to help level the playing field for women, as peers or near-peers can help figure out how to get things done, give introductions, and even elevate your reputation and put your name forward for opportunities.”
Dr. Phani Radhakrishnan: “As a professional relationship develops, help each other out in ways that are mutually beneficial. Collaborate on a research project and build a professional relationship. See if it carries over to other places where decisions are important, like a performance rating or promotion.”
ROOM asked: What can male allies do to support women coworkers?
Dr. Hideg: “Men can be better allies by being curious, open to learning, and willing to listen. For example, attending women-focused events and employee resource groups provides valuable insight into women’s lives and experiences. True allyship requires action. Men should use their influence to sponsor women, advocating for their opportunities and championing their advancement.”
Dr. Kinias: “Have open conversations with women about what would be useful for their advancement and listen to what they say. Provide developmental suggestions if there are things you see that can help her learn and grow as a leader. Also, advocate for her advancement by ensuring people with power know how good she is and put her name forward for developmental opportunities and promotion.”
Dr. Radhakrishnan: “Interrupt the bias in the moment. If you are a real ally, make it unacceptable to demean or disrespect women.”
Dr. Smith: “Start by gaining awareness. I think one of the challenges that we face as men is that we don’t always understand how other people experience the workplace differently and so we’re often oblivious to a lot of what is happening.
And understand that these aren’t women’s issues. These are leadership issues that exist in every organization and every industry. We all have a role to play when it comes to creating gender equity — we have to do it together. It’s not one group doing it for another. It’s us doing it in collaboration, because we all have something to gain when we get it right.”
