Employee resource groups expand in scope and size to tackle measurable change

“In a time of COVID, ERGs have helped us thrive and to have community, even if remotely,” said Genevieve Robles, director of talent experience at the agency Forsman & Bodenfors New York, whose groups focus on gender equality, LGBTQ+ issues, parenting and sustainability. It even has a group that’s all about having fun, which, among other things, organizes virtual birthday parties for employees.

The agency, which has done work for clients like Seagram’s and Goldman Sachs, has thrown its weight behind the Stop Asian Hate movement. It is a cause that hits close to home. “We had employees who were feeling scared to walk down the street,” said Robles.

Conversations from within the agency and its ERGs resulted in a poster illustrating “The Bystander Maneuver,” actions witnesses of hate crimes can take. Designed to look like the iconic Heimlich Maneuver explainer, the piece features five panels that each provide guidance as to what a bystander can do or say if they see a hate crime happen. While the shop recognized the need for better public awareness of anti-Asian racism, it said it wanted to do something immediate and actionable.

Robles noted that the ERG groups that effect the most change at the agency are those related to DEI. Its global inclusion task force, for example, has worked to determine what DEI training should look like within the company on a global scale — and includes a check-in with a consultant at the two-year point to measure precisely how much progress has been made. Through such efforts, the agency aims to make the interview process even more inclusive and mitigate bias in hiring. “We have always said our pipeline will be diverse, and that hasn’t changed in these times,” Robles said. 

Madhavi Bhasin, vp of diversity, inclusion and belonging at the San Francisco-based digital identity platform Okta, said its ERGs are designed to “help our employees find a sense of community both inside and outside of work.” And like ActiveCampaign and F&B, they’re also about producing real change. 

For example, Okta, which works with companies like Siemens and T-Mobile, has had a long-standing commitment to DEI, but in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2021, it realized it had to do more to challenge systemic issues of racial inequality and injustice. At the time, it publicly committed to a list of actions we would undertake on the issue — but then followed up one year later to talk about its progress and maintain accountability for its DEI efforts.

As a result of ERGs and their work, the company instituted “Oktavate,” an onboarding process focused on the value and need for an inclusive culture at Okta. The company has also invested in a professional development track for ERG leaders, including mentorship and quarterly bonuses for key members. Okta also made a $3 million pledge through the group Okta for Good to support racial justice, assembling a Racial Justice and Equity Employee Advisory Board to guide the investment. 

“All of these efforts were done in partnership with our ERGs,” Bhasin added, “ensuring their voices were not only heard, but helped to shape our corporate initiatives around DEI.”