3 Must-Dos if You Want to Support Your ERGs

An employee resource group (ERG) is an employee-led and company-supported group organized around a particular identity. In a successful ERG, employee passion meets company support. That link is bolstered by corporate resources. And along the way, each part of the equation comes together to make something stronger than its parts: a more educated, more inclusive environment for more people to be their best selves at work.

If you hope to take your ERGs to the next level, consider following the three must-do steps below.?

3 Must-Dos if You Want to Support Your ERGs

1. For new ERGs, plan at least your first year before you launch.

?ERG consultant Maceo Owens?told Forbes?that one of the death knells for companies launching new employee resource groups is actually their over-enthusiasm. “What happens for most organizations is they use this excitement and say, let's just take it and run with it. Let's launch the ERG and the ERG leaders can run it from there and it'll all be okay. But really, that's the worst thing that could possibly happen. It's literally the equivalent of saying, ‘I'm really passionate about cake baking and now let me go open a cake baking business.’” Instead, get in sync on program expectations, budget, leadership, and goals for your first year before you hit go.?

2. For existing ERGs, measure success year over year.

If the employees who participate in your ERGs feel seen, heard, and supported, they’ll feel more included at work. If they don’t, ERGs?can cause dismay.?McKinsey?has defined five dimensions of ERG activity — use their framework to measure effectiveness year-over-year: “external engagement, allyship, leadership connection, employee community building, and career advancement.” Consider also tracking ongoing metrics: “Common metrics tracked by effective ERGs include overall membership, event participation, member experience and sentiment, and intersectional demographics, such as race and gender within an LGBTQ+ ERG.”

3. Recognize ERG leaders and participants.

Workhuman’s research report on?The Evolution of Work?found that employees who participate in an ERG experience higher psychological safety and are more likely to recommend their employer to a friend. But they also found that employees in ERGs report more stress and burnout than employees who don’t participate in ERGs —?and that many employees feel they are treated unfairly for participating in such groups, especially Black and LGBTQIA+ employees. However, when employees feel recognized, they get more of the benefits with less of the burnout —?so make sure you give proper attention to the people who are working to make your workplace a more inclusive place. Recognition includes adequately funding your ERG and paying its leaders, too!

For more information, including the history of ERGs, key ERG goals, and an in-depth guide to best practices,?check out our?ERG primer.

Want even more support with getting your efforts for better workplace inclusion off the ground? PowerToFly’s?DEIB Business Suite?contains all the resources needed for companies to create inclusive cultures, including in the form of thriving ERGs.

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