How to maximize the potential of your ERGs

Don’t forget that ERGs are first and foremost a resource for employees. ERGs can offer them a voice within the organization, cultivate positive workplace experiences, and provide a platform for business growth. An ERG must be welcoming, foster cross-collaboration, and align with organizational core values.

For ERGs to meet their potential, you need to maintain open pathways of communication from both company leadership and ERG members, and the right governance structure can achieve this. For example, an office of inclusion might be at the center, under the supervision of executive sponsors from firm leadership who can share their annual business targets and objectives. ERG sponsors can work alongside this “central office,” sharing feedback from ERG members as well as communicating firmwide goals to the ERGs. This creates a robust feedback loop, collaboration at all levels, and a platform for enterprise engagement.

To ensure that ERGs are effective, it’s important to have tools to measure their success. For example, many ERGs create dashboards that display the number of members, a lineup of future events or projects, past event attendance, and any other relevant data. Once you have established the right metrics to track your ERGs’ progress, don’t forget to schedule regular check-ins with ERG sponsors to review results and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Don’t forget to activate your ERGs to help with organizational priorities, for example recruiting or increasing supplier diversity. Roll out an agenda of priorities each year, but make sure that your ERGs have enough flexibility to develop programming that works for their audience. For example, an ERG that focuses on people with disabilities might help an organization design packaging that is easier to open.

It’s critical for employees to feel genuinely engaged with their ERGs and inspired to participate in a meaningful way. Collaboration with other ERGs can help to increase allyship and amplify impact, so don’t forget to provide opportunities for members of different ERGs to connect, learn from one another, and volunteer. For example, all-ERG conferences allow representatives from each ERG to come together to learn from one another and get inspired.

ERGs are a great way to transform your organization’s vocal support for inclusion into actions that directly benefit employees. They have the potential to communicate to company leadership which benefits and policies would make the biggest difference for employees. For example, a company might choose to adjust its parental leave policies to include those who are not birth parents, or offer more targeted flex-work options.