As an employer, we’re always keen to improve our internal culture and make sure Infinity Group is a place where people enjoy coming to work every day. That’s why we devote time to researching and implementing new initiatives that we believe will benefit employees’ lives.
The latest initiative we’ve embedded is employee resource groups (ERGs). These are internal groups, focused on discussing shared identities and interests and giving our colleagues a space to talk about matters both within and outside of work.
We’re already seeing positive results from our ERGs, and we’re excited to see the impact it has on relationships and morale long-term. Keep reading to find out how and why we’ve introduced ERGs, and what impact they’re having on our culture.
Why did we start the employee resource groups?
As a Microsoft Partner, we get a lot of inspiration from how they shape their culture. When we learned they ran internal ERGs, it was something we were interested in implementing ourselves.
We also were aware of hybrid working making it harder for people to connect and build a sense of community. ERGs were created to ease this, while opening the workplace to have more inclusive discussion around the topics that matter most to our employees.
Louise Otton, Head of Talent Development and Culture, states: “We’ve purposely created these groups to try and capture as many people as possible, with a focus on those that may not always be able to share their voice. It gives people a safe space to come and talk about topics that are important to them, maybe on a personal level that might impact them at work.”
On top of giving people a safe space, the ERGs also give people the chance to find common ground with their colleagues, fostering stronger relationships. This allows people to make connections that benefit their work, while also allowing them to talk to likeminded peers about their interests and challenges.
What’s involved in an Infinity Group ERG?
When we started our ERGs, there were a few must-haves we put in place.
Firstly, we wanted the groups to be led by our employees. Each group has core roles involved in running it:
- A co-champion (in charge of facilitating the sessions and managing the group)
- Events co-ordinator (helping to plan sessions and wider events, such as awareness days)
- Communications co-ordinator (promoting the group internally and sharing important information)
By having the groups be employee-led, it ensures people across departments and business levels are involved and feel equally represented. Each group also has a senior sponsor from our executive board.
It also gives our employees a chance to develop their skills by managing or promoting groups, which can be useful if they’ve never had a chance to lead before.
Every group meets monthly, with the sessions held over Microsoft Teams so everyone can join, wherever they’re based. Sessions are open to all employees, so there are no barriers to getting involved.
Each ERG also has a dedicated Teams channel where people can communicate outside of meetings.
How we’ve implemented ERGs_
We initially set up three ERGs to kickstart the initiative:
- Families (chosen as it covers of broad range of identities among our colleagues)
- Neurodiversity (addressing an increased awareness of neurodiversity, particularly among young people entering the workforce, while giving people a safe space to share experiences)
- Volunteering (chosen to progress our internal volunteering initiatives and allow people to share stories and inspire each other)
As we’ve already touched upon, every ERG is led by employees. Anyone can volunteer to take a role within the ERG. People with these roles will also be rotated regularly, giving new people a chance to develop their skills.
Louise explains: “It was important for us that the groups were led by employees. It gives everyone a chance to have a say in what they want to achieve from the group. That’s how we learn, by having more people involved across the business from different roles and all different levels.”
The sessions aren’t recorded, as this allows people to feel safe and encourages them to contribute.
On top of this, every group has a specific charter, developed by members. These charters set out rules, such as what language should and shouldn’t be used or the attitudes expected. With this in place, members can feel more comfortable sharing, and everyone is kept to the same standards.
What is the vision for our ERGs?
Since being implemented in January, each group has had a good turnout in sessions held so far. While it’s still early days, we’ve seen people sharing their thoughts, contributing to the group charter and engaging in discussion.
Long-term, we want the ERGs to make people feel more comfortable at work, regardless of how they identify. If they are struggling with an issue, it also gives them people they can share their frustrations with. As a result, it creates stronger connections among colleagues across teams.
On top of this, we hope the discussions within the ERGs help us improve the workplace and drive inclusivity, whether that’s giving them a space to share things they’d like to see or giving us a better understanding of their worlds.
As the groups of employee-led, we also hope they’ll develop their skills. Specifically, we want people from non-leadership roles to feel more comfortable facilitating sessions and improve management abilities.
If the ERGs continue to run smoothly, we also want to introduce more. This would also us to cover even more topics and identities, such as a women in tech or environmental group.
Our tips for starting ERGs_
From our experiencing with ERGs so far, we’ve learned a few lessons. If you’re considering them in your organisation, here are our top tips:
1. Choose topics that are relevant to your employees_
ERGs work best if they cover the topics your staff care about. Aim to set up groups that reflect these topics, while being accessible to a large number of people.
If you aren’t sure what topics to cover, consider conducting an anonymous survey or setting up a small group to put forward ideas you can explore and move forward.
2. Start small_
When setting up an ERG, we recommend choose 1-3 topics to start with, depending on the size of your organisation. This allows you to get the groups running, while still understanding how best to run them and what engagement is like.
As you begin to see success and adoption, you can then consider opening more groups.
3. Ask employees to get involved_
By nature, ERGs should be led by your employees. While you don’t need to have the same roles we’ve implemented, you should ensure employees are in the driving seat, whether that’s running sessions, creating communications or making notes.
Once employees get involved, other people are more likely to engage. It can also allow members to feel safer, compared to if the groups were purely run by organisation leaders.
4. Create safe spaces_
An ERG should feel like a safe place for people to discuss what is on their mind and feel included. However, it can be difficult to determine what creates the safe space. That’s why it is crucial to let members drive this.
In your initial sessions, ask staff to lay the ground rules they want to abide by. This could be ways members should respect each other, language that should be avoided or anything else that could impact them.
Document these rules and circulate them so everyone is on the same page.
More about Infinity Group as an employer_
ERGs are just one initiative we undertake to create a culture where our employees feel heard, secure and happy at work.
To find out more about what we do to drive employee satisfaction and wellbeing, visit our People and Culture blog.
