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Author’s note: This article is adapted from my book, Network Beyond Bias.

What are Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)?

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have started cropping up in companies. You may know them as Employee Affinity Groups (EAGs), Business Resource Groups (BRGs), or by another name. These groups are usually launched to help employees, particularly those who face cultural headwinds, connect with one another. And there are many other benefits for companies and employees alike.

How do Employee Resource Groups benefit companies?

Finding and attracting diverse talent

There is a significant talent shortage in many industries. Many companies have aggressive recruiting goals they are struggling to meet. These companies may be in a rut: recruiting from the same professional networks, schools, or geographic areas for decades.

By engaging current employees, companies can expand their reach to find and attract talent in areas they haven’t approached before. People tend to know others who are similar to them. So companies can find new pools of talent by leveraging the connections of employees from non-traditional backgrounds.

From a recruiting perspective, Employee Resource Groups offer an attractive selling point to job candidates. Many new employees want to believe they will feel welcome and accepted in a new company. The company with Employee Resource Groups can demonstrate cultural understanding and acceptance before the candidate has even applied for the job. Having an ERG tells the job candidate, “There are successful people in the company just like you. They want to help you be successful, too.”

Introducing new employees to the corporate culture

Once hired, new employees may need help understanding cultural norms of the company. Fellow ERG members may be helpful in this process, especially if the corporate culture does not readily translate to the subculture of the affinity group. For example, Asian-Americans may find it difficult to tout their own accomplishments due to values instilled in them since childhood. Women may have been taught to downplay their intelligence in group settings. In a large company, these professionals may need to find ways to adapt that are both advantageous in the workplace and culturally acceptable. Employee Resource Groups can help with provide integration strategies from a first-hand perspective.

Identifying and retaining top talent

Employee Resource Groups give a voice and sense of community to employees who may otherwise feel isolated or underrepresented, helping companies to retain talent in their organizations. When people feel isolated, they are not as engaged. Connected employees are more productive, more loyal, and better brand ambassadors. Connected employees stick around.

Rewards and recognition are also a key factor in employee retention. Research shows that managers are more likely to reward and promote employees who are like them. This is especially true when those managers don’t recognize their own biases. If a company has a high percentage of managers with similar demographics, it is likely that those demographics will not change much over time. Employee Resource Groups offer a different avenue for those managers to recognize talent they might otherwise overlook. They can also help mitigate against the default mode of hiring, recognizing, and promoting only within their existing inner circles.

Expanding into new markets and customer segments

Breaking into new markets can be tricky. Many companies have struggled to set the right tone in their advertising. Others may not even recognize that they have a potential niche customer base. In a recent interview, Howard J. Ross reminded us that it’s hard to sell to someone you’ve just insulted. It’s perhaps even harder to sell to someone you don’t know exists.

A diverse employee base can give an insider perspective on different markets and customer preferences. For example, a Latinx ERG might help a company translate both the language and the “feel” of commercials so they seem natural to the target community. An ERG for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) employees may help a financial services company create new products or services tailored to the legal issues faced by this consumer group. By working with management and marketing teams, Employee Resource Groups can provide a competitive edge in under-performing market segments.[bctt tweet=”ERGs can provide competitive advantage in underperforming markets.” username=”LeadAtAnyLevel”]

How do Employee Resource Groups benefit employees?

Professional development opportunities

As companies seek to develop new talent pools, employees can use Employee Resource Groups to position themselves for success. Participation in Employee Resource Groups can provide opportunities that may be missing from the employee’s “day job.” For example, an employee who plans an ERG networking event gains project management experience. Another employee who attends the networking event may meet managers from other areas of the company. Employee Resource Groups provide endless volunteer opportunities and chances to be noticed by management.

A sense of belonging

Most employees are happier and more engaged when they feel connected to others at work. Employee Resource Groups can provide a sense of community and connection, even in very large companies. By meeting others with similar life experiences, people feel more supported. These relationships often go beyond transactional, into deep friendships and mentorships. Project work, problem solving, career management, and other daily realities of corporate life are much easier when you have strong relationships.

Address ignorance and stereotypes head-on

Individual employees often find themselves on the receiving end of harmful stereotypes. Many will find that even well-meaning coworkers can be insensitive to or ignorant about deeply-held cultural norms. By themselves, they may be uncomfortable addressing or combating these situations. However, an ERG can organize entertaining “mythbusting” sessions, cultural awareness events, or expert panels that educate the larger corporate community. Doing so not only improves the environment for affinity employees. Everyone benefits from having a broader perspective and greater empathy.

