“ASSOCIATED PRESSCNN anchor Jake Tapper gave public thanks to his colleague Arlette Saenz, modeling how more male allies can do it at work.On Saturday, CNN anchor Jake Tapper took a short pause from live election news to congratulate and praise his colleague, political correspondent Arlette Saenz.Tapper first gave a general thanks for Saenz’s reporting as she signed off from delivering a live report from Delaware. Then, he asked producers to put her back on camera before getting specific: “You’ve done a great job covering this campaign. You really have,” he said. “You’ve worked really hard, you’ve been on the road for two years, so congratulations on all the hard work. You’ve really done a wonderful job covering the Biden campaign for CNN.” Love that @jaketapper did this pic.twitter.com/CsEgE9NG6V— Jeannette Reyes (@6abcJeannette) November 8, 2020 It was a succinct but thoughtful way to give credit beyond a throwaway “thank you for doing your job.“And it was noticed. Jake Tapper giving those on-camera plaudits knowing what it can mean come eval season … that’s a mensch— A Shady Dame From Seville (@SorayaMcDonald) November 8, 2020 Why did I burst into tears when he did that!!!— alex sujong laughlin (@alexlaughs) November 8, 2020 Was literally just thinking how special of a moment that must’ve been for Arlette Saenz – her final hit from the campaign trail after nearly two years – when Jake Tapper steps in with the on-air professional kudos.Super classy, and so well-earned.— Adam Ramsay (@adam_ramsay) November 8, 2020 Thank you, @jaketapper, for recognizing @ArletteSaenz’ hard work. Thank you for setting an example. Congrats, Arlette and all of the women on the trail. What a night.— Melissa Morales (@melmo786) November 8, 2020 Classy move then by @jaketapper to give Arlette a big shout out for her work on the Biden campaign coverage. He didn’t have to , it was just a spontaneous decision that you could see her beam with pride . That’s how you lift people up and be an ally. Bravo!— Shane Wilson (@jayquu) November 8, 2020 Of course, giving credit to your colleagues should not be radical, but it can be a powerful boost to women’s careers ― particularly if the person giving credit is a white man. Decades of research have found that the work of women on teams is too often overlooked in meetings and collaborations, and women face a penalty for sharing their ideas.The work contributions of Black women, in particular, are less likely to be noticed or correctly attributed, so publicly noting a colleague’s hard work when performance evaluators could be watching is one substantive way for allies to help out. Whether they acknowledge it or not, white male colleagues like Jake Tapper have power in their organizations, and they can wield it for good by yielding more of their time to recognize the contributions of the women they work with.Of course, giving credit where it’s due is just a first step in using political capital at work to help a colleague advance. If you have power within an organization and really want to do the work of a sponsor, there are many actions you can take beyond giving credit. They include giving your colleague critical assignments and public speaking opportunities; offering specific, actionable feedback during performance evaluation season; and championing why your colleague’s actions merit a raise.White male allies in the workplace should remember that it takes much more than just giving out a “thank you” to a colleague in a public setting. Still, Tapper’s public gratitude is a great first step for any powerful white man to emulate.
