05 Jun As Populations become more Multicultural, is there still a need for ERG’s?

Everyone has heard it. By 2020, the population of White Americans will no longer make up the majority of the US population. In 45 years, people in the US self-identifying as having “two or more races” will grow faster than any other group. With these changing demographics in the US, some might ask if Employee Resource Groups still make sense.

“Employee Resource Groups (ERG’s) are a proven, effective best practice for companies implementing or growing a strategy for Diversity & Inclusion,” says Elmer Dixon, President of Executive Diversity Services. “They help businesses by creating a structure to ensure that all employees have an opportunity to be heard, valued and engaged.”

“Some studies show that 42% of millennials living in the US self-identify as multicultural, so there is an overlay of generational differences as well,” he adds. “But the two are distinct, each with their own unique needs and values, as well as strategies and practices for inclusion.”

“People who are bi-racial sometimes express complex feelings around identity that can be exacerbated by the dual connection to different ethnic or racial groups, such as bearing the stereotypes of each group while also being rejected by each.  A sense of “not-belonging” often can be the commonality among people who are multi-racial, even if within the group there are many different combinations of that. “What may be helpful is a multi-cultural or multi-racial ERG,” says Dixon.

The idea is not to create more labels or divisions, but to allow organizations to be dynamic and to evolve along with their changing workforce. “Companies want to foster an environment where employees are able to interact with one another effectively and where they feel inspired to contribute fully, to bring all of the resources that they come with to the table.  What often happens is that organizations unconsciously require their employees to adapt to a central norm. The research is clear that with ERG’s of similar populations, including race, gender, sexual orientation, etc., there’s safety within the group, and that increases creativity and a chance to hear perspectives that might not otherwise get shared.”

ERG’s by nature are “bottom up,” in the sense that they are comprised of employees who want to connect around a common identity or experience. “As populations shift, the opportunity and effectiveness of ERG’s doesn’t diminish. Rather, leadership should be attuned to who is in their workforce and how to best to make all feel included,” says Dixon.  “It’s important that organizations build a foundation of inclusion, that welcomes and embraces the strengths of our collective differences to better leverage the resources that comes with diversity. And it needs to be demonstrated through intentional modeling of inclusive behavior throughout the company and reflected in its systems. An organization that does not pay attention to these dynamics will not survive.”

Learn more about Diversity Best Practices Here:

Photo credit: L F Zbacnik on AEP Employee Resource Groups on Vimeo