Younger workers may not be able to advocate for themselves the way they'd like – or the way older colleagues can – but they can find allies who will help. Kilduff suggests this cohort can be heard without having to pay their dues by borrowing “social capital” from a more senior employee or mentor who can raise their point. "It's providing what we call 'social proof’ for the idea – it's not just one person's idea, but a more senior person is saying it or a lot of people feel this way," adds Brykman. This social capital is “a reputation signal that we can trust a person's ideas, because they've been here long”. Ultimately, he says, early-career workers don’t have to speak up alone.
