When many of the issues facing marginalized and underrepresented communities are systemic and institutional, advancements in diversity, equity and inclusion demand formal infrastructure and galvanized action.
Yet, for many companies, ambitious DEI goals aren’t bolstered by the necessary tools and strategies.
According to a 2022 McKinsey report, while 72 percent of companies broadcasted transformative DEI aspirations, only 47 percent had the appropriate infrastructure to follow through on their ambitions.
Fostering inclusivity is not a simple, one-and-done process and demands ongoing attention and action. Employee resource groups are a key element in this regard, unifying team members around shared experiences and identities and providing an avenue for community-led initiatives.
“ERGs give employees a safe place to network, ask questions and find community and allyship,” 360Learning’s Global Employee Engagement Manager Kelly Suhr explained. “We know that people are less likely to leave a job where they have friends and feel a sense of connection; by investing in communities where people can find others that identify similarly to themselves, we are fostering these connections from day one.”
Built In NYC spoke to Suhr and six other ERG leaders about the impact their groups have had and the role they play in creating an inclusive workplace.
Warner Bros. Discovery is a global entertainment and media company that produces a wide range of television, film and live entertainment.
Tell us about your employee resource group.
Women of Warner Bros. Discovery (WOW) represents a diverse and collaborative community focusing on the unique needs and interests of all who identify as women. We provide a network and open space for group members to continue to be empowered and inspired to share our collective voices, ideas and opportunities across the company.
I originally started as a member of Women@HBO in 2017, then moved into a board member role in 2019 when we became Women of Warner. In 2020, I was asked and nominated to be co-chair by my predecessor. I have been serving as co-chair since and found strength in my role while dealing with the effects of Covid-19, working from home and finding creative ways to connect, engage and network with our members. It has been a difficult time as things have been changing around the world. In our company, we have been able to offer members mentoring sessions, career guidance, health and personal finance guidance and overall support. We have held virtual events with experts in these fields to provide our members the support they need.
Why is your work with the ERG important to you?
Giving women a safe space to connect, grow, learn and mentor each other has made such an impact on the personal and professional lives of the women of WBD. WOW provides the support to be confident and assertive and, with our male allies, make strides that we otherwise may not be able to accomplish alone. The responsibility of taking care of WOW members is very important to our board and to me.
WOW provides the support to be confident and assertive and, with our male allies, make strides that we otherwise may not be able to accomplish alone.”
Describe a recent event held by your ERG. How did it help foster inclusion in your workplace?
WOW is the largest business resource group at WBD. When we host events, everyone is invited and welcomed. We often collaborate with smaller BRGs to bring attention and awareness to other resource groups that can be beneficial to all. We’ve collaborated with our in-house restaurant during Heart Health Month to provide healthy food options, with our fitness center to host in-person and virtual classes, and with back-to-school drives, and organized a walking group for Breast Cancer Awareness. I’ve donated and hosted sessions for many non-profit organizations for teen girls.
We often host events to bring together our parents’ BRG and our different cultural BRGs. We hosted a morning coffee and donut meet-up to introduce our Faith and Belief BRG to our members and all employees. These events bring all people together — no matter what race, gender, sexual orientation or cultural background. We want everyone to feel included. As a child of immigrant parents from Ghana, I can understand being in places and feeling excluded. My goal is to bring all people together to help understand each other’s individual battles and have the empathy to help where we can within our capacity.
Rent the Runway is an e-commerce company that allows women to rent, purchase and subscribe to designer clothing.
Tell us about your employee resource group.
ERGs came to life at Rent the Runway during the pandemic through the perfect mix of the people team, culture club and employees. We wanted to create spaces for employees that were organized around a particular shared characteristic such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, lifestyle or interest. The aim was to exchange ideas, strengthen the link to and within the many diverse communities of our employees, and help in personal and career development.
Rent the Rainbow, the LGBTQ+ ERG, officially launched in June 2021, just in time for Pride, which I personally found so fitting. Pride is a celebration of diversity and LGBTQ+ people. Pride isn’t just for one month — we should feel proud all year round, and that’s why I love that Rent The Runway built a space where employees of all genders and orientations can be celebrated and supported in the workplace.
Why is your work with the ERG important to you?
I believe it is important to give back to your community. I want to be part of the solution that works toward making things equal. I believe every queer-identifying person should feel safe and supported in their workplace. This is why I do what I do and love working within the ERGs.
