Employee resource groups (ERGs) are employees from the same organization who come together voluntarily to share, celebrate, and advocate for their identities, interests, and common life experiences. For too long, ERGs have been treated by many organizations as a box to check for their DEI efforts. Initiated by over-burdened HR teams and run by over-worked employees—often with little budget—they often peter out over time. But rather than being a sign of employee disinterest, ERGs that fade away frequently do so from lack of leadership and general neglect.

Simply having an ERG is not enough. A 2022 report by consulting firm McKinsey & Company based on research and conversations with almost 25,000 employees found that people who rate their ERGs as “effective” or “very effective” are much more likely to say they feel included in their workplaces (83%) than employees who rated their ERGs “ineffective” or “very ineffective” (59%). A 2024 survey of 20 million workers conducted by Perceptyx, an employee experience consulting firm, found that employees who do not belong to an ERG are 1.4 times more likely to report feeling a lack of belonging within their organization.

When organizations invest in their ERGs and executive leaders recognize and support their work, they make a solid investment in the well-being of their workforce, and, ultimately, the performance of their organization.

Empowering ERGs is about handing power back to your people. It’s about trusting that they know what they need and creating the structure to support their vision. When done right, ERGs become the heartbeat of an inclusive culture. They provide the psychological safety for employees to be their authentic selves, the peer support to navigate challenges, and the collective voice to drive meaningful change.

In a climate in which DEI is increasingly under attack, but the loneliness epidemic is increasing, how can HR professionals ensure we are creating programs that add value to our workforce, avoid the performative and burdensome strategies of failed DEI efforts in the past, and get our leadership teams on board?

What if we reframe ERGs not as a task to be managed, but as a powerful, organic engine for positively impacting our company culture? Truly empowered ERGs are one of the most effective tools we have for fostering cohesion, driving engagement, and delivering real business value.

The most common mistake HR makes is to view ERGs as just another HR program. HR’s role isn’t to run ERGs; it is to empower employees to do so by cultivating an ecosystem in which they can thrive.

● Embed ERGs into your company strategy. Don’t treat ERGs as siloed initiatives. Build their success into your company’s strategic plan. Set key performance indicators to evaluate whether your ERGs are impacting feelings of belonging. Use data to demonstrate whether your ERG initiatives are improving employee retention, holding executive sponsors responsible, or integrating their success with your company’s overall performance.

● Secure authentic executive sponsorship. Having an ERG group sponsored by a member of your executive staff can lay a solid foundation for its success. An executive sponsor can be an active champion who uses their political capital to advocate for the group. HR can vet potential sponsors and pair them with the ERGs they want to advocate for, ensuring the match is based on genuine passion.

● Provide a clear charter and real budget. Legitimize your ERGs from day one by providing them with a simple charter that outlines their mission and giving them a budget. Even a modest budget is a tangible sign that an organization values the time and energy ERG members invest in their initiatives.

● Empower; don’t prescribe. Your role is to provide the legal and budgetary guardrails for your groups—not a roadmap. The most vibrant ERGs are grassroots, born from the lived experiences of employees. Trust your people to know what they need, and listen when they step up to tell you.

Initial passion is easy; sustained momentum is difficult. The number one reason ERGs fail is leader burnout, but it’s easy to prevent:

● Recognize and reward hard work: Leading an ERG is a significant role requiring skill and often emotional labor. Acknowledge this work in performance reviews, connect it to leadership competencies, and provide direct compensation or stipends when possible.

● Invest in your ERG leadership: This goes beyond compensation. Give your ERG leaders meaningful training and development, including mentorship, leadership certificate programs, or DEI-related courses. When you invest in the growth of ERGs, you fuel the passion of their leaders and equip them to amplify their impact.

● Provide structural support. Don’t let your ERGs become unsupported spaces for difficult topics. Partner with them to provide access to professional facilitators for sensitive discussions, or connect them with the mental health resources your company offers. This protects your leaders and ensures conversations are productive and safe.

● Integrate; don’t isolate. Ensure your ERGs have opportunities to positively impact your organization. Invite ERG group members to lead company-wide events, and integrate their messaging into your onboarding programs. Invite them to share their insights with your product development, marketing, and leadership teams. For example, how can feedback from your ERG that advocates for disability rights help make your products more accessible? How can your ERG that represents LGBTQ+ employees help develop a more authentic marketing campaign?

● Make space for allies to step up. Provide opportunities for allies of ERGs to get involved and network with them, and recognize as culture champions employees who positively amplify ERG messaging. By creating a culture in which allies step up to support ERGs, we demonstrate that the onus is not just on ERG members to do all the work.

To justify to leadership continued investment in your ERGs, you need to measure what matters.

● Use qualitative data. Collect stories and testimonials. How did the ERG that advocates for employee parents help a new father feel supported at work? How did a mentoring program within your women’s ERG lead to an employee’s promotion? This storytelling can justify executive buy-in. You can also use these stories to amplify the impact of your ERGs on your recruiting and employer branding efforts, helping you attract more top-tier talent.

● Show metrics. Look at retention rates, engagement scores, and promotion rates for ERG members versus your general employee population. A study in the Harvard Business Review found a high sense of belonging is linked to a 56% increase in job performance and a 50% reduction in turnover risk. Show that your ERGs are directly fostering that belonging.

As HR leaders, we get to be the architects of an ecosystem of support and empowerment for our ERGs and their leaders. By effectively aligning organizational support for ERGs from the top down and strategically integrating these groups into other facets of our organizations, we can create programs that drive positive organizational change in the short- and long-term. When we do that, we build a more resilient, innovative, and successful organization. By investing in your employees’ ability to connect and feel a sense of belonging, they don’t just stay; they thrive.

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