Promoting a sense of community for all employees is a vital step towards building inclusion into your workplace culture. As many organizations look to create safe spaces for Black and brown professionals, employee resource groups (ERGs), also known as affinity groups or business resource groups, emerge as a valuable tool in fulfilling this goal.
This month, we discuss ERGs with the help of Aramark, a provider of food service, facilities, and uniform services for hospitals, universities, and more, headquartered in Philadelphia. As part of its robust DEI strategy, Aramark has a number of ERGs that benefit Black and brown employees, in addition to groups for women, LGBTQ, veteran, and young professionals, among others.
ERGs are employee-led groups within an organization created around a shared concern for specific populations that have been traditionally marginalized, underrepresented, or underserved. Many ERGs hold open membership policies, meaning allies and those interested in supporting these communities can participate. Together, the members of ERGs convene to build leadership, hold open dialogues, provide support systems, and more, through networking, career development, education, and mentoring opportunities.
This organized approach to inclusion is key to attracting the next generation of leaders.
ERGs provide a number of advantages in improving employee engagement, proving instrumental in both the recruitment and retention of Black and brown professionals.
According to a 2014 study on ERGs, 70% of respondents aged 18 to 24 (52% of respondents aged 25 to 34) reported they would be more likely to apply for a role at a company that had ERGs.
of young professionals said ERGs can influence job choice.
ERGs create a more equitable workplace by forming communities for their constituency groups.
ERGs provide a safe space where employees that identify with a particular group can connect with likeminded individuals that relate to the unique experience they have within their organization. In addition to providing a sense of community and a haven of belonging for employees, when executed well, ERGs can serve as valued business partners. The ERGs in formation at Aramark serve as strategy drivers and marketplace influencers for the organization, providing targeted support to shape workplace equity and valuable insight on the challenges marginalized groups face to help make sustainable change in their workplace and beyond.
When forming an ERG, the first step is to identify and evaluate the need.
ERGs are generally led and managed by the employees themselves. Those employees will need a framework for building their mission, goals, objectives, activities, and more. Without this foundation in place, ERGs run the risk of not maximizing the impact they can have on the business’s DEI goals. But, before beginning the process, the first step is to seek input, identify the need, and respond with resources.
With 10 established ERGs, Aramark consistently asserts its firm commitment and support for employee populations to form new groups.
When employees speak up about what matters to them, leaders at Aramark work to address their needs. Its interfaith ERG was launched when a group of employees shared the importance of faith in their lives and the need to express that part of themselves at work. Recently, after hearing calls to create better representation and support for Asian and Pacific Islander employees at Aramark, they are now in the process of launching an ERG for that community.
The most valuable resource leadership can provide to ERGs is their support.
Leadership buy-in is an important signal to an organization on the value resource groups can provide to the business and the individuals participating in them.
As an ERG is forming, leadership should assist by providing perspective on how their strategy can align with business goals, encouraging staff to participate and become involved, and securing resources, like people or funding, the ERG may need to execute on programs and initiatives.
Over the summer, the Chamber and leaders across the region made a commitment to equity, pledging to identify areas for change to hold ourselves accountable to a high standard of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplaces and throughout the region.
As the Chamber continues our longstanding commitment to the fight for equality, we’re highlighting ways our business community can implement new strategies to meaningfully increase diversity, equity, and inclusion to bring about lasting change in the workplace. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative drives economic competitiveness, highlights diverse employee populations, and promotes inclusive growth throughout our region.
