Employee Resource Groups—often referred to as ERGs—are more than community-building spaces. When well-supported, they can be powerful tools for career development, leadership experience, and organisational change. But for many employees, their value remains underused or misunderstood.
At their best, ERGs support inclusion and advancement by creating space for underrepresented voices to connect, share experiences, and drive visibility across the organisation. For employers, they’re a chance to listen, learn, and act on what really matters to their workforce.
What Are Employee Resource Groups?
ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups built around shared identities or experiences—such as race, gender, sexuality, disability, faith, neurodiversity, or working parent status. Some organisations also have ERGs for carers, veterans, or first-generation professionals.
They offer a space to foster belonging, provide peer support, and amplify issues that affect members’ wellbeing and progression.
ERGs vary in size, formality, and purpose. Some are grassroots initiatives. Others are part of a wider DEI strategy. But all have the potential to influence culture, policy, and leadership.
How ERGs Support Career Development
Joining an ERG can benefit your career in ways that go far beyond community.
For starters, ERGs often host learning and development events, speaker series, or mentoring schemes. These create opportunities to build knowledge, explore leadership pathways, and gain access to senior colleagues in a more informal setting.
Participation also allows members to develop core career skills—from public speaking and project management to strategic planning and cross-functional collaboration. Serving on a committee or leading an ERG provides direct experience in governance, budgeting, event coordination, and influencing stakeholders—experience that is valuable and transferable.
Being visible in an ERG can increase recognition across the business. It helps staff demonstrate initiative, values-driven leadership, and commitment to inclusion—all traits employers increasingly value.
Becoming an ERG Leader
Leading or co-chairing an ERG can be a powerful form of leadership development. It puts you in a position to shape strategy, advocate for change, and build alliances. It can also be a springboard for career visibility.
However, it also comes with responsibilities. ERG leaders often take on emotional labour, unpaid time, and political risk. Organisations must recognise this and provide time, funding, and recognition.
If you’re considering becoming an ERG leader, think about your goals. Are you looking to grow your network, influence culture, or develop new skills? Be clear about what you can give—and what you hope to gain.
Ask for support. Speak with your manager about aligning ERG work with your development plan. Request access to resources or senior sponsors. ERG leadership should never come at the cost of career progress—it should support it.
How Employers Can Make ERGs Matter
Many companies have ERGs, but not all know how to use them well. To ensure ERGs drive growth and inclusion:
- Provide budgets, dedicated time, and access to senior leadership.
- Offer training for ERG leaders in areas like governance, facilitation, and negotiation.
- Build ERG feedback into organisational strategy.
- Celebrate ERG contributions during reviews or promotions.
- Make ERG involvement part of leadership pipelines and succession planning
- When ERG work is recognised, resourced, and linked to development, it attracts diverse talent—and retains it.
From Conversation to Action
ERGs are often places where hard conversations happen first: about race, gender inequality, microaggressions, or access to progression. They surface the stories and patterns that formal data may miss.
But if those conversations stay within the ERG, change stalls. For ERGs to have lasting impact, there must be pathways to escalate concerns, shape policy, and influence leadership.
This is where senior sponsors are critical. A sponsor can act as a conduit between the ERG and decision-makers, helping translate insight into action. But sponsors must also be prepared to listen, learn, and push for change—even when it’s uncomfortable.
Making ERGs Inclusive of All Members
ERGs work best when they centre those most affected—without excluding allies. Allies have a role to play in learning, listening, and sharing the work of inclusion. But space must first and foremost belong to the community it’s designed to serve.
Organisations should encourage participation while being clear on purpose. ERGs aren’t generic social groups—they are mission-driven networks that balance support, strategy, and systems change.
They also need to reflect the diversity within identities. A race and ethnicity ERG, for instance, should account for the different experiences of Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic staff—not assume a one-size-fits-all approach.
Final Thoughts
Employee Resource Groups are not just a DEI initiative. They are career accelerators, change agents, and community hubs. For individuals, they offer learning, visibility, and growth. For organisations, they provide a bridge between values and action.
When we move beyond lip service and make ERGs central to career development and culture change, we build workplaces where everyone can thrive.