The Employee Resource Group: Well-Intended, Poorly Executed
With the rise of a new social consciousness, employers everywhere are turning to their employee resource groups as an integral component to their diversity and inclusion strategies.
Typically these groups are subdivided by demographic categories – the women’s group, the young people’s group, etc. Without proper support, once the novelty of camaraderie wears off, this strategy can result in a new epicenter within the organization for this minority group to lament how it is not considered when leaders make broad corporate policy decisions that affect the group.
Rarely are modes of intersectionality between these employee resource groups invested in, which would allow for the groups to not only learn from one another, but also to have a more powerful voice in shaping the broader culture of the company.
Additionally, while the draw for affinity is well intended, as it correctly assumes that the demographic represented knows what they need most and how to self-organize, the groups are not regularly fortified with the resources, training and leverage needed to be fully functional. Employee engagement and building collective action are highly trained skills not innately held simply because someone has a passion for representation issues or office party planning.
Layer into that backdrop the new social distancing restrictions and remote work we are experiencing with COVID-19, and most employee resource groups are currently floundering – at a time when companies need them the most.
Here are our top recommendations for strengthening your company’s employee resource groups:
Develop a robust onboarding protocol that directly ties the strategic plans for the company to the activities of the ERG.
Empower the ERG leaders to build mechanisms for change to take place within the organization, not simply gather as a one-off minority affinity group.
Provide ongoing training and development for the ERG leaders to ensure their success in galvanizing not only their peers, but also allies within the company to take action when necessary.
Create both a top-down and bottom-up communication strategy that allows for a direct feedback loop between the ERG and the broader organization.
Resource the ERG with the staffing support and funding needed to make their plans come to life.
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