As our ERGs launched during the pandemic, the majority of our employees were working remotely. We aimed to create opportunities for employees to hear from other voices they otherwise may not have heard, and having the opportunity to ask questions in a safe space has been so rewarding. One of my favorites was the “Inclusive Homes” session, where we provided training for employees who are parents and guardians on the ways they could make their homes more inclusive. We shared resources such as family-friendly LGBTQ+ movies and TV shows and LGBTQ booklists suitable for teens and younger children. We ran another event called Building Rainbow Families, where we invited external speakers to share their stories.
I believe every queer-identifying person should feel safe and supported in their workplace. This is why I do what I do and love working within the ERGs.”
Tell us a story that shows the impact your ERG has had in building an inclusive community.
I was on vacation near one of our warehouses and decided to drop in. I was amazed to see the “Be Your Authentic Self” pronoun poster we’d created months before hanging over the reception. As I walked through the warehouse, I could spot various signs of the ERG dotted across the site, from the rainbow logo stickers to small Pride flags on various workstations and posters hanging in the staff kitchen area. I am a software engineer who works at his keyboard in an office each day, but seeing the outputs of the ERG being embraced and used by employees across the country positively cemented the value of the work an ERG does.
We also reached out to the organizers of a local Pride to see how we could help support the LGBTQ community. We provided the use of our office space to host their own mental health workshop event, followed by a social gathering and candle-lit vigil honoring the memories of friends, family and community members lost to suicide, violence, addiction or HIV/AIDS. Being able to deliver real value to the LGBTQ community in this way reinforces to me what I already knew to be true: A volunteer employee-led ERG can truly make a difference.
Stash is a personal finance app that helps users invest.
Tell us about your employee resource group.
Stash’s Asian Pacific American ERG was created a couple of months into the pandemic, and I had the honor of joining them soon after and partaking in our first official event.
The first event was a timely yet somber one. Following an increase in violence in the metro against the AAPI community in NYC, we felt a sense of need to come together as a group. President of the Museum of Chinese in America Nancy Yao was kind enough to join us for a roundtable discussion about anti-Asian racism and specifically in breaking down the history. I cannot speak for others, but it felt important to understand what others experienced and to share that moment as a community. I think it brought us together as a group and acted as a reaffirmation of why we joined the ERG.
Why is your work with the ERG important to you?
As a naturalized citizen of the United States with most of my family living in Seoul, South Korea, I did not experience growing up in the United States as most of the ERG members did. It’s been a valuable experience for me to be able to learn from them and feel connected beyond our work.
It’s been a valuable experience for me to be able to learn from the ERG members and feel connected beyond our work.”
Describe a recent event held by your ERG. How did it help foster inclusion in your workplace?
We have had roundtable discussions such as the one I mentioned that provided us with the space and time to connect with each other during a difficult and confusing time. Having said that, we have had lighter moments in which we found ways to connect with each other. Stash is a remote-first company with employees from all over the United States and United Kingdom — and those who love to travel could be dialing in from Berlin! This also means we don’t get to see each other in person as often as we would like. So when Stash held its first-ever regional meeting in February, we organized a boba tea meet-up for APA members in attendance. At the end of the sessions, these individuals were able to get to know each other better in an informal setting, often connecting with colleagues they don’t work with on a day-to-day basis.
The existence of our APA ERG and experiences like the ones I’ve highlighted have gone a long way in helping us build an inclusive community.
OpenX creates digital advertising markets and technologies for publishers and advertisers.
Tell us about your employee resource group.
In February 2019, OpenX established its first Women in Technology Program. Its mission promotes the success and advancement of women at OpenX by creating a network of professional women achieving their goals through support, inspiration and mentorship. This program ensures a safe, inclusive and collaborative environment where all women and their allies can share ideas, experiences and achievements together. This year, we launched our first formal Global Mentor Program, where WIT members from the United States, Krakow and Australia all connect and develop new skills and key relationships, continuously fostering collaboration across the organization.
Why is your work with the ERG important to you?
