A privilege is a certain advantage, benefit, or prestige/respect that an individual might have by virtue of belonging to certain social identity groups. Privilege is sometimes disregarded by those who benefit from them, but privilege doesn’t mean you haven’t experienced hardships. It just means the colour of your skin, your religion, your gender or sexual orientation isn’t one of the things that make it harder.

Below are 50 potential workplace privileges, that have been adapted from the book ‘Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces’ by Karen Caitlin.

1. You are white.

2. You are male.

3. You are straight.

4. You are cisgender (identify as the same gender assigned at birth)

5. You are not significantly younger or older than your co-workers.

6. You do not have disabilities -visible or otherwise.

7. You have a college/university degree.

8. You attended an elite university.

9. You were born in the United Kingdom or you are a British Citizen.

10. English is your first language.

11. You do not receive comments about your accent or the way you pronounce certain words.

12. You have never been denied a job opportunity (or fired from one) based on your gender, race or ethnicity, religion, age, body shape or size, disability or sexual orientation.

13. You have a significant other and feel comfortable speaking openly about them.

14. You are not the primary caregiver for anyone.

15. You feel welcome at networking and social events.

16. You are not asked to do menial tasks that colleagues of another gender or race are asked to do.

17. Other people do not regularly assume that you are in a lower rank/level than you are.

18. You feel comfortable attending all your meetings, and are able to make an effective contribution.

19. You are rarely ignored or interrupted in meetings.

20. You feel confident that you will be praised and credited for the ideas you raise in meetings.

21. Your manager maintains eye contact when speaking to you.

22. You recently received feedback about a technical skill and/or opportunities for improvement.

23. You can spare time to learn about new technology.

24. You have not been delayed nor denied a promotion/assignment compared to an equally qualified colleague.

25. You received a promotion by simply knowing a friend or family member.

26. You can talk about political or identity-oriented topics without fear of judgment or bias.

27. You can observe religious holidays without having to use your annual leave entitlement.

28. You feel welcomed and valued when engaging in group projects.

29. You have never been called a ‘diversity hire’.

30. People at technical/scientific events always assume you are the invitee (rather than a plus-one).

31. People do not mistake you for being part of the catering or cleaning team.

32. You do not receive unwanted sexual advances at work.

33. You have never had to change teams or companies because of harassment.

34. You feel physically safe both at work and at events.

35. You feel safe leaving work late at night and going home alone after evening events.

36. You have stable housing.

37. You are confident that if made redundant, you would be able to find another job without financial strain.

38. You are always invited to, and can afford to join, out-of-office lunches and after-hours social activities.

39. You can manage monthly payments regardless of the debt you incur.

40. You never have to decide which bills to pay or forgo meals, because you can always afford food.

41. You do not have to support any immediate/extended family members financially.

42. You have a partner that is responsible for the majority of housework and family responsibilities.

43. You are rarely, if ever, late to work or miss work because of a child’s illness or family emergency.

44. You do not have a long career gap in your resume.

45. You have never been arrested, incarcerated or charged with a criminal offence.

46. People never touch your or your hair without consent.

47. You are comfortable speaking out in meetings, without worrying that someone will find faults in your logic or try to discredit you.

48. You do not receive abusive comments on social media.

49. People do not patronise when explaining a topic to you.

50. You do not depend on a sponsor, mentor, or any other ally in order to be taken seriously / respected.