Handbook for Employee Resource Group Leads

ERGs are employee-driven groups whose mission is to foster a more inclusive and equitable workplace by supporting and nurturing the potential of diverse talent. ERGs provide a forum for colleagues with mutual interests or identities to come together in a respectful and empowering space for community building, career development and idea exchange. ERGs are often created for underrepresented and underserved groups, but are also formed around other commonalities such as the sharing of similar life experiences and challenges.

ERGs are also change makers. They play a critical role in organizational success pertaining to the recruitment, retention and development of employees. ERGs provide insights to the organization into the needs and contributions of diverse communities. They give voice to employee concerns and spearhead initiatives that can make a meaningful impact within the organization in a way that top-down initiatives cannot. Through increased visibility and sponsorship by leaders, they provide advocacy, facilitate important discussions about identity, and collaborate on solutions to related business challenges.

Some of the functions of ERGs provide include:

The following are some basic guidelines for getting your ERG off the ground. If you’ve already begun your ERG and have several participants, review these items together to ensure everyone is aligned on these actions.

You may need permission and support to start an ERG. Determine which leadership contacts you should reach out to for permission. DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) leadership and/or Human Resources may be the best places to start. It's also important that each member informs their supervisor of their intent to lead or participate in the ERG. A supervisor who understands the value of the ERG and its intended impact on the workplace can provide support for the time investment the ERG may require, as well as advocacy and exposure.

Use your network to find colleagues who are already passionate about your vision as well as those who may become inspired by it. You could use a survey to find out how aligned people are with your vision and whether new perspectives should be considered when identifying the purpose of your group.

Begin developing promotional materials that speak to the purpose of the group and use your available communication channels to spread the word. Then, host an event to get people excited about your ideas. To help you plan your outreach strategy, download the Chronus resource: Guide to Promoting Your Employee Resource Group for best practices, timeline strategy, communication templates and more.

This handbook focuses specifically on the functions and best practices of ERG leads within a single chapter or an ERG group with several aligned chapters.Additionally, your organization may have a hierarchy of crucial roles that manage and support the ERG efforts across the organization. For more information on other possible ERG leadership roles and functions that may be a part of your larger ERG organization, please refer to this Chronus resource: Defining ERG Roles and Responsibilities for Success.

ERG Lead

Characteristics and Responsibilities

ERG leads have a passion and a vision for the group and what it can accomplish. They ensure that the ERG goals are aligned to organizational goals and DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging) strategy, and are responsible for evolving the strategic direction of the ERG as needed. They ensure that the group meets and engages regularly and is aligned and committed to the vision. Depending on the size of the group, having two more co-leads will provide added support, a sounding board and a sharing of responsibilities needed to run the group.

ERG leads are responsible for driving the mission, goals and governance of the ERG. They ensure that the following six components* are established as a foundation for the group’s involvement as well as a guide for the work of subcommittees:

*For how-to’s, see the “Components of an Effective ERG” in the next section. Note that if you have a larger ERG with a lead that oversees multiple chapters and chapter leads, some of these components may be decided upon at the ERG vs. the individual chapter level.

As volunteers, leads are willing to invest the time needed to serve as leader. The time commitment will vary from organization to organization and will depend on the expectations and structure set up by the larger ERG for its chapters. Within a single chapter, ERG leads and participants may meet monthly to establish and track the various components and activities of the ERG covered in the next section.

In order to commit to the time investment along with their own job responsibilities, they will need support from their supervisor and the organization. The organization can provide training and executive sponsorship to help them effectively lead, support and drive change through their ERG.

Here are actions ERG leads can take to gain wider organizational support:

To maintain support, ERG leads must regularly communicate with leaders and stakeholders. They should be open to feedback aimed at improving their performance, leadership skills and the activities of the ERG.

ERG Participants

ERG member engagement is crucial to the success of an ERG. Committed participants make it possible for the ERG to exist and thrive. They provide the input and perspectives necessary to set achievable goals and deliverables that will create a positive impact on the employee experience. They are the collective voice that raises issues and collaborates on solutions on behalf of their identified community. ERG participants are the engine behind the vision, playing a critical role in supporting ERG initiatives through subcommittees.

ERG Subcommittees

Subcommittees work closely with ERG leads to ensure that their initiatives are aligned to the goals and deliverables of the ERG. Participants on subcommittees do not necessarily need specific skills aligned to the initiatives. Their inclusion on a subcommittee provides a great opportunity for them to learn new skills.

Subcommittees spearhead initiatives such as:

Other subcommittees can be established to plan the development and execution of other deliverables based on ERG goals such as:

To start and maintain an effective ERG, include the following components into your planning:

A mission statement sets the foundation for creating your goals and deliverables. It ensures that you can clearly articulate and promote the purpose of your ERG in order to attract participants and supporters. It also ensures that all participants share the same vision. A mission statement should be inspirational and express the value and specificity of the mission.

