Employee Resource Groups: A Catalyst for Business Success
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are voluntary, employee-led communities that provide a platform for their members to foster connections, develop skills, and enable organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) objectives.
ERGs are typically focused on a specific demographic, identity, or shared lived experience — often those that are historically and currently marginalized in society. Often, you’ll see workplace ERGs for women, BIPOC communities, 2SLGBTQ+ folks, disabled people/people with disabilities, veterans, newcomers, or religious groups, but the list of options is endless.
ERGs are exceptionally common in the workplace. 90% of Fortune 500 companies have ERGs in place. The average number of ERGs for a single organization ranges from six to eight, with many of those ERGs having sub-entities based around geographic chapters or nuanced intersectional identities (i.e., a Transgendered employee community within a larger 2SLGBTQ+ ERG).
In simplest terms, I often refer to ERGs as “student clubs, but for adults.” Yes, it’s cheeky, but there are a lot of parallels. If you choose to engage, these often unpaid and totally optional extra-curriculars tend to be the most memorable part of your campus/workplace experience.
