Employee Resources Groups (ERGs) are more relevant and necessary than ever.
Because they unite individuals with similar experiences, employee-led groups foster workplace belonging, trust, and psychological safety. According to research from the ERG Leadership Alliance, people who belong to ERGs are 10-15% more engaged at work. Recent research from Harvard Business School shows that this engagement persists, even during economic uncertainty. This is significant as leaders recognize that engaged employees are 14% more productive and up to 50% less likely to quit.
But given the backlash against DEI, ERG leaders and the organizations they work for are looking for answers: What’s next for our ERGs? How do we stay aligned with business goals? How do we measure success?
To gather these insights, we interviewed ERG leaders at financial services institutions ranging from 6,000 to 50,000 employees. Because of the sensitive nature of the discussions, comments are shared but no names. This information is layered with knowledge we gained in working with clients in the same industry. We chose the financial services sector because leaders there recognize the value of being able to attract, retain, and advance talent that mirrors the audiences they are trying to serve. Creating welcoming workplaces is core to their business model.
Regardless of the industry you are in, we hope to provide advice that is practical and universal.
ERG Leaders Must Understand Their ‘Why’
To drive consistent results, ERG leaders must understand—and routinely revisit—why they are committed to this work. More critically, they need to clarify their personal priorities in the context of the business and organizational mission. This is where many ERG leaders become misaligned.
The passion that drives inclusion work often stems from personal experience and a desire for systemic change, which is valuable energy. However, when that activist mindset doesn’t match organizational strategy, ERG programming can drift into activities that feel meaningful to members but lack business relevance.
The most effective ERG leaders distinguish between their personal advocacy goals and the specific workplace outcomes their organization needs—whether that’s retention, innovation, manager capability, or leadership pipeline development. This clarity ensures that ERG energy translates into sustained organizational support and measurable impact.
Align Programming with Business Value
ERG programming is essential for engaging members and achieving group goals, but activities must be more than social gatherings or identity-focused celebrations. To be successful, programs must be focused on specific workplace priorities, such as retention or professional development. For each event or initiative, the need should be clearly identified, participation should be tracked, feedback should be gathered, and impact should be measured.
- Provide Inclusive Consulting and Review. Position your ERG as an internal advisor on product, service, and policy design. A disability-focused ERG might review website redesigns or event logistics with the marketing team. A caregivers ERG might assess changes to leave policies for real-world feasibility. This approach reduces organizational compliance risk, improves product quality for all users, and demonstrates that your group’s perspectives directly influence business decisions.
- Promote Career Success, Growth, and Retention. Targeted career development workshops can address real barriers your members face. Host a workshop for managers on how to support neurodiverse employees with inclusive meeting formats and communication protocols. During onboarding, match ERG members and newcomers with similar cultural backgrounds to ease integration and improve retention. Establish a mentorship program within your ERG to connect senior employees and emerging professionals.
- Launch Intersectional Programming. Common themes can connect ERG activities, allow groups to collaborate on events, and create shared experiences. For example, a theme could focus on courageous conversations, but it would be expressed differently for each ERG given their cultural context. Courageous conversations for the Women in Business ERG might include strategies to discuss pay equity, while an ERG focused on disability inclusion may focus on strategies to ensure skills are being fully utilized. Key topics are connected, while providing a level of flexibility and authenticity.
How Can ERG Leaders Achieve Impact?
Data is key to the success of every ERG, especially when seeking support from senior leadership. To build a detailed picture of a group’s impact throughout the organization, ERG leaders should track a range of data.
The story of any ERG is stronger when leaders have quantitative and qualitative data, in other words, when they have numbers and sentiments. Leaders should track how many people attended an event or engaged with resources, and they should ask about impact. Follow-up surveys should link the event to organizational impact or personal growth. Sample questions include, “What did you learn from this event? How has this event helped you in your professional development? Has it affected your sense of belonging and inclusion within our organizational culture?” Qualitative data shows what was meaningful and why—information that is extremely compelling to leaders across an organization.
Cross-collaboration projects should also be tracked. The effort could include another ERG, the marketing department, or an HR team. The takeaway is to track all ERG initiatives, their outcomes, and link everything back to business objectives—revenue, retention, performance, or brand reputation.
When employee-led groups have designated budgets, measuring the impact of activities is crucial. Some ERG leaders may use a spreadsheet to track expenses, along with membership growth, event attendance, and other outcomes. ERG leaders can also monitor publicly available information, such as promotions and commendations, to reinforce the benefits of ERG membership.
How Can Executives Equip ERG Leaders for Success?
Organizations need practical strategies to realize the business value of ERGs and use them to maintain a psychologically safe workplace culture. The following tips to create sustained impact emerged from our conversations with ERG leaders:
1. Clarify Expectations. Executive sponsors provide strategic guidance, advocate for funding or resources, and act as a vital link between the ERG and senior leadership. For ERG leaders and executive sponsors to work together effectively, trust and psychological safety are essential. These qualities are built through regular communication and clear expectations. At the beginning of each term of service, new ERG leaders and executive sponsors should discuss goals for the ERG and establish a cadence of communication. Expectations should also be set, particularly how the sponsor will support the ERG and its leadership.
