A Comprehensive Guide on Employee Resource Group (ERG) Events
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are employee-led groups within an organization that aim to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace. ERGs fulfill their stated goal of promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in the workplace. This is why they are becoming increasingly important to organizational growth and development.
ERGs play a major role in ensuring that the company’s employees work in alignment with their values, purpose, and identity. For that, Employee Resource Group organizes a variety of events, workshops, and activities to engage employees, provide them with professional development opportunities, create a sense of belonging and community for employees, and foster respect in a diverse workforce.
However, the Employee Resource Group does more than just that, which we will discuss in this blog. Let’s get into it…
What are Employee Resource Group (ERG) Events?
Employee resource groups (ERGs) events are internal gatherings held in a company to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the workplace. The purpose of an ERG program is to bring together and connect employees who share similar backgrounds, characteristics, or interests.
These events give employees an opportunity to interact, network, and share their expertise with other employees within an organization. Employee resource group events welcome all employees across the company, not just a specific group of members.
What are the Benefits of Hosting ERG Events
Employee resource groups serve as a powerful platform that not only benefits employees, but also the organization.
1. Benefits to Employees
ERG events bring together employees and staff with shared backgrounds, interests, or characteristics, allowing them to connect with each other, speak freely, and share their experiences. This minimizes any potential feelings of isolation among employees and creates a strong sense of community. Employees can join professional development sessions where they gain knowledge on how to advance in their careers.
ERGs often hold skill-building workshops to assist employees in improving their public speaking, project management, and other critical skills, which are highly beneficial for professional growth. Through the mentorship program, employees get an opportunity to connect with top leaders and senior executives, where they receive profound guidance regarding career and professional development.
In addition, advocacy programs empower employees to voice their concerns, advocate for changes that improve the work environment, and influence company policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
2. Benefits to Organization
ERG events allow companies to bring together employees from diverse backgrounds, build strong bonds between them, and keep employees engaged, which helps increase employee retention. When companies support ERGs, they demonstrate their commitment to DEI, which strengthens their overall culture, increases collaboration between team members, and fosters a positive work environment.
ERG events provide a platform for feedback that helps identify and resolve workplace challenges. Cultural celebration programs educate employees about different customs, traditions, and perspectives as well as allow companies to celebrate diverse cultures, which helps strengthen relationships between employees and create a more respectful and inclusive work environment. A company with active and well-supported ERGs builds a positive reputation as an inclusive employer, further boosting its brand in the talent market.
In essence, ERG events are a win-win for both employees and organizations: employees gain valuable personal and professional development opportunities as well as a sense of belonging, while organizations build a more engaged, diverse, and innovative workforce.
Types of ERG Events That Take Place
The following are some common types of ERG events and activities that take place:
1. Career & Professional Development Workshops
Professional development has become essential for career growth in the corporate world, and every employee is aware of it. According to this report, 94% of employees would stay longer at companies that invest in their career growth. Given all this, career development programs are organized to enhance their skills in their primary role, like public speaking, leadership, project management, teamwork, technical skills, etc.
Such programs involve mentoring & coaching, on-the-job training, seminars, webinars, and more. At these sessions, employees are able to acquire the skillsets needed for their growth and success in their journey.
2. Networking Session
Since networking is the most popular corporate activity in the business world, ERGs often hold networking events, allowing their members and allies an opportunity to build professional networks.
Networking sessions are often designed to connect members with similar interests in order to share experiences and build relationships with each other. An ERG event brings together people with similar backgrounds or interests from different departments within the same organization, providing everyone with collaboration opportunities so that their internal support will become strong.
Happy hours, coffee talks, lunch and learns, and book clubs are examples of networking events. However, a more organized networking event is held with a speed networking session that breaks the ice, gives everyone a chance to interact with a variety of people, as well as facilitates relationships between individuals.
3. Guest Speaker Series
This is a highly effective activity held to inspire and motivate members. Guest speakers are either internal leaders or external experts who offer valuable insights, share their personal experiences, and provide professional development opportunities related to the ERG’s focus (e.g., leadership skills for the Women’s ERG, mental health for the Wellness ERG, or industry trends for the Technology ERG). Since guest speakers are typically experts in their fields, they enrich the discussion by sharing their knowledge and expertise in such events and make the session memorable.
4. Cultural Celebrations
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) frequently incorporate cultural celebration programs into their activities to preserve their heritage, traditions, and values. These events celebrate cultural and religious festivals such as Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, Christmas, Lunar New Year, and many more.
The purpose of hosting such events is to create a sense of belonging in the workplace for employees from diverse cultures and backgrounds. In fact, cultural celebration programs give employees an opportunity to learn about different cultures so they can better understand their colleagues and team members.
5. Health and Wellness Programs
ERGs feature health and wellness programs and initiatives that focus on various aspects of wellness, such as mental health, physical health, emotional health, and overall well-being. The purpose of these programs is to care for the well-being of employees and support them, so that they are engaged, satisfied, and committed to their work.
