What is an Employee Resource Group? 

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) or staff networks or are groups of employees who help to create an equitable and inclusive workplace by supporting employees from underrepresented or minority / minoritised groups.  

ERGs can play an important part in supporting the organisation to achieve its diversity, equity and inclusion aims and objectives, as well as providing a forum to help challenge underrepresentation, tackle discrimination, improve the understanding of different communities and cultures and provide wellbeing support, guidance and signposting to all employees.  

These enable employees from similar backgrounds, cultures or common identities to come together to support each other. A well-organised ERG also provides an opportunity for employees to share their lived experience with the organisation for which they work, creating dialogue and understanding and giving a voice to underrepresented groups.  

There are several key considerations when setting up an ERG, such as:  

• What is the aim or purpose of the ERG? 
• How will it be structured? 
• What are the roles and responsibilities of the ERG’s leadership team? 
• How will it connect with the organisation and its leadership? 
• What activities will it undertake? 

These considerations are outlined in the following section. 

ERG purposes and goals 

Most ERGs aims and objectives are designed to represent the collective views of employees and to offer support, guidance and networking opportunities as well as to support the organisation in its aims to be a consciously inclusive employer.  

The purpose of the ERG will determine the types of activities and events to be undertaken – it is usually aligned to the overall diversity, equity and inclusion aims of the organisation.  

Depending on the purpose for creating an ERG within your organisation, some ideas for initial aims and objectives are:  

1. Building trust: amplifying the voices of those within the organisation to encourage a sense of feeling safe so they express themselves freely  
2. Actively working against exclusion: taking steps to combat any form of exclusion that inhibit people’s ability to thrive  
3. Embracing a wide range of styles and voices: actively trying to understand how organisational norms might implicitly discourage certain behavioural styles or silence certain voices  
4. Making cultural differences a source for learning: encourage — and draw lessons from — open discussions on how identity-related groups shape people’s experiences inside and outside the organisation.   

ERG structure 

Every ERG exists in response to different needs and requirements and will therefore have different aims and objectives. Some ERGs exist solely to provide employees with an opportunity to connect and network with other employees who share a common value, identity, background or culture. These are sometimes known as ‘affinity networks’.  

Other ERGs exist to support organisations and employees to address issues or concerns and to play a more active role in challenging inequalities, injustices or exclusionary behaviours. These are sometimes known as ‘action networks’.  

It’s worth noting that these two main types of ERGs are not mutually exclusive. Most ERGs will act as both affinity and action networks, depending on the needs of the organisation and their network members, and they may flex and change over time depending on the growth in confidence and credibility of the network or the changing needs of the organisation or its employees.

ERG leadership roles and responsibilities 

There is no set way for ERGs to set up their leadership team. However, it is recommended that the ERG is coordinated by a small group of individuals who will ensure that it is managed appropriately, and that the agreed aims and objectives are monitored and tracked whilst also responding to the needs of employees.  

The leadership team should be made up of individuals from different teams, departments and locations, as well as from different backgrounds and diverse characteristics wherever possible, so that there is diversity of thought, perspective, opinion and lived experience informing the aims and actions of the group. 

The ERG leadership team 

Most ERGs have a leadership team of at least two individuals who act as the chair and deputy chair to ensure that any ongoing commitments, events or activities are maintained in the instance of employee absence. Other roles worth considering, are:  

• Chair/lead  
• Deputy chair/ lead  
• Communications lead 
• Treasurer/ secretary  
• Events lead  
• Workstream/ community leads   

It is recommended that leadership team decisions are made by consensus or majority vote.  

Employees joining the ERG leadership team should be able to actively challenge – and test – perceptions, bias, knowledge and understanding of an issue, and to help to provide a solution. It is therefore worth considering whether those joining the leadership team are comfortable advocating for the groups’ members and, where required, challenging the organisation’s leadership. 

You might also want to consider what type of ERG you are aiming to create (for instance, an affinity or action network) before deciding what your expectations are of those stepping into a leadership role. Some typical responsibilities include:  
 

Chair/ deputy chair 

• Representing the views of ERGs members to the organisation and leadership 
• Setting the direction of the ERG and taking the lead on activities 
• Keeping up to date with activities of other leadership team members and the progress of their ERG related activities 
• Chairing ERG meetings 
• Owning any ERG budget, ensuring that any expenditure remains within the organisational policy and is appropriately allocated 

Seeking executive sponsors or allies 

Senior leadership buy-in and support can be a critical factor in the success or failure of any ERG. Their support adds credibility to the group in a way that ensures that the whole organisation understands the value, importance and responsibility that the ERG has in supporting the business or DE&I aims and objectives.  

Senior leaders can actively support the work of the ERG by ‘sponsoring’ its activities and should be allies to the ERG, by actively demonstrating their support.  

