Why employee resource groups merit serious investment and support

Diversity and inclusion was always important, but now it’s hot, meaning that people are paying attention to it like never before.

Senior executives are looking to diversify their teams and boards, while DE&I professionals are striving to find the best way to engage employees, educate them and ultimately change their behavior.

That’s where employee resource groups (ERGs) have come in. Through trial and error, employers are discovering that ERGs can make DE&I goals a reality faster than many other initiatives.

Like DE&I initiatives, ERGs are also not new. Their roots are in the 1960s race riots in Rochester, N.Y. Back then, the CEO of Xerox decided that he wanted to do something to address racial equality, so he initiated what was then called the Black Caucus. From there, such efforts came to be known as affinity groups, then employee resource groups. Now there are even more custom names: business networks, business resource groups, etc.

Based on a long-term study of ERGs that I’ve been doing, utilizing multiple sets from over 100 companies, I can say with confidence that being in an ERG has positive effects on individual employee attitudes and behaviors, as well as how teams work together. All of which often impacts customer acquisition and retention, while trickling down to bottom-line business results.