Including everyone in the conversation

When you look at your company’s executive team, do you see someone who looks like you? Do you see someone to whom you can easily relate? If so, you may take this representation for granted. For those who aren’t part of an underrepresented group, this isn’t about being “politically correct.” And it’s not about offering special treatment to certain groups of people. It’s about recognizing that certain interests and perspectives are represented by default. Employee Resource Groups help expand the circle to include new perspectives at all levels of the organization.[bctt tweet=”ERGs help expand representation to include new perspectives at all levels of the organization.” username=”LeadAtAnyLevel”]

Think about a time when you felt different: new kid in school, new on the job, dressed informally for a formal event, visiting a different office, visiting a foreign country. Can you imagine feeling that way every day of your career?

We can all benefit by educating ourselves on the experience of being different and by opening ourselves up to the value that experience offers.

Get involved as soon as possible!

If your company has Employee Resource Groups, I encourage you to join a group with which you identify. Especially in large companies, this can provide a sense of belonging that you may not even know you’re missing.

And, more important, sign up as an “ally” in an ERG that is outside your own identity. If that makes you uncomfortable, ask yourself why — and be brave enough to answer yourself honestly. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to learn more … from a different perspective.

You have nothing at all to lose, and so much to gain.

Author’s note: This article is adapted from my book, Network Beyond Bias.

This post focuses on professional women. Most articles I’ve read on this topic show that these behaviors are disproportionately displayed by women. They also have a disproportionate impact on women’s careers, both individually and collectively. I recognize that men may also be affected. This post does not seek to minimize the experiences or importance of men in the workplace. Rather, it seeks to raise us all up to our full potential.

Professional Women: Don’t Undercut Your Own Value

This Business Insider article outlines 12 career-limiting habits that women disproportionately exhibit in the workplace. There were several of these that stood out to me as common problems, or things I’ve caught myself and others doing in my own career.

One point surprised me as being the hallmark of professional women: waiting until we’re experts before taking on a new role.

This reminded me of a conversation I had with a former [male] colleague who had taken a huge career risk within my company. He took a significant demotion so he could get exposure in areas completely outside his experience and comfort zone. I literally gasped! How did he know he could be successful if he changed businesses, business functions, roles, and geographic scope – ALL AT THE SAME TIME?!? The question I actually asked was “How did you become so fearless?”

Confessions of a Professional Woman

I used to take an 80/20 approach to job changes. If the new job was 80% stuff I knew how to do and 20% stuff I need to learn, then it was probably a good (read: safe) opportunity for me. I’ve even coached other professional women to take this approach, when they’ve come to me wondering if they should take a chance in their own careers. I remember several of them nodding and saying, “that seems like a safe approach.” And if it gave them the courage to try something new, then I’m glad I was able to give them a boost.

I only wish I’d taken a broader, transferable-skills view for myself and for those who sought my counsel. My new goal is to take a 50/50 approach using the same criteria above. Eventually, I may get to 20/80, taking my cue from the most daring men I know. I will encourage other professional women to do the same.

More Suggestions for Improving Your Standing

I’d like to add two more behaviors to the list of DON’Ts for professional women:

Telling people what you don’t know before telling them what you do know.

I’ve noticed that in meetings, women tend to contribute to the discussion by saying, “I don’t know much about …., but….” or by starting with “This is probably a stupid question, but…” Please, please, please, don’t tell people you’re stupid.

Instead, consider why you were invited to the meeting in the first place. What perspective do you offer that no one else brings to the table? If you MUST couch your comment or question in context, use it as an opportunity to remind yourself — and others — of your value to the group.

For example, “In my experience with X, I learned … I see some similarities to this situation that I think are worth discussing,” or “I have the benefit of looking at this with a fresh perspective, so can you explain why X is so important?”

Using “uptalk” to make yourself sound less threatening

Uptalk is my least favorite cultural phenomenon of late. Uptalk is the vocal intonation used by English-speakers to indicate that a sentence is a question. However, it has become more and more common for women to use uptalk for declarative statements as well, which results in us sounding less confident and less knowledgeable.

In fact, the more knowledgeable women are, the more likely they are to use uptalk to appear less threatening or less assertive. There is science to back this up. A William & Mary sociologist studied contestant responses on Jeopardy! The study showed that as women were more successful on the show, they were more likely to use uptalk. The opposite was true of male contestants. Here’s a 90-second video and an article on this research.

I recently read the autobiography of a transgender woman. Boyle writes that once she started living as a woman, she started using uptalk more often. Even when she introduced herself, she heard herself say, “My name is Jennifer?”

Professional women must stop ourselves and others from questioning everything we say as it’s coming out of our mouths!

Moving Forward Together

I encourage both professional women and the men who support them to read the article. Hold each other accountable for risk-taking and career success. Use specific constructive feedback to redirect limiting behaviors. Use specific positive feedback to reinforce effective ones.

Managers, please coach the women on your teams so they are not artificially limiting their own success. Understand your own biases and take steps to overcome them. Let’s all work to ensure that we’re treating ourselves with the same level of respect that we expect from others!

Employee Resource Groups: What You Need to Know