Employee Resource Groups

Exploration Outline & Guide

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are a great avenue to promote inclusion and belonging among employees. But, without a thoughtful effort to create and operate these groups, they can fall flat and waste their potential.


If you’re exploring the idea of creating your own in-house ERG, you may be wondering where to start and what to do to ensure that your ERG is successful. The following guidelines can help you begin incorporating a successful ERG into your organization.

Identify The Purpose

Many employers create multiple ERGs, and the purpose of each group can differ. Having a determined purpose or goal will help guide the operations and activities of each group. See below for questions to consider as you explore the intention of your group:


  • Why are you creating this group?
  • What is your goal for the group?
  • Will this platform be solely for those who identify as members of the group to have candid conversations and share concerns with other members who understand?
  • Will you ask the group to provide actionable takeaways and solutions for the leadership team?
  • Are you aiming to foster a community amongst all interested employees that focuses on educating the group?
  • Will you provide professional development opportunities to members?
  • Is your purpose of creating a group focused on networking within the organization to achieve common goals?
  • Have you identified what your employees want and need?


Once you determine your purpose, you can use that to create your mission statement and goals.


Tip: Consider surveying your employees to understand their desires around an ERG.



Employee Resource Groups

Exploration Outline & Guide

ERGs exist in many forms, and there are ways to build them successfully, regardless of the budget. It is easier to launch a group when the appropriate resources are provided.


The average ERG Budget is $7,203 for every 100 members, but your budget should reflect your group’s needs (SHRM, 2021).


Determine Your Budget

An ERG budget can be used to:


  • Incentivize attendance to ERG events (e.g., enter attendees for a gift card)
  • Provide attendees and members with food and beverages
  • Buy resources (such as educational courses or technology furthering the group’s purpose)
  • Sponsor relevant experiences
  • Book key speakers for events
  • And more!


Consider using in-house tools for all ERG communication needs to get started with a smaller budget. Additionally, to make progress as you build funds and structure, you could consider creating mentorship programs or book clubs that facilitate conversations.


However, money isn’t the only thing you will need to budget. You must consider a time budget as well. Running an ERG can be a significant role, so it is essential to relax expectations and deadlines and encourage members to take on only as much as they can handle. You do not want this to become a stressful commitment for them!



Tip: Determine how often your group will meet based on how much time your members can budget towards the group’s efforts.

Employee Resource Groups

Exploration Outline & Guide

Your ERG will need a communications platform for messaging, posting announcements, scheduling, conducting meetings and hosting events.



Pick Your Platform

Consider a few things when identifying your ERG platform:

  • Ease of implementation and administration
  • Privacy and security
  • File and image sharing functionality
  • "Like" or "Heart" features
  • Video capabilities
  • Flexibility to invite new members


For example, OneDigital has groups within Microsoft Teams for instant messaging and communicating with members regularly and video-conferencing services (Microsoft Zoom & Teams) for meetings. Microsoft Outlook email sends mass announcements and event invites to all company associates.



Tip: To save money and time, consider tapping into existing communication infrastructure that employees already use and understand.


Employee Resource Groups

Exploration Outline & Guide

Determining your purpose will help you determine your audience, but there are more things to consider to truly hone in on who you should recruit for the ERG.


DETERMINE YOUR AUDIENCE

Who is the group for, and how specific do you want it to be?

For example, if you’re creating a working parents ERG, do you want to open it to all parents, or do you want to create separate groups for moms, dads, and single parents? All these individuals are working parents, but each of them will have different experiences to share and discuss.


Who will this group be open to?

It is essential to determine if you want this group to be open to all employees (which is typically recommended) or if membership will only extend to those who identify with the group. There are pros and cons to each approach.


If you open it to all employees:

  • Your ERG will be more inclusive & diverse in thought!
  • No employees will feel left out if they can all join.
  • It may hinder the openness of group members in sharing their experiences.
  • The difference in thought may cause less to get done.


If you open it to only employees who identify with the group:

  • It may evoke more vulnerability in the discussion of personal topics.
  • It will allow for more productive meetings due to task-oriented agendas that aren’t as focused on education.
  • It may risk making the general employee population feel left out.



Tip: If you are unsure whom to include, open it up to all employees, and then re-evaluate if you want to create a more focused group later!




Employee Resource Groups

Exploration Outline & Guide

Once you know your audience, begin to identify employees you would like to invite and start advertising the ERG with information on how interested employees can sign up. There is a good chance you will need to do some active recruiting to build up the ERG. Begin by gauging interest and identifying those who may have a passion for the purpose of the group.

RECRUIT MEMBERS & APPOINT LEADERSHIP

Be cautious of assigning someone to a group because their identity aligns with the group’s goals or interests. You want membership to be voluntary and comprised of passionate individuals about the work you are looking to accomplish!


While you recruit members, it is essential to identify and appoint an ERG leader. This person will help ensure the group stays on track with its goals. A good ERG leader can often provide the insight that will lead your ERG to success.


To pick a leader, determine how you would like to do it.

Are you looking to hold an election amongst members, appoint the leader, or hold an application process where you interview interested candidates?


Then, determine if you’re interested in creating additional officer positions such as a secretary, treasurer, event planner, etc.

You may find that these positions aren’t necessary when you start, but as the group and its goals grow, these officers will ensure that objectives are met.



Tip 1: Make sure you document all the duties associated with each position and create a process for delegating tasks.


Tip 2: Remember that roles can be very consuming, so consider if you’d like to provide incentives to leaders (ranging from gifts to bonuses, depending on budget).

Employee Resource Groups

Exploration Outline & Guide

Executive sponsorship of ERGs coupled with strategic partnerships is pivotal to the success of the initiative.

SPONSORSHIPs & Partnerships

Executive leaders can help advocate for the group and significantly increase employee visibility, leading to higher membership and more resources. Organizational leaders will not only promote the group’s credibility amongst employees, but their support may also lead to better outcomes for events and initiatives the members take.


Executive leaders can offer the group unique benefits, like:


  • Guidance on building a business case
  • Access to expansive networks for finding outside partnerships and speakers for events
  • Support for the group’s concerns can lead to thoughtful change


Their presence also, at its core, makes employees in ERGs feel valued, which leads to a better sense of belonging.


For strategic partnerships, consider local or national organizations that are working towards similar goals to your ERG and create a partnership with them that gives your members access to Subject Matter Expert speakers, relevant volunteering opportunities, and ideas for programming.


If there is more than one ERG in your organization, you can also partner with each other! You might find that you avoid repetition of tasks if you work together, and ultimately, you will accomplish so much more!



Tip: Create a list of contacts for each of your partners and summarize the nature of the partnership (i.e., guest speakers, volunteering, donations, etc.).



Employee Resource Groups

Exploration Outline & Guide

Once you identify your purpose, leadership, and membership, create a charter for your ERG.

CREATING AN ERG CHARTER

A charter allows your group to define standard meeting cadences, determine how you’ll track attendance, write out processes, and officially legitimize your efforts in your organization.


While creating a charter, consider if you’d like to make a style guide that brands all future communication efforts and increases your ERG’s recognizability amongst your colleagues.


To help draft a charter, we’ve included some examples of other organizations that have created them for their own ERGs.