6 Tips to Make Your ERG More Impactful in 2022
In 2022, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) continue to be instrumental in fostering inclusion, equity and belonging in companies across the globe. In this article, we look at ways to drive more impact from the work you and your members are doing in your ERG this year.
P.S. If you’re interested in getting your own ERG off the ground, see our resource on how to start an ERG. If you’re a DEI leader looking to empower your ERG members, we also have a resource for great ways to do this.
1. Track the current interests, feelings, and needs of your members
If you’re not already doing this, consider regularly surveying your members to keep a pulse on their interests, needs and the value they are getting out of their membership in the ERG. Using surveys to get feedback can also help you understand how effective leadership is within your ERG. It can also determine causes for decline in membership or the inability to attract new members.
Understanding what interests your members will help to determine future directions for topic exploration, discussion and events. Overall, sending out surveys regularly will help you realign the mission of your ERG with the needs of your members and the business.
2. Get an executive sponsor or champion for your ERG
ERGs are typically made up of more entry-level and mid-level employees, which is why there may tend to be a disconnect between ERG members and executive leaders. This is where executive sponsors make a real difference. An executive sponsor acts as a liaison between ERGs and senior-leadership, and advocates for their ERG’s concerns, budget and access to opportunities at C-level meetings. This can be a game-changer for taking your inclusion impact as an ERG, even further.
When searching for an executive sponsor, look to your leadership for someone who has overlapping experience or interest in your goals and mission. Make a strong case for how your ERG’s activities align with business goals and be sensitive to their busy schedule.
If you’re already an executive sponsor looking to create more impact, here’s our resource on three things every good executive sponsor must do.
3. Close the gap between your executive sponsor and your ERG
Executive sponsors do not tend to attend each ERG meeting or event. So they won’t necessarily be in the loop about all the challenges your ERG is experiencing. In particular, Great Place to Work’s 2021 case study found that 78% of executive sponsors believe involvement in ERGs supports career advancement, but only 40% of ERG leaders agree. Similarly, 91% of executive sponsors feel a sense of belonging at work, compared to only 76% of ERG leaders.
To make the most of your executive sponsor’s role in your ERG, make sure to establish clear roles and responsibilities with them and their commitment to the ERG. This could mean working out how many times they will meet with their ERGs per quarter. It’s also important to work with them to align your ERG’s mission and SMART goals with overall business priorities. Outline with them, the ways in which they will champion your cause and advocate for the challenges your ERG experiences. For instance, they may advocate for budget and financial support for your ERG. They may bring concerns from ERG members about inequitable hiring methods to the attention of senior leaders.
When meeting with your executive sponsor, have a plan to communicate the current challenges faced by your ERG - e.g. lack of funding, low membership. Work with them to help them better understand the challenges you are experiencing so that you can find solutions together that work well for you and the business.
4. Invest in resources to reduce friction for booking events
This great tip comes from our in-depth conversation with Dr. Vijay Pendakur, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Zynga on our new podcast, DEI Leaders by Crescendo. One challenge that ERGs may experience is in the time and effort required to plan and book events and speakers. Vijay recommends investing in vendor solutions that are available to ERGs and designed to minimize the effort required to hold events. This reduces the burden of labor on ERG leaders and members to hold the valuable programming they need.
“So there are actual vendor solutions out there that simplify all of this for your ERGs, so that they’re operating within a choice ecosystem where they’re basically just going out and spending credits in a prearranged contract.”
5. Improve how accessible your events are
One of the reasons that people choose to not participate in ERGs is because they don’t have the time or regular schedule to be able to commit to meetings. This is especially the case for employees with caregiving responsibilities or busy schedules, e.g. frontline work. To target this, try to include opportunities for asynchronous events in your ERG programming. For instance, you can create an offline space for discussion, like a Slack channel for people to share DEI learnings.
For in-person events, make sure to have venues that have facilities like accessible washrooms and captioned visuals so that all members can have a great experience. Also see our downloadable checklist for accessible events.
If your company has remote employees or employees in different time zones, you could also hold online events that accommodate different time zones, or share recordings of events for people to view afterwards. Having this flexibility will in turn, encourage more membership to your ERG.
6. Include opportunities for mentorship in your programming
If you’re not doing this already, consider including mentorship programming as part of your ERG’s activities. Pairing employees with a leader-mentor can help them build their skill-set and their sense of belonging at the company. It can also connect them to avenues for professional development and networking. Mentorship from leaders with underrepresented backgrounds can also help uplift underrepresented employees, or expose them to new experiences and perspectives. In any case, it’s a valuable opportunity to create for your members, and will likely benefit their career in the long-term.
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While ERGs have been around for a while, many of them still experience the same challenges in driving impact through their day-to-day operations. The tips we’ve included will help you enhance and extend this impact to make a broader difference at your organization.
Want to build inclusion into the fabric of your company culture? Crescendo’s DEI Learning Suite integrates micro lessons into the flow of work to help cultivate excellence in your workforce. See it in action today.
