The 3 Reasons Why Women’s Employee Resource Groups Are So Effective for Inclusion

Women’s employee resource groups seem to be the largest, best funded and best supported employee resource group in any organisation.

Find out what this actually means and why this matters to your organisations.

Here are some key messages from this episode:

  • Three key themes identified from the report about women’s employee resource groups
  • The five key factors necessary for women’s employee resource groups to be effective
  • Why empowering women’s employee resource groups can help to advance careers and change both policy and workplace culture

Play the episode for more.

Here are some key takeaways from this episode:

The Prevalence of Women’s Employee Resource Groups

“The report suggests that 90% of all Fortune 500 Companies have at least one ERG but does not say how many of these are concerned with women in the workplace. That said my experience is that when organisations launch employee resource groups, one of the first, if not THE first group is invariably concerned with improving the career outcomes of women”

Employers should empower women’s employee resource groups 

“A key message of the report was that employers should empower women’s employee resource groups because they are effective at advancing careers and changing policy and workplace culture” 

Women’s employee resource groups are effective

“ERG’s were found to be effective in influencing policy: 55% of respondents reported an improvement in parental leave benefits and 53% reported more flexible work schedules due to the influence of their ERG”

Here are some resources so you can go deeper: 

Fairy God Boss

Fairy God Boss Gender Equality Report

How Workplace Gender Diversity Continued To Evolve In 2017, According To A New Report

Check out these related episodes of the show.

Diversity, Inclusion & The Bottom of the Pyramid

Why Diversity Matters: A Review of the “McKinsey Report”

Rose St Louis: Managing an Inclusive Journey

Huw Evans: Diversity in Insurance: Front and Centre

Whenever you’re ready, there are a few ways I can support your Inclusion Journey:

The Elements of Inclusion #4

Leaders must collaborate innovatively to leverage cultural expertise and drive business performance.

  • Why inclusive outcomes are driven by innovation
  • How developing a business case for diversity and inclusion specific to your organisation is a competitive advantage
  • Why novelty is at the heart of your inclusion journey

The Elements of Inclusion #3

Leaders must establish systems to ensure that everyone shares the same advantages and benefits. These processes will create incentives for inclusive behaviours.

  • How to augment your team with the tools and insights they need to prevent structural disadvantage
  • Why reinforcing generative norms ensures everyone belongs in the organisation
  • How inclusive representations can be embedded to promote an inclusive culture

The Elements of Inclusion #2

Leaders must redefine career development relationships to support inclusive performance.
  • Why traditional mentor relationships must be revised for an inclusive workplace
  • How leaders must embrace networks of developmental relationships for individual growth
  • Why established workplace norms must evolve for inclusion in the modern workplace

The Elements of Inclusion #1

Leaders must properly socialise people and socialise inclusive ideas by providing an environment for the cultural learning needed for an active role in an inclusive organisation

  • How your socialisation processes must evolve to encourage the sustainable cultivation of inclusive competencies
  • Why Leaders must consistently negotiate the line between organisational commitment and personal authenticity to promote performance
  • How developing intersectional self awareness can help leaders to leverage individual employee experiences