Ways to do this include:  

• Leading by example by acting as role models for inclusive behaviour and regularly speaking about why DE&I is important to them personally and to the organisation as a whole 

• Endorsing the work of the ERG by regularly promoting its success, aims and objectives and using their position as a platform to amplify the messages, feedback and sentiments being generated by the ERG at executive level. 
• Encouraging everyone to challenge inappropriate language or behaviour 

• Recognising that not everyone will have had the same opportunities and will have had difference experiences 
• Engaging face-to-face with colleagues – making it personal rather than relying on emails to communicate messages to the ERG or the wider workforce 
• Listening to the ERG and acknowledging feedback or sentiment 
• Not taking over – allowing the ERG to make decisions without needing to step in to take the lead
  

Tracking or measuring effectiveness 

In order to track and measure the effectiveness of the ERG, identify what the purpose, aims and objectives of the group are and what you are aiming to achieve. Measure success by ensuring that any goals follow the S.M.A.R.T. format. Goals must be: 

Specific  

Measurable  

Achievable  

Relevant  

Time-based  

If your aims follow this format, it will be easier to be able measure goals as you work towards them – and simpler to understand when that goal has been reached. One easy way to track this success is to design an action plan, which outlines aims and the proposed timescales for achieving them. This will also allow you to define:  

• What you want to accomplish  
• Why it is important  
• Who is involved in achieving it  
• What resources you will need 
• What the proposed outcome will be and who it will impact 

It is also useful to keep in mind that a measure of success for events is not always the greatest number of attendees. Small, but impactful, events can drive sustainable change. 

Promoting allyship and collaboration 

Most ERGs are created out of a specific need identified by a group of individuals with a shared background, identity, culture or experience. The objectives and aims of each individual group may therefore differ depending on the purpose being identified, or due to a response to specific issues being experienced by employees (such as gender or racial inequalities and inequities).  

As a group of diverse individuals, the ERG should recognise and celebrate individuality, intersectional identities, similarities, differences and a wide range of experiences to help develop and maintain inclusive workplace culture where everyone will be recognised for their individual worth and can be their genuine selves at work.  

This can be achieved by:  

• Raising awareness of the differences within the organisation, and the value of a diverse workforce  
• Working collaboratively with everyone and welcoming different views and perspectives  
• Providing knowledge, advice and guidance to all employees as and when required – and being a critical friend to the organisation 
• Embracing authenticity by listening to the real-life experiences of employees  
• Working constructively with your senior leaders to influence cultural change.  

Aligning the ERG to business activities or objectives 

The activities of the ERG should support an organisation’s overall DE&I objectives, as well align to the strategic business or operational objectives of the organisation. 

The ERG should work in partnership with the senior leadership team, and in particular their executive sponsor, to understand, design and deliver initiatives that will not only support the organisation to become a great place to work but also make an impact in your communities, and with your clients and customers wherever appropriate. 

Practical advice for managing volunteers  

ERGs need to rely on volunteers from within the organisation to lead and execute any activities and events. Managing volunteers is different to managing direct reports or colleagues because the work that volunteers do is in addition to their day-to-day role, so a softer approach is generally more effective and appropriate. 

Managing and recruiting volunteers 

Some ways to recruit volunteers include:  

• Providing an outline of the role that includes the key responsibilities and expectations. Ensure that the job is not too onerous or time-consuming - consider joint roles, such as co-chairs, or separating roles and responsibilities into different jobs. 
• Being realistic about the time commitment – volunteers will quickly become disengaged if they feel that they cannot achieve what is required of them. 
• Staying connected and providing support - ERG volunteers often care deeply about the DE&I agenda, so there is a chance that they will become unresponsive if they are not able to deliver if they can feel that they are letting the ERG or its members down. 
  
• Highlighting what the volunteer will get from the role, such as any development opportunities provided through their involvement in the ERG. Some common benefits include demonstrating leadership capabilities, increased profile within the organisation and with senior leaders, and working on activities and topics that are very different from the day job.  
• Ensuring that volunteers feel valued for their contribution. Showing appreciation for the time and effort volunteers dedicate to the ERG is vital to build and maintain motivation. Where appropriate, acknowledge them publicly in newsletters or events, but be aware that some people might prefer private appreciation. Always check first. 
• Asking people directly to get involved. Be specific about what it is you’re asking them to do, as they are far more likely to step up if they are asked to organise a specific event or research speakers on a given topic than to simply ‘help with the network’.  

Possible activities 

When planning and designing events and activities, consider the following:  

• What is the story?  
• Why should people join in?  
• What are the intersectional touchpoints?  
• How can it be adapted for each of your locations and virtually if needed?  
• What resources do you already have? 
• What resources do you need?  
• What is your budget? 
• How will you know it is successful?  

Ensure that events and activities focus on inclusion and elevating the stories and voices of people who are not often heard from in the organisation. Actively look for difference and ensure that a diverse group of people, speakers and perspectives are highlighted. Consider how activities align to the overall purpose of the ERG as well as the organisational DE&I objectives.  

One of the most important factors in the success of any ERG activities is how they are communicated and marketed. Always ensure that the communication plan is considered as part of the planning stages and follow up afterwards with success stories. When marketing activities remember to include what the participants will get out of it as well as the information you need to convey.  

Sometimes with ERG activities, less is more. It is likely to be more effective to have a few impactful activities that are deliverable, rather than so many activities that it becomes difficult for the ERG team to sustain momentum. Maximum impact, minimum effort is a good maxim for ERG activities.  

There are a multitude of activities an ERG could undertake, and it is always best practice to consult the membership if possible. Some of the best events and activities showcase the stories and lived experience of employees across the business and these do not have to relate specifically to diversity topics.  

Fun events such as quizzes or trivia, movies, book groups or anything relating to food or cooking are usually popular. These can be given a diversity theme by the topics covered or by incorporating different cultures. Virtual scavenger hunts or tours of significant sites can also be interesting. For example, significant sites for the suffragette, LGBTQ+ or civil right movements or those aligned to a specific culture, heritage or faith.  

Peer support activities can also be appreciated by ERG members and non-members. For example you could set up a buddy scheme for new parents, with experienced parents helping those juggling returning to work and childcare.