Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) where first introduced by Joseph Wilson, former CEO of Xerox in the 1960s. The formation of ERGs was in response to racial tension and a way to address discrimination in the workplace. Sixty years later, ERGs are still viewed as an effective way to promote equity and belonging in the workplace. In fact, ERGs are fast becoming a must-have for business organizations that are keen on getting their DEI initiatives right. That said, in order for a company’s ERGs to be effective and yield desired fruits, there is need for appropriate channeling of resources towards it, followed by creating a strategic action plan by the management and business leaders. This usually poses some challenges for some organizations and thus, the resort to the establishment of DEI Culture groups or Diversity Councils as an alternative.

ERGs, also referred to as affinity groups or business communities, refer to initiatives created by organizations or businesses to provide employees with space, resources, support, and education to reach a goal. Most global brands and organizations have one or more ERGs towards achieving a particular goal, ranging from just social and fun goals to more serious goals like creating a space for underserved or underrepresented identity groups within the workplace.

The three major types of ERGs include the social ERG, the advocacy ERG and the external partnerships ERG. They are all used for the purpose of either connecting a group of people, affecting change in an organization or for creating a connection in the community for brand building, community building, or talent link building respectively. While the benefits of ERGs seem to be clear, the question that most organizations are seeking to answer is the value add in having an ERG. In other words, how effective are these groups in meeting their goals?

A recent survey conducted by Salesforce and the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) revealed that there is a clear-cut connection between DEI and ERGs, with a general consensus by respondents agreeing that ERGs boost company culture and provide a robust platform for DEI initiatives. This is based on the premise that ERGs provide ways for employees to connect with one another while being able to discuss difficult topics, shape corporate strategy, and contribute to community healing while promoting the overall business growth and success of a business or organization.

In spite of the benefits highlighted above, showing that ERGs are a major player in a company’s DEI strategies; ERGs also present its own unique challenges to a company in terms of implementation and sustainability. These challenges include, being led and maintained primarily by volunteers, resulting in a lack of buy-in and support from the
C-suite or general organization, lack of focus and strategy, no guidance on where to begin the work, the need to prioritize some groups above others, getting little to no administrative or financial support from company management, and in some cases given too much responsibility to manage.

While there are obviously many benefits to ERGs, the biggest impediment to the success of ERGs is the lack of support in moving the identified issues forward. This is where organizations have an obligation to their employees to shift the culture of their organization into action where it’s more talking accompanied with more doing.

Establishing DEI Culture Groups is one way we can elevate and demonstrate our support to our employees. You may be asking, isn’t a DEI Culture Group the same as an ERG? The simple answer is no. DEI Culture Groups within an organization moves us from discussion to action. These are employees that are inclusive of all identities and focus on areas such as the organizational culture and systems where inequalities and exclusion exist. In standing up a DEI Culture Group, the organization is effectively committing to allocating the right resources and identifying KPIs that ensure that the group will meet the desired goal. This means we shift from relying on “volunteers” to keep the group going (something that exists with many ERGs) to tasking people with the responsibilities to deliver on identified goals. DEI Culture Groups should be part of an organization’s strategic priorities to address the inequalities that continue to plague many organizations. The establishment of these groups gets us from talking about the problem to moving to action.

Companies continually look for ways to innovate and recreate. Isn’t it time we reimagine ERGs? Isn’t it time that we move from supporting groups to actionable groups that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive? I imagine a world in which our words match our actions. If you are ready to make actionable changes, lets connect.