Meet the Clorox Employee Raising the Bar on Allyship

The Clorox Change Makers initiative spotlights people who actively celebrate diversity, promote inclusion and practice allyship, making a positive impact on our business and culture. 

In this installment, we focus on Mark Danis, a vice president on our legal team leading oversight of cybersecurity, employment and more. Mark was nominated by Leah Farmer, a director who’s also on our legal team. We spoke with them to learn more about what Mark’s allyship looks like in action.

Why did you nominate Mark as a Change Maker? What makes him an ally?

Leah: I nominated Mark as a Clorox Change Maker because I believe he listens to hear, understand and consider diverse points of view — rather than just listening to respond. I’ve seen his allyship in action on many occasions both at work and at team social events. He is very skilled at ensuring the people around him feel welcomed and included. Mark’s genuine curiosity and ability to prioritize the intrinsic value of understanding different points of view and hearing diverse perspectives.

How has Mark’s allyship made an impact for you and others at Clorox?

Leah: I didn’t have to report to Mark for very long before I lost count of the times he saw and supported me as a whole person, not just his employee. He identified areas where I could leverage my “#diverseabilities” as assets, which allowed me to both meaningfully show up for my family during a time of significant personal loss and continue to advance at work. His commitment to each of us bringing our authentic selves to work makes a significant difference for his team, our Legal and Government Affairs function, his business partners, and the company.

What does IDEA, and specifically allyship, mean to you?

Mark: To me, allyship is about taking a moment to pause, to listen to and to absorb another teammate’s story. It’s to see obstacles and challenges through their eyes and to know what somebody’s aspirations are. Allyship is about being there to support another teammate and in some instances enable their journey. It’s letting another teammate know that they’re heard and that you’re there for them just as someone was there for you.

What tips do you have for others to put allyship into action in their day-to-day lives?

Mark: My three pro tips for putting allyship into action include:

• Engage in random acts of listening and supporting people that are outside of your normal circle of teammates.
• Draw the voices and perspectives from the quiet corners of your team. You’ll be surprised by what you hear.
• Consider joining one of our great ERGs. I know I’ve benefited tremendously from being in our NextGen ERG as a reverse mentee.

To live our purpose and values, we must build a workplace where every person can feel respected and valued, and fully able to participate in our Clorox community. We aim to lead by example, at every level within the company, and to continually challenge ourselves to do better.  Learn more about our inclusion and diversity efforts here.