Disability Employee Resource Groups (DERGs)

Transcription

1 Disability Employee Resource Groups (DERGs)

2 Table of Contents Table of Contents What is an ERG/Disability ERGs in the US Benefits of ERGs for Members How ERGs Help Business Starting ERGs Role of an Executive Sponsor The role of the DERG President/leader Growing membership ERG budget and funding sources Goals and measurement of success 2

3 What is an ERG? Employee Resource Groups take many forms: Sometimes referred to as a Business Resource Groups, Affinity Groups, or Employee Networks. Typically started and led by employees who share a common interest or lived experience (i.e. race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, veteran, or disability.) Resource for members, as well as the company, by providing activities, information, and awareness around issues that have to do with promoting inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Goals align with the mission, values, and business objectives of the company. 3

4 Disability ERGs in the US Disability ERGs are a natural extension of an inclusive culture: 90% of Fortune 500 Companies have ERGs. 54% of companies have a Disability ERG. 4 th most common type of ERG. Most Disability ERGs are cross disability rather than based on a specific disability. 4

5 Benefit of ERGs for Members Employees gain a sense of empowerment: Gives employees a voice to senior management. Creates a platform for advocating for inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Provides employees with support and recognition. Provides opportunity for personal development. 5

6 How ERGs Help Businesses ERGs are a vital resource to business: Employee support Knowledge Engagement To help meet business objectives: Retention Recruitment Product development Onboarding Identifying/ developing talent 6

7 How ERGs Help Businesses Retention Belonging to an ERG increases feelings of loyalty, commitment, and engagement among employees. ERGs strive to make the work environment more inclusive so that diverse groups of employees feel accepted, and supported in their jobs. Best Practices Work with an outside disability organization to develop e-learning software to train employees on how to interact with employees or customers who have disabilities. (Best Buy, KPMG) Provide opportunities for employees to suggest how to make more inclusive work environments for people with disabilities. (National Grid, Microsoft) Conduct surveys to encourage self-identification as well as to determine the needs of potential members. (KPMG) 7

8 How ERGs Help Businesses Recruitment Having ERGs at your company can show potential employees that your company is working towards a diverse and inclusive workforce. ERGs can work with your company s recruiters to attract more diverse candidates and untapped talent pools. Best Practices ERG members attend college career fairs along side company recruiters to connect with diverse candidates. (Ford) Provide recruiter training to campuses and experienced recruiters to increase confidence when hiring individuals with disabilities. (KPMG) Partner with an outside agency to start a job program. (EMC 2 ) 8

9 How ERGs Help Businesses Product Development ERG members use their cultural insight to provide ideas and feedback on how to make products/services that are geared towards their population/ demographic. ERGs can expand consumer base through community outreach, and awareness around specific populations. Best Practices Disability ERG provides ideas on how to improve the accessibility of products, as well as adding features to products that appeal to people with disabilities. (Ford) Disability ERG serves as a focus group to test the accessibility of products. (Microsoft) 9

10 How to Start an ERG From top down or bottom up: Gain the Support of Senior Management: Executive Sponsor to champion (Not necessary to have explicit support but more effective) Find the right people to lead the group. Get other Employees Involved. Create Budget and Secure Funding. Set realistic goals that align with those of the company. Set benchmarks in order to measure progress towards the group s goals. 10

11 Connect with Other ERGs within Company Leverage and benefit the efforts of other ERGs Ask to attend another established ERG s meeting: How is the group run? What does group s leadership look like? Meet with another ERG s Executive Sponsor or representatives as an opportunity to: Share ideas Receive feedback Build relationships 11

12 What is an Executive Sponsor? A top level executive that champions the ERG: Chosen by the group or assigned by the company. Can be of the same demographic, or of a different demographic: Sponsor who is the same demographic as the group can: serve as a role-model to group members, and can be an example of lessons learned. Sponsor who is not of the same demographic as the group can: provide guidance outside of the cultural lens of the group. Increase the potential for employees outside of the core demographic to join the group. Support diversity. 12