In your first meeting, collaborate with participants to draft a mission statement that is one to two sentences long and provides clarity for the following:

Example: Creating an environment to foster well-being, engagement and development among the LGBTQ+ community and to provide our collective insights to positively impact the organization’s DEIB strategy.

When everyone knows exactly what they're working towards, they know how to engage and support the vision.

After establishing your mission statement as a group, brainstorm and collaborate on the goals you want the ERG to accomplish. Work to refine 3-5 short-term goals to reach within a year, as well as an additional 2-4 long-term goals to reach within the next 5 years. Define what success looks like. Don’t be afraid to have participants throw out all kinds of ideas. You’ll collaborate to combine and refine your ideas into attainable goals.

Goal-Setting Templates:

1) 4C’s ERG Model: Culture, Communications, Commerce, Careers:

This model might be a good place to start brainstorming goals. This popular model provides four areas to target when thinking about the impact and contribution of your ERG goals.

The template below contains the 4C’s along with one sample goal and the first of possibly many deliverables that could advance your progress towards that goal.

Download: 4C's_ ERG Goal Worksheet.docx

Also available in your platform Resources area.

2) Organizational or DEIB Pillars:

Another goal-setting approach is to use a template that lists the applicable organizational pillars or DEIB strategy in one column as a guide for aligning your ERG goals accordingly. Organizational alignment is a crucial part of setting meaningful goals that support the business and garner leadership support.

Download: DEIB Pillars Worksheet

Also available in your platform Resources area.

Clear, SMART goals will keep everyone focused and on the same page so that you can achieve your purpose. They will help to avoid deviation from the plan and help you track your progress. Use the ERG SMART Goal Worksheet to establish goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, as well as help you to anticipate potential obstacles and their solutions, and to document observable benefits.

ERG Charter

Once you’ve established your mission statement, initial goals and objectives, you’re ready to create your group charter. Your charter is essentially your group profile as it provides a high-level overview of your mission, goals, roles, what you plan to do and how you will report on it.

Your group charter is a great document to share with leadership and other stakeholders to provide an understanding of your goals, structure and operations.

Download: ERG Charter Template.docx to customize it for the unique details of your group. Also available in your platform Resources area.

Promotion and recruitment activities should include the benefits of joining your ERG such as:

ERG executive sponsors are usually senior leaders aligned to your ERG vision that provide guidance to ensure your goals are aligned to organizational values and strategy. They can provide assistance in defining your goals and setting reasonable expectations for your participants. They can also help to bring awareness and bridge the gap with company leadership to help you get crucial buy-in from other executives. Finally, they can prevent ERG lead burnout by helping to support and mentor you as you embark on this new project. It is the role of the ERG lead to secure an executive sponsor for their ERG. However, there may be participants with crucial contacts that can help to make these important connections. With a mission statement and goals in hand, ERG leads can begin to generate interest with potential sponsors.

ERG leads guide participants in determining how they can best serve their ERG community and mission. Some examples of activities and events that align with the subcommittee initiatives mentioned earlier are:

Career and professional development for underserved groups are primary drivers of ERGs therefore, mentorship plays an important role in the ERG experience. Mentoring helps to provide that crucial 20% of our learning that can only occur through relationships. Mentorship provides access and connection to leaders and colleagues, situational feedback and support, and opportunities to gain new knowledge and perspectives for growth and development.

One way to ascertain the design of your mentoring program is to survey participants. Chronus provides some participant interest survey questions in our Help Center. Click here to access: Participant Interest Survey Questions

These questions are meant to provide you with the feedback you need to make your program design decisions, such as:

With Chronus, your mentoring program can be customized to meet the specific needs of your chapter, your larger ERG, or the needs across the population of all the organization’s ERGs. The matching algorithm and skill development content can be customized to meet individual needs. For guidance in designing and setting up your mentoring program on Chronus, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager.

Measuring ERG Effectiveness

Depending on the size and maturity of your group, you will measure your progress on different goals at different times. For example, one of your earlier measurements might be related to your membership goals and later, your initiatives. As the group matures, you’ll want to also track your impact on your organization’s DEI goals, such as whether retention and promotion rates have increased among your identified community over time.

Take a look at this ERG Movement Model and identify where your ERG currently stands:

Credit: ERG Movement Model by Maceo Owens, ERG Program Developer

The following are some metrics that are worth keeping track of for your group:

Following are examples of metrics to track among your community related to your organization’s DEI strategy:

It's important that you achieve what you set out to accomplish. Being able to progress as a group and celebrate your accomplishments will go a long way in inspiring and engaging participants in the cause. Here are some things to guard against so that you don't lose your commitment to the vision:

As you embark on building and growing a thriving ERG, remember to refer back to this handbook for guidance on engagement, goal tracking and governance. Staying focused on accomplishing what truly matters to your group will make an impact not only in their employee experience, but on the greater organization.

Download the following tools and templates to guide and govern your work as ERG lead.

ERG Tools & Templates (also available on the platform in your Resources area):