Including ERGs in Your DEI Playbook
Employee Resource Groups are one of the many elements that make up an effective diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging plan for an organization. ERGs have a unique role in the ecosystem of an organization. When they are appropriately resourced, have adequate sponsorship, and have the ability to affect change, they can help you meet and exceed the DEI goals you’ve set.
ERGs have the ability to support meaningful engagement with employees, build a more inclusive culture, and potentially attract and retain talent at an organization.
Support meaningful engagement with employees
Transformative ERGs allow people to engage at different levels within an organization. Ideally, ERGs are connected to strong sponsorship within an organization, that allows for those within the ERG to collaborate effectively in order to build leadership skills and cultivate lasting change. Through meaningful engagement, the work of ERGs is aligned with the organization’s operations and core values – which helps everyone in the organization thrive.
Build a more inclusive culture
Transformative ERGs align with the mission and vision of the organization. Through this alignment, the ERGs function as a group that can foster a sense of belonging with those who share the identity. The feeling of being “the only (fill in the blank identity)” working on a team, in a group, or at a workplace is something that can feel alienating, but it doesn’t have to. By building a healthy culture of affinity spaces, employees can gain a greater sense of belonging and build camaraderie across departments and levels of an organization. ERGs have the potential to build visibility and act as a space that supports historically excluded groups of people at a large company. ERGs can also play a role in updating business operations to be more inclusive.
Attract & Retain talent
Transformative ERGSs play a role in introducing themselves to new talent, supporting recruitment events, and creating opportunities for career advancement. ERGs are at the heart of welcoming new additions to the organization, and, when transformational, they help employees advance their careers. ERGs that are connected to sponsors within an organization can make an impact on improving the retention of historically excluded groups through building communication channels that improve the working environment for everyone.
While these aren’t the only roles of an ERG, these are important ones to support embedding diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging within organization structure. Reach out if you have any questions or want to discuss support for the ERGs at your organization.