2. Set Meaningful Goals. ERG influence depends on setting and meeting tangible goals, which requires leaders to understand the business context and company priorities. But because volunteer ERG leaders are rarely at the senior level, they may lack this crucial insight. ERGs need support from executive sponsors and other leaders in the organization to set meaningful goals. This guidance helps ERG leaders shift from affinity group thinking to business outcome thinking.
Our approach to getting buy-in was to shift thinking from a group of people getting together based on affinity to being an actual resource that the company can tap into that can help with the bottom line,” explained one leader. “The key was to figure out what issues were going on within the leadership and then align what we are doing with those initiatives in whatever activities we are planning. Based on the work we were doing, the CEO came to meetings.
Example goals that ERG leaders shared with us were:
- Mentorship and sponsorship: Leverage executive sponsors and formal coaching to equip and educate ERG leaders. One organization held six sessions, led by executive sponsors, where ERG leaders were coached on building influence skills to lead without positional authority.
- Serving underserved communities: Find ways to connect your business with key stakeholders who share the same identities as your ERG members. An ERG for veterans held community outreach to assist people transitioning from military to civilian employment.
- Recruiting: Attend networking events to promote recruiting and career development opportunities. Work with professional advocacy groups such as Lavender Law, Out and Equal, National African American Insurance Organization, and Disability:IN.
- Welcoming people to the organization: Ensure that ERGs are included in the onboarding process, so recent hires are aware of groups that may fit their interest. Participating in an ERG creates feelings of belonging, improves retention, and provides leadership growth opportunities. For the organization, ERGs create a pipeline of leaders with diverse backgrounds.
3. Amplify ERG Work in Company Forums. Organizations should allocate 10–15 minutes during quarterly town halls for ERG updates. A rotating speaker—either an ERG leader or executive sponsor—can briefly highlight accomplishments, announce upcoming initiatives, and share an example of meaningful impact.
Regular visibility in all-employee forums raises awareness of ERG work across the organization, making recruitment easier and signaling that leadership takes these groups seriously. Updates also create accountability, encouraging ERG leaders to maintain momentum on stated goals. Finally, ERG leaders gain exposure for their group’s efforts and their personal leadership capabilities.
4. Promote ERG Leader Networking. ERGs create opportunities to build relationships that contribute to belonging and growth. This effect is multiplied for ERG leaders who are able to network inside and outside the organization. Many companies host annual ERG summits that contribute to this learning by bringing in guest speakers, sharing key learnings, and holding strategic planning sessions. This process also helps ERG leaders course correct and establish goals and objectives for the upcoming year.
Networking with other ERG leaders helped me create a set of best practices, greatly expand my personal network, and create access to resources and ideas,” said one leader. “It’s been a huge help connecting with other organizations so that you do not feel like you are out there on an island.
5. Provide ERG Leader Education. ERG leaders often gain knowledge and experience simply by leading and overseeing the operations of the group. This informal learning benefits leaders, helping to reinforce skills and knowledge useful to shaping employees’ career paths and achieving company objectives. One best practice that ERG leaders shared was to ensure there is a three-month overlap between newly appointed ERG leaders and their predecessors. This guarantees adequate time for knowledge sharing and training to perform the role effectively.
Education for ERG leaders should also have a formal component. Comprehensive training ensures leaders understand how to connect ERG programs to business outcomes such as engagement and retention. For example, biotechnology company bluebird bio identified an opportunity for growth and sought training for its ERG leaders. Marie Wilson, the former Associate Director of People, was enthusiastic about the results of the ERG Leader Certificate Program.
We needed a program that would provide our ERG leaders with the strategies needed to lead an ERG. I was completely blown away by the turnaround after this certification. ERG leaders now are equipped to drive significant changes within their groups and across the organization, delivering a higher ROI.
What’s Next for Your Organization
To drive impact within the ERG and throughout the organization, leaders need knowledge, clear processes, and executive support. Many organizations have successfully adopted ERGs, one of the most powerful strategies for linking culture to business objectives. When senior leaders support ERGs, they demonstrate a commitment to belonging and empower all employees to play a direct role in creating a welcoming and inclusive culture.
ERGs are a pivotal part of any organization’s employee engagement strategy. They serve as a robust source of employee feedback, increase trust and belonging, and provide opportunities for professional development. However, poorly established or maintained groups can encounter roadblocks caused by poor leadership, lack of resources, and limited executive sponsorship or buy-in. Ensure your organization’s ERGs are built to thrive. The ERG Leader Certificate Program equips your ERG leaders to drive impact throughout the organization. Join us for our public cohort on April 28, 2026.
