Employee resource group

But I've connected with them through other jobs or through other research teams, and, uh, we stay in touch and, and it's more of a one-on-one relationship.

I think in most cases for people, these relationships will be one-on-one, uh, but we see that a lot of companies have affinity groups or ERGs, employee resource groups.

So these might be ways to think about, how do I build this kind of ecosystem within structures that are already in place in your company?

And I'd love to know, do you have any- ... favorite ways you like to reach out or, you know, you talked about mentors.

I really lean into work relationships.

So like ERGs, other parenting groups, and I really keep close to the people who were my friends before I had kids.

I thought that that would have to change early in my life.

Like, oh, my best friend doesn't have kids anymore.

Companies many times will contract with me.

I've done like 17 women's mentoring circles for a company.

You know, they sometimes bring me in for ERGs.

Sometimes they bring me in to work with their first line supervisors.

Sometimes they'll bring me in.

Say more.

So like ERGs, for example.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I think we're seeing that trend start to go down.

I think so.

I'm not hearing a lot about ERGs anymore with my client.

Are you? Are you?

So it's a representation of what does the work culture represent in the first place.

And right now, we're seeing a lot of companies form ERGs, employee resource groups, which are particularly focused on disability inclusion.

So it's not just saying that let's go with this, you know, just CSR only mode and hire people.

But also, what does a different perspective bring to the organization? What is the diversity really helping me with?

Right.

Organizations require highly concrete structural interventions, and the foundational mechanism is the Employee Resource Group, or ERG.

But, and we must be precise here, these cannot be informal social clubs where people just gather to vent.

Right.

The cognitive diversity bonus is only unlocked when that inherent friction is managed through intentional coordination and non-routine task assignment.

We explored the highly concrete structural interventions required to build that coordination.

from implementing cross-generational employee resource groups and cafeteria-style benefits to designing activity-based workspaces and actively purging coded bias from recruitment.

Right.

Something's really encouraging here, and that is increasingly in some of the larger corporations of the world.

Within many employee resource groups, often referred to as ERGs, there is a vibrant Christian fellowship group that meets regularly outside of work hours.

My friends Roy and Esther Tinklenburg lead an organization called the Faith and Work Movement.

It helps facilitate connections among Christians in the workplace around the globe, and you can find out more about that on the internet.

Um, a- and I ...

As someone who has always been in a, uh, employee advocacy role in the organizations that I've worked in, um, whether that be, like, through the ERGs or whatever that looks like, um, I honestly did not realize that people did not have the same desire for education around the origin of these issues that I did.

Mm.

And so I legitimately found myself on a call w- for, for the organization I was working within, and nobody knew what to say.

But that's why probation periods exist, right? But little signs like being able to choose your pronouns in the HR system is a really good sign that a company has done the hard yards to make inclusion something that's real, right? Part of your induction training should include information about the employee resource groups or about the inclusion policies of that organization.

And for us at NAB, we actually go along to Welcome at NAB sessions, all five ERGs, and talk about who we are, why we're here, what's important, and how to get involved.

And I would hope that other organizations would be doing exactly that as well.

There are some incredible signs that an applicant could look for, for sure.

But at the professional working side, um, you need to maybe, um, you know, confide in other women.

Um, if there's any women's working groups within your organization, um, ERGs, they're often referred to, employee resource groups, get in contact with them.

You then need to go to HR.

And I always believe that, um, there is, um, there is power in numbers.