How do you improve and promote Employee Resource Groups at your company?
To assist in this process, we asked HR professionals and business leaders this question for their best advice. From carving out necessary time to evolving responsibilities, there are several tips to help improve and promote Employee Resource Groups.
Here are seven tips to help improve and promote Employee Resource Groups at your company:
- Make it Fun
- Involve Employees in Promotion
- Carve Out Necessary Time
- Executive Buy-In
- Grassroots Approach
- Evolving Responsibilities
- Open up Slack Channels
Make it Fun
Make an Employee Resource Group fun! By doing fun things within an ERG, you are communicating to the rest of your employees that the time they will spend involved with ERGs will be time well spent. Whether that’s a retreat to Sedona to talk about diversity and inclusion or a simple local outing, making things fun can help promote ERGs to employees.
Gregory Drambour, Sedona Retreats
Involve Employees in Promotion
Think about inviting a wide range of individuals to create an employee resource group (ERG). For example, create an ERG for veterans and veteran supporters and then involve them in activities to recruit and hire service members, who can bring unique skills, experiences, and perspectives to the workplace. Expanding and promoting the benefits of ERGs is also a great way to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Andrew Rawson, Traliant
Carve Out Necessary Time
Have a dedicated amount of time to devote to ERGs. Carve out the necessary time, and block off that time on a calendar to make progress. By blocking off time for an ERG, companies can ensure that internal developments happen while not taking too much time away from an employee’s regular work schedule.
Daniel Richmond, Tic Watches
Executive Buy-In
Buy-in starts at the top. If ERGs are to be adopted internally, leaders and executives need to buy in and think about how to support ERGs as well. Without support at the executive level, ERGs can’t thrive at any level. Develop a plan to get leaders on board in a visual way to kick-off an internal ERG marketing campaign.
Brett Farmiloe, Markitors
Grassroots Approach
A grassroots approach can often have the biggest impact on promoting and improving corporate employee resource groups (ERGS). Having authentic, passionate leaders who are entrenched in your business leading each of these groups is a key ingredient for their success. These ERG leaders have the ability to navigate corporate culture and connect directly with employees. Grassroots leaders like this should be taking time to connect directly with team members. Receiving feedback for improvement and implementing change as needed. Serving to coordinate activities to connect with one another and with leaders in the community. Also, serving as a voice box and cheerleader for participation in these efforts.
Tyler Butler, 11Eleven Consulting
Evolving Responsibilities
In companies, the roles and responsibilities of employee resource groups must evolve from social networks to brain-trust type groups that influence the enterprise. It is an opportunity that will enable workers’ opinions to be understood and the influence of assorted thought to form the current ground rules that will represent the future workforce i.e. its staff and customers. To command and operate together most efficiently, ERG members need to trust themselves and each other. This will hoist collaboration and engagement, increase cross-collaboration within and outside the company with other ERGs, and improve best practices. Also, the content proposition for its permanence and how performance will be regulated must be determined by your ERG. This will aid to further clarify the business case for diversity and how the expertise pipeline and business development endeavors of your organization will be affected by the swiftly changing aspect of your workforce and customers.
Sylvia Kang, Mira
Open up Slack Channels
TA utilizes the Rockefeller Habits framework to support our business goals, but we know that the tools are valuable for improving our personal lives as well. We have several private slack channels, including our accountability channel and our wellness channel. Team members who choose to join, do so to help push each other to reach their personal and professional goals and celebrate wins. Groups like these help us become more well-rounded individuals, build trust between members of different teams, and improve our goal-setting skills.
Rob Bellenfant, TechnologyAdvice
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