When I first entered the workforce, I initially expected to gain most of my professional skills from working on key projects and role-specific functions. However, I quickly learned that the most valuable investment in my career would be my relationships with my colleagues, particularly colleagues with shared backgrounds and goals. The WIT ERG at OpenX truly provides a strong sense of inclusivity, knowledge-sharing and skill-building that only propels my growth. WIT is a key organization that affords all women at OpenX access to great leadership. I hope to continue to contribute to WIT by providing a safe space within OpenX where members can effectively manage their goals and navigate through tough challenges. Overall, I hope we are providing a point of balance in the workplace and creating a strong community of encouragement and support.
I quickly learned that the most valuable investment in my career would be my relationships with my colleagues, particularly colleagues with shared backgrounds and goals.”
Describe a recent event held by your ERG. How did it help foster inclusion in your workplace?
Since its inception in 2019, WIT has grown to over 100 members across our global offices. One of the key initiatives we rolled out last year was the WIT Monthly Spotlight Program. The WIT Monthly Spotlight focuses on building a culture of recognition and appreciation across the organization for achievements — big and small. Additionally, it builds familiarity with women working globally across different departments and teams. Each month, a companywide announcement showcases each nominee’s contribution and accomplishment. We have found that this type of inclusion has permeated beyond the WIT organization, with colleagues outside of our ERG reaching out and promoting the same type of culture all throughout OpenX. While women at OpenX continue to inspire each other through great leadership, we hope to serve as role models for everyone in our organization and build a culture that values diversity in principle and practice.
360Learning is a learning management system that helps companies onboard, train and develop their employees.
Tell us about your employee resource group.
We’ve had unofficial ERGs at 360Learning for quite some time, but it wasn’t until October of 2022 that these groups became a formal part of our organization. To formally kick off ERGs, we first created a DEI Committee, which includes voluntary members from across our company, spanning all teams, job roles and countries. This group aims to create the foundation and ongoing structural work for individuals of all backgrounds to feel included and engaged and have a sense of belonging across the company. A huge focus of our DEI Committee is to serve our ERGs and support their goals and initiatives.
We have six active ERGs: Mental Health, Environmental/Sustainability, Women, Parents, LGBTQIA2S and Ethnic Diversity. Each group is currently completing its mission statements and planned initiatives throughout the year.
Why is your work with the ERG important to you?
As the global employee engagement manager, it’s my responsibility to ensure all team members are supported, able to grow and feel they belong at 360Learning. ERGs are a key element in creating such a space.
ERGs give employees a safe place to network, ask questions and find community and allyship. We know that people are less likely to leave a job where they have friends and feel a sense of connection; by investing in communities where people can find others that identify similarly to themselves, we are fostering these connections from day one.
By investing in communities where people can find others that identify similarly to themselves, we are fostering these connections from day one.”
In addition to limiting attrition, these groups can serve as liaisons to leadership, helping attract additional diverse talent through accessible and relatable benefits, communication methods and growth opportunities. We know that diverse teams are more productive; ERGs help create these teams.
In short, ERGs are not only the right thing to do from a business standpoint but also the right thing to do by our people. We believe learning is for everyone, both internally as a company and across the clients we serve.
Tell us a story that shows the impact your ERG has had in building an inclusive community.
I am proud of all of our ERGs and their impact on building an inclusive community at 360Learning. As a program overall, one particularly impactful outcome is learning about cultural differences across countries in terms of DEI initiatives. For example, on our talent team, we are unable to — anonymously — ask candidates to disclose certain demographic data in some countries, which has led to interesting conversations and program planning to ensure we recruit from diverse sources. There have been similar learning moments as we start to understand the differences in the ways individuals identify themselves and their communities based on their country of origin. Having similar identities but different ways of defining the identity has positively impacted what our ERGs select as their missions and their overall intersectionality.
I’m also excited that our team of executives is supporting these groups. Each group has at least one executive team member serving as a member of the group. This brings greater awareness to the groups’ activities and gives greater access and impact to our ERGs in our overall companywide policies and processes.
Fintech company Petal provides technology-enabled credit cards to consumers.
Tell us about your employee resource group.
I joined Petal in the midst of the pandemic, a time when our NYC HQ was closed and the team was fully remote. While we had successfully implemented extensive measures to ensure our culture remained strong in this new distributed environment, I was looking for other ways to feel closer to the team. I saw an opportunity to connect with the other Black employees across all our locations in NYC, Richmond and remote employees across the country.
At the end of my first year, I started Bloom, a community that helps strengthen the networking, development, leadership and celebration of Black and African American employees at Petal, along with another Black coworker based out of Richmond. We formalized our charter and were able to conduct our first ERG meeting in December 2021.
