How LGBT Employee Resource Groups Changed The Workplace Forever [Research Breakdown]

This is the second of a two part series about Employee Resource Groups and their Evolution. In this series focus on how employee resource groups have evolved by looking at some of the most influential publications in the field. I’m talking about the ones that are widely accepted to be essential reading, this isn’t just my opinion but it’s the opinion of the people I consider to be leaders in this space.

In todays show I discuss several things including:

• An influential paper that everyone who is serious about employee resource groups knows about
• The employee resource group spectrum
• How LGBT resource groups in the US evolved to change the workplace forever and much much more

Here’s some of what I share in the show:

An Employee Resource Group Spectrum

I discuss how employee resource groups have been described as existing on a spectrum:

“Like any spectrum the extremes are exaggerated and that’s the point in order to illustrate the point. The authors suggest that most resource groups sit somewhere in the middle”

 Meaningful Questions

I describe how much I like an influential research paper because it asks questions similar to those in my own research:

“One of the reasons that I’m such a fan of this paper is that it asked an important question that we’re constantly trying to get a better answer to”

Employee Resource Groups History

I explain how this paper explores LGBT employment history in a way that I had never previously encountered:

“This is important because it’s the first paper that I encountered that really documented the history of employee resource groups in this way. This paper certainly has a political lens to it and this is important to understand the context for these groups and understanding their motivation to evolve”

If you want a quick snapshot of what the episode is about, I’ve created some slides that you may find interesting 

Show Notes

The Evolution of Employee Resource Groups Part 1

Professor Forrest Briscoe

Professor Sean Safford

Professor Sean Safford on Twitter

Employee Affinity Groups: Their Evolution from Social Movements Vehicle to Employer Strategies

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