ERGs: How DEI Leaders Can Empower their Employee Resource Groups

In 2021, leaders continue to advance diversity, equity and inclusion within their organizations through Employee Resource Groups - employee-led communities that are built around shared interests, experiences and needs. After an eventful first half of 2021, in terms of social and political climate and the impact of the pandemic on workplace connectivity and morale, this is a great time to start an ERG to support employees. With remote participation being possible through multiple platforms, running ERG programming through a work-from-home setting can also be just as effective. 

As you gear up to lead a new ERG, or perhaps create the first at your organization, here are some tips to run your ERG effectively and maximize the social change brought about to your workplace.

Tip 1 - Look for the action that already exists.

While planning for and envisioning your ERG strategy, ask yourself - where are pockets of conversation and celebration already forming?

Look for the groups that have naturally formed, and approach them with resources to formalize what they're doing. The best groups are run by those who are passionate. So if certain individuals are already taking the lead with conversations in your workplace, pay attention to their specific needs and interests and include them in your decision-making if they are interested in participating. They will likely have great networking and leadership experience to leverage and this opportunity will also empower them to lay the groundwork and take their initiatives further. Remember that creating an ERG that aims to engage employees requires the input of those employees. This will also help to unite employees and orient a clear mission and purpose for your ERG, along with how it aligns with your broader organizational goals.

Tip 2 - Don't target people to start groups just because they're open about their identity. 

Just because someone is out at work doesn't mean they want to take on the extra work of running an ERG! Approaching someone to run a group just because of their identity is a form of tokenization. Instead, ensure that you make the goals and direction of your planned ERG well-known within your organization. If individuals resonate with these goals, they will choose to join and they may even choose to take part in its leadership. By clearly outlining your objectives and the community you are representing, you can minimize confusion around who would be a great fit for participation. 

Tip 3 - Provide support - both moral and financial.

Effective ERGs that empower, support and connect employees require both time and funding. Invest effort into securing senior or C-suite level support by articulating the value of your ERG and how its cause aligns with organizational goals. Aim to obtain an executive sponsor that can advocate for your goals in other senior-level conversations. See our blog post on how to start an ERG for new leaders, for more on this. 

For executives, understand the value that both financial and non-financial support can bring to ERGs and the employees they support. Work with ERG leaders to devise a framework for how their strategy aligns with long-term business goals, help bring down organizational barriers to functioning, and provide funding and coaching support. 

Tip 4 - Provide tools that reduce the burden of education and make it easier to scale impact.

Often, ERGs exist to represent the interests of a specific (often underrepresented) group. But minoritized people already invest time and labor into educating their aspiring allies so, for many, the work required of them by an ERG can feel emotionally taxing and overwhelming (especially when it’s unpaid). By offering a platform that helps these aspiring allies learn on their own, or that allows ERGs to easily find and share pre-vetted content, you can alleviate some of this extra burden.

Many ERGs use Crescendo Moments to spark discussions and provide topics of conversation for their ERGs, and share quality content with aspiring allies. Some even appoint a "Crescendo Champion" to monitor the progress of the group using Crescendo's Admin Portal and conversations features.

Tip 5 - Celebrate the successes! 

ERGs can play a key role in bringing your company's DEI commitment to life. When ERGs really take flight, they can be a powerful force for change. Take every opportunity to publicize the impactful things your ERGs are doing, and emphasize the impact to the company’s success. Recognition is a great way to reward and incentivize the behaviours that align with your DEI commitments, and publicizing these stories will help to recruit new members and make it clear to the whole organization that DEI is a core part of your company culture.

Your ERGs have the power to create a space where employees can apply their diverse interests, identities and experiences to broader organizational goals and in turn, strengthen their purpose and sense of belonging. Implement these tips in your next ERG to support the work your employees do and their initiative to drive social change and foster inclusion in your workplace. 

Want to equip your ERGs with Crescendo Moments? Book a demo today to see how we can maximize inclusive action in your organization.