Key takeaways:
- Leverage ERG insights to improve business practices: Tap into the frontline expertise of ERG members to identify and address areas for improvement in DEI efforts within your organization.
- Partner with your ERGs to improve policies: Collaborate closely with ERG members to advocate for and implement inclusive policies, such as equitable parental leave, that support diverse employee needs.
- Customize employee experiences through ERG input: Tailor initiatives and support systems to address the specific challenges and needs of different demographic groups within your workforce, ensuring that all voices are heard and valued.
Employee resource groups (ERGs) are powerful catalysts for change in the ongoing quest for workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
ERG members are at the frontline of organizational DEI efforts and possess the insights and experiences on the opportunities for improving inclusive business practices.
Our Board Members recently joined our leadership panel on leveraging ERGs to enhance DEI and EX and shared how to partner with ERG members to enhance employee experience initiatives.
Here’s a look at how senior DEI and EX leaders are empowering ERG members to advance their strategies.
1. Leverage ERG Insights to Improve Business Practices
ERG members are at the frontline of organizational diversity efforts, uniquely positioned to identify areas for improvement.
Our women’s teammate resource group advocates harmonizing parental leave across the business.
Alison Jones, VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Edgewell Personal Care
Alison Jones, VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Edgewell Personal Care, discussed the importance of leveraging ERG insights to identify challenges and opportunities for inclusive business practices.
“For example, our women’s teammate resource group advocates harmonizing parental leave across the business,” Allison said.
She used this example to highlight ERG members’ role in championing policies that promote fairness and inclusivity across organizations.
Partner with Your ERGs to Improve Policies
Allison also highlighted the need for equity in parental leave policies, noting discrepancies in leave duration between partners and the disproportionate impact on career progression, particularly for women.
She explained how partnering with their ERGs helped provide insights to their executives, making their benefits more inclusive across the company.
Shruti Bahadur, Global Leader of Employee Experience and Employee Resource Group at Dow, also shared examples of their Women’s Inclusion Network helping to improve parental leave practices.
“They worked with HR and have extended that parental leave policy,” Shruti said. “It’s now four months, or 16 weeks, for birthing, non-birthing, and adoptive parents, regardless of gender. That’s a tremendous impact on employee experience that our women’s ERG enabled.”
Shruti also shared that their Veterans ERG advocated for military degree equivalency, which helped eliminate the bachelor’s degree requirement for veterans in certain roles.
Well-being needs are different for a single mom employee compared to another employee who’s taking care of their elderly parents, compared to a disabled employee.
Shruti Bahadur, Global Leader of Employee Experience and Employee Resource Group at Dow
Customize the Employee Experience Through ERG Input
Shruti then highlighted the impact of ERGs on organizational policies, particularly in enhancing employee experience. She explained that ERG members play a pivotal role in tailoring initiatives to address specific challenges different demographic groups face.
“Well-being needs are different for a single mom employee compared to another employee who’s taking care of their elderly parents, compared to a disabled employee,” Shruti said.
She added that partnering with ERGs helps address specific employee needs and ensures that no voice goes unheard.
2. Integrate ERG Connections into Your Onboarding Process
Welcoming new employees into the business is a critical juncture for fostering a culture of inclusion.
Shruti elaborated on the impactful onboarding process implemented by their Rise ERG, tailored for employees with less than eight years in the company.
“They have fine tuned the onboarding process and the initial communication process,” Shruti said. “When an employee lands this job and shows up at work on day seven, there’s a welcome message that’s on behalf of all the ERGs to the employee, giving them opportunities to connect with all the ERGs.”
By providing ongoing support and engagement opportunities, such as connecting with local Rise leaders and accessing resources, this initiative helps foster a sense of belonging and integration within the organization.
Shruti noted positive feedback since its inception, highlighting its effectiveness in enhancing the onboarding experience for new employees.
Allison discussed their “Joyful Journey” initiative, a program designed to connect employees with ERGs even before they start their roles.
This program allows new hires to engage in conversations with ERG members, addressing questions and concerns related to various aspects of their identity or experience.
“We believe it creates that sense of community a lot sooner, so you don’t feel on an island, especially with just hybrid ways of working,” Allison said.
She also talked about the importance of prioritizing employee experience throughout the onboarding journey, emphasizing the role of talent acquisition in facilitating connections and support during this critical period.
3. Establish Processes to Consistently Recognize and Appreciate ERG Members
Dani Gomez-Ortega, Senior Manager of Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at McCain Foods, discussed other ways to empower ERGs amidst potential burnout, emphasizing the need for appreciation and recognition.
She highlighted the impact of simple gestures, such as thank-you notes and leadership visibility at events, in refueling the motivation of ERG leaders.
“I recently asked our ERG leaders, ‘How can we as the company fill your tank?'” Dani said. “Their answer was consistency and simple appreciation. Appreciation and visibility from leaders, like when they send us thank you notes and come to our events.”
Dani also noted the significance of providing development opportunities and tangible acknowledgments to sustain long-term engagement and loyalty.
She emphasized that these acts of appreciation not only uplift spirits in the short term but also leave a lasting impression on individuals’ careers and their perception of the company.
Bridge the Connection Between ERG Members and Business Leaders
Shruti shared her experience as the former North America leader for the Asian Diversity Network and emphasized the importance of recognizing ERG leaders’ contributions.
She described a campaign where global chairs of each ERG were showcased on the Dow intranet, highlighting their personal stories and passion for ERG work.
She also emphasized the need for intentional recognition efforts, ranging from lunches with executives to career coaching sessions, to acknowledge ERG leaders’ efforts effectively.
“We have an internal recognition system at the end of the year highlighting the work that they’ve done throughout the year,” Shruti said. “The business leaders get visibility of the work, and that gets baked into their performance review where they see all this work ERG members are doing on top of their day job.”
That little bit of recognition and visibility of saying these are some employees doing great work in our company, and we’re proud of them, makes a big difference.
Dani Gomez-Ortega, Senior Manager of Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at McCain Foods
4. Amplify the Visibility and Impact of ERG Efforts
Visibility to ERGs and their impact is key to driving meaningful change within your organization.
Dani talked about the power of internal recognition and highlighting the contributions of ERG leaders.
She shared an example from a previous company where ERG leaders were nominated for monetary bonuses, which helps effectively recognize and elevate employees’ efforts.
Dani also highlighted the impact of telling the story of ERG members on social media.
“The other piece was doing a story on social media about some of the work that one of our ERGs was doing,” Dani said. “They shared it everywhere. They sent it to their parents, and they were so happy and proud of their work. That little bit of recognition and visibility of saying these are some employees doing great work in our company, and we’re proud of them, makes a big difference.”
5. Discover More Insights on Empowering ERG Members with Heads of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Empowering your ERG members is critical for fostering a culture of DEI within your organization. By leveraging the insights and experiences of ERG members, you can identify and address critical areas for improvement in your DEI efforts.
Discover more strategies for collaborating with ERGs and advancing your strategies with actionable insights from your peers in the DEI Board. Our members meet weekly in our community to confidentially share their strategies on their top priorities, including how to enhance ERG efforts.
Learn how membership in our community can help you advance your strategies today.
