How Employee Resource Groups can help build an inclusive culture

Pictured above: In their panel titled “Breathing Life into ERGs: the Impact of a Pandemic and a Racial Justice Movement” at the virtual Grace Hopper Celebration, Elsevier’s Beth Dickerson, Moira Bohannon, Mercedes Hall, Patreece Spence and Beth Finn share their experiences and advice, and Emily Johnson facilitates the Q&A. If you’re looking to develop a more inclusive culture in your organization, one way is to start an Employee Resource Group (ERG). These voluntary, employee-led groups build support for employees with shared life experiences or characteristics, helping to foster a diverse workplace and provide support and visibility for employees.

When starting or maintaining a successful ERG, there are important elements to consider and skills to build. Whether you’re an ERG lead or a valuable member, focusing on these aspects can help you make an impact within your organization as a minority or an ally.

Last month, Elsevier presented an immersive panel discussion for women in technology at the virtual Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing(opens in new tab/window), which brought together more than 30,000 women in tech from 115 countries.  The event was named after the late mathematician Grace Hopper(opens in new tab/window), who was a Rear Admiral in the US Navy and a computer technology pioneer.

Elsevier’s panel — “Breathing Life into ERGs: the Impact of a Pandemic and a Racial Justice Movement” — featured leaders of various ERGs:

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  Moira Bohannon(opens in new tab/window), Developmental Editor, Co-Chair of Elsevier Pride Philadelphia

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  Mercedes Hall(opens in new tab/window), Software Engineer, Co-President of the African Ancestry Network Philadelphia

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  Patreece Spence(opens in new tab/window), Associate Publisher, Co-President of African Ancestry Network Philadelphia

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  Beth Finn(opens in new tab/window), Senior Project Manager, Clinical Solutions Precision Medicine portfolio, member and ally of Elsevier Pride, African Ancestry Network and Diversity in Tech

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  Beth Dickerson(opens in new tab/window) (moderator), Platform Advocate, Co-chair of Diversity in Tech

The panelists encouraged women in technology to create spaces in the corporate sector that foster a well-rounded work environment, empowering all employees to affect change and work to their full potential. They shared their journey of starting the Philadelphia chapter of the African Ancestry Network, an ERG for people of color and allies, from their motivations to create the group, to managing growth and integration within the larger organization. They also gave insights into navigating the leadership of an ERG with an acute interest due to the civil uprising and the new reality of remote collaboration.

The key points they discussed aligned with the theme of this year’s Grace Hopper Celebration: “Together We Build.” The theme reflects the idea that community, solidarity and collaboration are essential, particularly in the recent times of change. This idea extends to the creation and maintenance of successful ERGs:

Together …

Belonging

Employee Resource Groups have the unique ability to gather folks with important commonalities but who may not interact otherwise. The act of welcoming people and ideas can foster a sense of belonging in the workplace. When starting the Philadelphia chapter of African Ancestry Network, Mercedes Hall had an outpouring of positivity and support from both folks of African Ancestry and caring allies alike.

Events

Events are a key component of ERGs, and they provide opportunities for anyone to get involved. Since ERGs are connection points at work, we suggest trying different kinds of events to find out what engages your particular group. Engaging employees virtually in a COVID-19 world can be especially challenging. Whether starting or continuing an ERG, flexibility is key. Make your plans, then be ready to readjust.

Elsevier Pride had a fantastic slate of events planned for 2020 before the pandemic shifted everything. Virtual events have had varied success:  there were a few where hardly anyone showed up, and others (like virtual Drag Bingo) that were quite successful. ERG leaders are still learning what works best. It can be a tricky balance to stay in touch but not contribute to Zoom fatigue. Trial and error can help determine what kind of events are most attractive, as well as staying flexible and adapting to the continual changes.

We …

Allies

Allies play an integral role in ERGs. Whether recruiting colleagues for events or helping take initiatives forward, allies can support their ERG leads, who manage the ERG while doing their full-time jobs. For example, some allies in the African Ancestry Network have started a virtual anti-racist book club. AAN has also collaborated with allies of RE Cares(opens in new tab/window) (our company’s global community volunteering program) to host a book drive highlighting minority authors and characters.

Are you hesitant to join an ERG as an ally? Moira stresses that all are welcome:

It’s important to us (ERG leads) to remind folks that allies are welcomed at all Pride events. We know that some people, especially new employees, aren’t sure if the group is for them if they don’t identify as part of the community, so we need to advertise beyond our email list and encourage anyone who supports the community to attend.

Community

Having a sense of community at work can be extremely beneficial. ERGs serve as a resource with the goal of empowering everyone to use their voices, find community, and celebrate our similarities and differences.

With things like communications, program planning and coordination, and overall crisis response strategy, the presence of an ERG makes a world of difference. We can connect the needs of the employees directly to leadership and increase the sense of support employees feel. Creating community helps people to connect to resources and to have a sense of belonging, thereby strengthening the trust between senior leaders and folks working at Elsevier globally.

Shared resources

Whether building a new ERG or building up an established ERG, we know that it is built better together! Two parts to building a strong foundation are through sharing resources and through drawing from diverse talent.

There are a few ways to examine how we can share resources. If you want to leverage the resources of existing chapters, ask someone to do this with you! You double your network by adding it to someone else’s. Do not hold so tightly to your leadership structure that it becomes inflexible: allow it to change and grow as your group does the same. Perhaps your leadership member size needs to be increased. Or maybe the hierarchy structure needs to be flattened out. Reach out to your existing resources and your colleagues in HR. But before your group spreads its wings, make sure you provide yourselves a compass and a landing strip: set up your mission and vision statements.