You Have a Women's ERG - So, Now What?

There are a lot of acronyms floating around the business world to describe organizational support groups. In particular, Employee Resource Groups or ERGs can be described as workplace support communities that aim to bring together employees of similar marginalized backgrounds and identities. 

ERGs benefit the organizations that implement them by: 

• Fostering a sense of belonging and connection

• Embracing diversity and inclusivity

• Developing internal leaders

But whether it’s ERGs, BRGs, Associate Network Groups (ANGs), Affinity Groups or Inclusion Networks, it’s not enough to just have them, it’s what you actually do with them that matters. Here are five ways to make the most of your Women’s ERG in 2023. 

Support Your ERG Leadership

Most ERG leaders are volunteering their time on top of already demanding jobs. However, according to McKinsey’s 2022 Women in the Workplace report, 40% of women leaders say their DEI work isn’t acknowledged. But “overlooking critical work around employee well-being and DEI has serious implications: It hurts women, who are investing disproportionate time and energy in these priorities. And it hurts companies and all employees, because progress is rarely made on efforts that are undervalued.” 

Find ways to formally recognize and support your women leaders who are pioneering progress by checking in with them regularly, helping them manage their workloads and creating leadership continuity so all the work doesn’t fall to just one person. 

Don’t leave your women’s ERG high and dry to develop their own programming – support them with budgets and formal professional development and employee well-being resources. This could include: 

• Expert-led coaching events

• Providing mentoring support

• Professional networking opportunities

• Content sharing

• Educational events

Hold an Open House for Participation

Whether virtual or in-person, invite all employees to learn more about your network of ERGs and each group’s mission, values and purpose. Remind workers that these groups are open to all and use this opportunity to invite potential participants to join. Even if employees attend just to learn more about your organization’s initiatives, they can be great allies when it comes to spreading awareness.

Throughout this process, you may identify volunteers to lead these groups and an open house provides a great opportunity for someone to show interest in developing their leadership skills for a future role.

Host an Annual Event

Plan events like an Annual Summit or DE&I Day to give ERG leaders and employees alike a chance to network, learn and share ideas and best practices. You can also use events to recognize your ERG leadership and show support for their efforts to further DEI initiatives.

TONE Networks was thrilled to be recognized at Comcast’s 3rd Annual DE&I Day and National ERG Summit for playing an integral role in supporting their Women's Network ERG with a continuous online mentoring and coaching platform. 

Evolve by Measuring Success

Defining clear metrics against aligned goals can make it easier when quantifying the success of your ERGs. Throughout the year, check-in periodically to track progress by: 

• Sending out employee experience pulse surveys

• Measuring contribution and engagement

• Evaluating community impact

• Talking with other ERG leaders

TONE can support your women’s ERG by providing the content and programming through a virtual, turnkey solution for mentoring and coaching your women through carefully curated bite-sized video content. 

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