Watch out, these leaders are leaving

ERG leaders are having a rough time.?

A global pandemic. Social justice. Murder. Closed schools/daycare. Anti-Asian violence. Threatened civil rights. A tense political climate. The list goes on.?

We partner regularly with ERG leads & host a quarterly roundtable, and the level of burnout and frustration I’m seeing among ERG leaders right now is perhaps the worst yet. The adrenaline and survival mode energy that got them through the last 19+ months has given way to sheer exhaustion, and in some cases downright anger.?

By and large, ERG leads are volunteers. They’re a dedicated, passionate group. The leaders we’ve been lucky enough to work with spend their spare moments thinking about how to help their peers; they genuinely want to improve their workplace. Sadly, the vast majority of them feel they lack the tools to make that happen, and they're running out of bandwidth to do much more on their own. They feel stuck, and it’s frustrating. They also get little formal recognition for it. And that stings.?

The work of ERG leaders lifts and benefits the entire organization. Especially right now. Companies are struggling to retain talent, let alone attract new talent. Employees are thirsty for ways to find meaning and a sense of belonging in their work. ERGs are often the most powerful tool that HR, DEI, and senior leaders have. Take a look at any corporate website. Under diversity, they waste no time shouting about their ERGs. Leaders pressed about diversity initiatives are quick to point to their ERGs. Newly hired DEI heads often start by talking with ERG leaders and ‘refreshing’ the ERG program. Recruiters repeatedly march out ERGs to attract new talent.?

And all with good reason. ERGs provide the foundation for building culture and belonging. The data backs it up. We know that employees are more likely to stay if they are members of an active ERG. GenZ basically won’t work for an employer without active, engaged ERGs.?

Now, ask those ERG leaders - the beacons of diversity & inclusion, the darling of leadership when anyone questions their DEI efforts - how much support and recognition they’re getting??

I’m not talking about money. Though money would help. But these ERG leaders do this work because they value it, they want to help. They need a few things to make the work happen though. They need managers to recognize their contributions, they need it to impact their performance reviews, and they need the support (executive to administrative) and resources (financial, time, man power) to drive the change they are trying to make.

It’s almost laughable how badly most companies are missing the mark here. It’s also sad. They know, with zero question, that supporting their talent with ERGs is critical. Despite themselves, companies are lucky to have people stand-up and volunteer to lead these ERGs. And yet, they fail to give them the basic tools - money, time, and support - to do the actual work. They want output without inputs. That may have worked until now. But ERG leaders are demanding more, for themselves and their colleagues. That, and they’re just sick and tired of being asked to do something impossible for nothing, with nothing. There will be a price to pay.?

Every week I hear ERG leaders say they’d like to transition from their leadership role, but they can’t find anyone else to take over. This week alone I heard from 3 ERG leaders who are planning to quit -? the company and the ERG. What happens when people leave these roles with no new leadership coming in? What happens when an applicant asks HR not only if there are ERGs, but how they’re funded & supported, how active they are, or even to talk to the ERG leaders? What will they do then? All of that is starting to happen, and it will accelerate.? If companies don’t get serious about their ERGs they will have no one to blame but themselves.?

Are you in an ERG? Do you partner with ERGs? What's the experience been like - what's working, what's not?

Kunik Bites

• Coping with the chaos that is hybrid work
• The march back to work heads in sharply different directions?
• Flexibility, not hybrid, Is what employees really want?
• How working parents can create a new normal for their family?
• Say goodbye to the toddler stars of the pandemic office zoom
• More women are considering scaling back at work than a year ago?
• Are women on a collision course with the COVID ceiling?

Kunik Convos?

• Have you had kids home sick yet? What are you doing about it?
• What are your top values right now? How often do they change??
• What’s the first work thing you do each day? It might not be the right thing.?
• We got a pandemic pet...and I’m struggling with it!?
• As stuff changes, do you have a diff COVID risk tolerance than friends/family?
• Is the ‘pandemic parenting decision fatigue’ hitting you hard? I’m done.
• How are you feeling about the upcoming winter??