The 5 D’s of bystander action: what to say when you witness racism at work

When you witness racism at work, you have more than two options. The 5 D’s of bystander action give you five. They come from Right To Be (formerly Hollaback): Direct, Distract, Delegate, Delay and Document. You don’t need all five, and you don’t have to be the hero. Pick the one that fits the moment, your role and everyone’s safety, and follow the lead of the person who was harmed.

Here’s what each one looks like, and something you can actually say.

Direct

Respond to what’s happening, in the moment, by naming it plainly. This is the most visible option and it isn’t always the safest, so read the room and your own standing first. Keep it short, and about the behaviour, not a character trial.

Try: “That’s not okay.” “Please don’t talk about her like that.” “We don’t do that here.”

Distract

Derail the moment without confronting it head-on. A distraction interrupts the harm and gives everyone a way out, which is often safer than a direct challenge. You don’t even have to mention what happened.

Try: ask the person being targeted an unrelated question: “sorry, do you know where the meeting moved to?” Start a side conversation, drop something, ask for a hand carrying a box, anything that breaks the moment.

Delegate

Get help from someone better placed to act: a manager, a supervisor, HR, or simply a colleague with more standing than you. Delegating isn’t passing the buck; it’s choosing the person most likely to make it stop.

Try: quietly, to a team leader, “something just happened in there that you need to deal with.” Or to a colleague, “did you see that too? Can you say something with me?”

Delay

Most incidents pass before you can act, and some aren’t safe to interrupt. Delay is what you do afterwards: check in with the person who was harmed. It’s often the most important D, and the one people forget.

Try: “I saw what happened, and it wasn’t okay. Are you alright? Is there anything you’d like me to do?” Then follow their lead, and do the thing you said you would.

Document

If it’s safe, and if someone else is already helping the person, record what happened: the words, the time, who was there. It can matter for any report that follows. One rule: it isn’t yours to publish. Give what you record to the person who was harmed and let them decide what happens with it.

Try: note it down while it’s fresh, then ask, “I made a note of what happened. Would you like a copy?”

You won’t always pick the perfect D, and that’s fine. Doing something small and safe beats freezing, and checking in afterwards is almost always available to you. The one constant across all five: follow the lead of the person who was harmed. It’s their experience, and theirs to steer.

The Practical Allyship pocket guides put moves like these in your pocket, for the moments where knowing what to say is the whole battle. Start with one, and try one this week.