Dynamics of Employee Resource Groups: Leader Experiences Driving Mutual Benefits for Employees and Employers

Abstract

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which bring together employees with shared identity or purpose, have been expanding around the globe. ERGs can be a recruiting and retention tool, providing member benefits of career growth, developing friends and providing expanded purpose at work. Given their popularity, they are of interest for researchers. Thus, we conducted a study focused on the ERG leader experience overall and the benefits to employees and employers offered by ERGs. We did this by conducting in-depth interviews with ten ERG leaders in three different organisations. Our work uncovered five ERG topics (or emergent themes) discussed by the interviewees: (1) ERG structure and leadership, (2) Multi-faceted purpose of ERGs, (3) Moving from ERGs to business resource groups (BRGs), (4) Leader time management and (5) Organisational support for ERGs. Additionally, we propose avenues for future research and suggest new work focused on the mutual benefits of ERGs for both individuals and organisations.

Cultural stress among immigrants in the workforce.

“…ERGs can be particularly beneficial for immigrant employees by fostering a sense of community (Scully, 2009), providing opportunities for skill development and networking, and facilitating cultural exchange within an organization (Schlachter et al, 2023; Welbourne et al, 2015). A 2021 study by McKinsey and Company and https://LeanIn.org examined 423 organizations (12 million employees) and found that 35% of companies have increased support for ERGs.…”

Working while Black: examining the career development gap in the Black workforce and investigating the racist roots of professionalism

“…The Organizations that aim to be inclusive incorporate ways to foster community among employees by creating safe spaces for marginalized groups, usually referred to as employee resource groups (ERGs; Schlachter et al, 2023). ERGs are a common practice, but they may not be present in every organization due to the organization's structure.…”