13 Role of Executive Sponsor Executive Sponsor is the ERGs champion to executive leadership: Provides ERG with strategic direction to help it align with the company s business strategy. Helps ERG identify measurable benchmarks that support the company s business goals. Acts as a bridge between the executive team and the ERG. Provides ERG with access to the sponsors own network. May provide funding beyond that of other funding sources. Provides support to the group through communication and visibility. 13

14 ERG Leadership/President The President is the leader of the group: Leadership of the ERG should be clear. Leaders may be appointed by executive sponsor or chosen by the group. Who to Pick? Important ingredients: leadership qualities and passion An ERG can work with talent management to identify employees who are high potentials but whose talents have not yet been recognized by the company. Individuals who have expressed interest in the issues of the group. 14

15 ERG Leadership Succession It is important to change leadership periodically because: It creates opportunities for different members to take a leadership position. New leadership can bring new ideas to the table. Time commitment is substantial and role is not the employees main function in the company. An ERG may want to model how they elect new leaders after what other ERGs within their company are doing. Some ERGs hold elections every year or two years Other ERGs have staggered leadership terms This allows exiting leaders the chance to mentor the new leaders before their term ends. 15

16 ERG Leadership Benefits Rewarding in many ways, personal and professional: Allows for personal development. Chance to hold an informal leadership position. Offers employees visibility to company. Gain leadership experience without too much cost to the employee: Good for employees who are on the manager track. Note: many companies carve a percentage of time from the employees job objectives for this activity. 16

17 Membership Takes time and effort: Actively market ERG to employees as well as job candidates: Create materials to introduce the group. Publicize the ERG in employee communications. Make it clear that the group has support from top-leadership. Foster an environment that is inclusive of all employees. Make it clear to potential members that there is still an Affinity Group (social) aspect to the group. That although the group is aligned with business objectives, it is still important to celebrate the culture of the group, and have fun. 17

18 Gain New Members Contd. Promote everywhere including at time of onboarding: Hold a variety of different events that meet the needs and expectations of different members of the group, as well as attracting potential members to the group: Professional development/ classroom events Speaker engagements Networking opportunities Cultural events Mentoring opportunities Make meetings convenient for hourly and remote workers by scheduling virtual and off-shift meetings or hold activities during employee s own time like during lunch. 18

19 ERG Budget The budget for ERGs can vary greatly from one ERG to another: An ERG that is just starting out may not have any funds. Research by DiversityInc found that the average budget for a resource group is between $7,000 and $15,000 annually. A 2010 survey of 64 companies by Mercer found that the average annual budget for an ERG is $7,203 per 100 members. The average budget for those companies on DiversityInc s Top 50 list is $15,000 per ERG. A successful group at a large corporation can receive as much as $75,000-$100,000 annually! 19

20 How are ERGs Funded? Cont. How an ERG receives funding varies from company to company: Examples of different types of funding methods: All ERGs within the company receive the same amount of funding so all groups are on equal footing. ERGs submit budgets to the diversity department and are awarded funding based on its contribution to business goals that are linked to the company s goals. HR gives each ERG seed money to get started and then the rest of funding comes from executive sponsors. 20

21 How are ERGs Funded? ERG funding can come from a variety of sources: Direct funding from the Diversity Department Support from the group s Executive Sponsor Groups own fundraising Extra money from Human Resource, Communications, or Marketing A survey of 20 companies found that: 56% of ERGs received some funding from their executive sponsors own budget. 89% of ERGs received some funding from the company s diversity department. Some ERG s charge membership fee in order to raise funds: Average fee is $25 a month. 21

22 Goals An ERG s goals should: Be clear Be concise Be easy to understand Be measurable Include specific activities and timelines Be aligned with the mission, values, and business objectives of the group, and company. Business objectives that ERGs goals commonly align with: Recruitment On-boarding Community outreach Finding suppliers Marketing Outreach Focus Groups 22

23 Measuring Success Setting Benchmarks Benchmarks help to show what the group has accomplisheddefines how the group is doing, and what the group has delivered. Example of benchmarks: Gain 5 new members per year Offer two disability etiquette trainings within the next year Increase the number of attendees at ERG meetings and events Attend two career fairs within the next 6 months 23