Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) – getting started
Employee Resource Groups or ERGs can be defined as:
ERGs have the possibility to serve as an important opportunity for your employees to feel valued and seen.
Employees want to feel like their leaders are on this DE&I journey with them; in order for your company to embrace a culture of diversity, you need buy-in from your senior leaders.
Think about tapping someone from senior leadership to “sponsor” your ERG work or lead communications so employees know that this is something that the company not only encourages, but values as well.
Ensuring that everyone at your company from the top down is supportive of this work will be essential to employees feeling like they can openly participate.
You should also consider having conversations with people managers to provide guidance on how to encourage their reports to get involved; if employees feel like their direct managers are not supportive of this effort they will be far less likely to join in on this work.
If you are just starting out in your DE&I journey and are afraid you don’t have the knowledge or expertise to lead this work internally, consider partnering with community organizations or thought leaders to ensure that you are properly educating your employees on the topic.
Non-profit organizations and DE&I thought leaders can be valuable resources for helping with open dialogue conversations with employees, particularly on sensitive topics or discussions that may be uncomfortable for some.
If you are worried about handling sensitive conversations on issues of race, gender, etc, consider bringing in an expert on the topic who is not only knowledgeable but can help guide the conversation and stay on track.
In most cases, bringing in a speaker will require some financial commitment on behalf of the company; this can be through a donation to a non-profit organization on behalf of the speaker, or as a fee or honorarium for their time.
If budget is an issue, consider tapping into your professional networks within your company to see if you can find thought leaders in this space.
Community partnerships and thought leadership
ERG’s can vary company by company in a variety of factors including employee demographics, geographies and company size. Before embarking on your ERG journey think about what makes the most sense for your company based on those factors.
For example, if you are a smaller company (less than 500 employees) it may make sense to have just one Employee Resource Group as opposed to individual ones based on certain communities.
What do ERG's look like at your company?
Asian Alliance
ERG's at Sun Life
An important component of any company’s DE&I journey is the willingness to have “uncomfortable” conversations with your employees and to embrace open dialogue.
When employees feel like they can freely discuss often controversial or serious issues as a group, it can often lead to a better sense of belonging.
Employee Resource Groups and topics of diversity, equity and inclusion is an ever-changing space, and as a company you need to be willing to constantly adapt to the changing environment.
As certain issues are unfolding within society, being willing to address these issues in a way that makes sense to the company is an important way for employees to feel like they are being heard.
Building a culture of inclusivity takes time and patience; it may take awhile before employees feel truly comfortable in participating in conversations or joining an Employee Resource Group. Often times these groups will build and grow over time the more they see their company take a stand on certain issues or let them know its “okay” to participate.
Lack of diversity and inclusion can often be a stumbling block to creating a culture of mental wellness at work. Creating an ERG can be a great first step towards starting to build inclusivity for all in your workplace. For more tips on building a mental wellness strategy and culture, please visit:
… voluntary, employee-led groups whose aim is to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with the organizations they serve.
sunlife.com/mentalwellness
This content is not to be considered legal advice. We recommend Clients speak with legal counsel as neccessary.
Consider setting “guard rails” for these conversations in order to avoid escalated or harmful language to occur. If holding moderated discussions, make sure that individual is knowledgeable enough to keep things on track and adapt if the conversation may be taking a wrong turn.
Tap into external resources:
Determine Your Framework for Success:
Community partnerships & thought leadership
Tap into external resources:
Engaging your leadership teams
Lead by example:
What do ERG's look like at your company?
Determine your framework for success:
Don't be afraid to be uncomfortable
Feel your feelings:
Be willing to adapt and grow
This work doesn't end:
Feel your feelings
Don't be afraid to be uncomfortable
This work doesn't end
Be willing to adapt and grow
Lead by example:
Engaging your leadership teams
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– Great Places to Work
Your framework will be important to your success as a company; it always makes sense to start small and grow your program over time, based on the engagement level of your population.
Black Excellence Alliance (BEA)
BrightWomen
DiverseAbility
EPN
(Emerging Professionals Network)
HOLA, Adelante
Indigenous Circle
InvestHer
Mosaic
Sun Life Pride
VET
(Veterans Engagement Team)