Bloom just recently concluded our sponsorship of Petal’s Black History Month programming. Throughout the month, we highlighted historical figures through our all-hands meetings, held a lovely trivia game over lunch and hosted both a book club and a virtual cooking class. It was fantastic to see the level of engagement and participation across the organization.
Why is your work with the ERG important to you?
Petal is the first place I’ve worked that has a substantial community of Black employees. When I was first starting out in my career and trying to figure out what I wanted to do and the best way to approach certain problems, I found it difficult to reach out and get time with mentors. The further along I’ve gotten in my career, the less this has been a problem, but I often think about those times when I was given advice that didn’t apply to my situation, or I was ignored outright. Eventually, I learned to focus more on self-development and became selective when choosing whom I approached, but I’ve never forgotten those difficulties, that feeling of “othering.” I do this work to create familiar spaces that encourage those seeking to develop in their careers and personal lives to ask questions knowing they’ll always receive a warm, helpful response.
I do this work to create familiar spaces that encourage those seeking to develop in their careers and personal lives to ask questions knowing they’ll always receive a warm, helpful response.”
Tell us a story that shows the impact your ERG has had in building an inclusive community.
Within the last year, we had a potential hire reach out to ask to hear from Black employees about our culture and its inclusivity. I’ve personally never thought to request such a thing! It really drove home the power of having our ERG, both for Bloom members and for Petal as a whole. We’ve been able to cultivate a community within Petal that highlights the best of Petal’s work environment and have the ability to directly influence the culture and diversity of our organization, both through word of mouth and moments such as these. If this potential hire had asked that same question at any of my previous employers, I’m not sure they would have been given the same type of support they may have been searching for. I’m happy to say they were met by an enthusiastic group, and they accepted the offer and are one of our most engaged ERG members.
Since then, we’ve started extending all offered job candidates the opportunity to speak with a representative from the ERG of their choice. With around 60 percent of Petalians now identifying as a member of one or more of our eight ERGs, it has become an integral part of our employee community. I’m proud to have been a part of building that.
Figma is a design platform that helps teams create, test, share and ship products.
Tell us about your employee resource group.
In 2019, Womxn@Figma launched on International Women’s Day with a mission to support and celebrate employees who identify as women. To deliver on this mission, we drive grassroots programming and partner with company leadership on inclusive policies.
While the Womxn@Figma community is an important resource to employees year-round, we feel our impact most powerfully in moments of heartbreak. Last year, as the U.S. government stripped away fundamental healthcare rights through the overturning of Roe and Casey, our community came together to provide three critical things: a place for empathy, listening and understanding, a lock-step collaboration between Womxn@Figma and our People team to ensure our benefits still met the needs of employees, and the announcement, enactment and rollout of relocation support for all Figmates affected by legislation change— no questions asked — within a day of the Supreme Court’s decision.
Why is your work with the ERG important to you?
My life has been shaped by relationships with women. My mother built me a safe, nurturing environment for growth. My sisters acted as confidants for my dreams, doubts and plans. My peers at an all-girls school exposed me to a rich tapestry of perspectives and experiences. With these relationships at my core, I am compelled to grow and invest in my community of women. In high school, I invested in early childhood health and education efforts to support mothers in providing critical early care. In college, my focus shifted to providing relationship and sexual health education to peers. Since transitioning into a career in technology, my women’s efforts have coalesced around building community and expanding access for women in our industry. At Figma, I get to do just that through my leadership of Womxn@Figma.
Since transitioning into a career in technology, my women’s efforts coalesce around building community with and expanding access for women in our industry.”
Tell us a story that shows the impact your ERG has had in building an inclusive community.
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Figma delivered employee-facing programming and company policy to meet the moment.
The morning of the court decision, Womxn@Figma hosted companywide listening sessions. These sessions made space for Figmates to process how the court’s decision would impact our community. For many Figmates, a critical question was, “What will Figma do?”
Guided by our commitment to community, Figma rolled out relocation assistance to any U.S. employee threatened by new legislation in their state of residence. Our policy provides assistance to anyone impacted by a range of state legislative changes, including reduced access to reproductive, abortion and transgender healthcare. While our policy does not erase the impact of legislative access change, it supports the safety of our Figmates and offers clear action in an ongoing moment of national grieving.