Based on this study, companies with corporate wellness programs report a 16% increase in employee satisfaction, because these initiatives demonstrate a commitment to employee well-being. Therefore, having health and wellness programs in place helps employees feel more valued, engaged, and ultimately happier in their roles.
6. Advocacy Programs
Advocacy is a core element of many ERGs because it empowers underrepresented groups in the workplace to amplify their voices and drive positive change. These programs are held to raise awareness of specific issues and educate colleagues and leadership on diversity, equality, and inclusion.
7. Relaxation Activities
ERG activities aren’t always focused on education or awareness-raising, but they also focus on wellbeing, which is equally effective in creating an inclusive workplace culture. ERGs plan relaxation activities to help employees relax, destress, and take a break from their usual responsibilities or stresses. It involves activities like meditation, yoga, and a desk stretching session, etc. Employee Resource Group also holds team-building exercises and team outing hours to promote teamwork and a sense of belonging at the workplace.
How Airmeet Can Help Host ERG Events
Airmeet is a comprehensive event platform that can significantly enhance the hosting experience of your virtual Employee Resource Group (ERG) events. With its unique features and capabilities, Airmeet can empower ERGs to host impactful, inclusive, and engaging online events that strengthen company culture, support underrepresented communities, and drive organizational change.
Let’s look at how Airmeet can assist ERGs in hosting a variety of events and activities.
1. Branding & Customization
In order to make your ERG event stand out and leave a lasting impression on members, Airmeet offers extensive branding and customization features. You can integrate brand logos, colors, and visuals across the platform, including virtual lobbies, stages, and networking and reception areas, and make a truly visually impactful virtual environment.
Airmeet’s In-event branding allows you to customize the look and feel of your live event. You can add the ambiance, CTA colors, add a background image with a solid color, gradient, or pattern, or upload a custom background image, and use different styles for your event’s top navigation labels and for the cards and panels.
2. Audience Engagement Tools
Airmeet knows how important it is to engage the audience in a virtual event. Therefore, the platform offers a range of engaging elements for your ERG conferences, such as live chat, real-time polls, and Q&A sessions. All these elements allow your speaker to engage with the audience in real-time, boosting engagement among speakers and participants.
That’s not all, Airmeet’s “raise hand” feature allows attendees to join the speakers on stage during a live session and ask questions relevant to the topic. “Emoji reaction” is another feature that boosts audience involvement. To increase audience participation, Airmeet provides “breakout rooms” where attendees can divide into groups and have focused discussions.
3. Networking Spaces
Airmeet offers a comprehensive set of networking features such as speed networking, networking lounge, and fluid space. At your ERG events, you can allow attendees to “join tables” and interact with each other via video chat and engage in spontaneous conversations. Through speed networking, participants can connect with multiple individuals in a short amount of time.
Wait, there is more. You can give your people the experience of group networking. Airmeet allows you to host private roundtables or create discussion tables with up to 50 people and have a larger group discussion. Your guests are sure to remember the networking session, thanks to Airmeet.
4. Backstage Area
Airmeet offers backstage space for speakers, hosts, co-hosts, presenters, and event organizers to get ready before stepping onto the big stage. ERG speakers and presenters can gather backstage, discuss the agenda, review speaking points, and ensure everyone is on the same page. If there are any last-minute changes to the schedule or content, the team can gather in the backstage area and make those adjustments quickly.
5. Gamification
If you want to bring in some fun and relaxation into the session, you’ll need to add game-like elements to the event. Don’t worry, Airmeet has you covered with this too, offering you a range of gamification elements such as leaderboards, point systems, badges, and challenges to spice up and energize your ERGs events. With our gamification elements, you can hold friendly competition between employees and create a lively environment for them.
6. Mobile Event App
Airmeet features a mobile event app that allows you and your audience to join ERG events using their tablets or smartphones. It is available on both Android and the App Store, making it super easy for employees to join the session, learn the concepts, network, and get the most out of the event from the convenience of their mobile devices.
No matter where your employees or members are – be it at home, on the train or bus, working from a cafe, or anywhere in the world, they can participate seamlessly in the virtual ERG conference. All that is required is a stable internet connection.
7. Customer Support
Airmeet always puts customer experience first, offering you complete customer assistance that you need to run successful ERG events. To make sure that the live event goes off without a hitch for everyone involved, technical support is accessible 24/7. In case you or your audience have any queries or need assistance, our email support is always available at [email protected].
For more comprehensive support, Airmeet offers “AirCare Services” that include event setup, In-event technical support, extensive platform training, hybrid event consultation, stage manager, and more.
8. Analytics & Reporting
Airmeet offers detailed analytics and reporting features for ERG events, whether your event is held in a virtual or hybrid style. After the event concludes, the platform provides real-time dashboards and detailed post-event reports to measure event ROI. Airmeet tracks various key metrics such as registration, audience engagement, content performance, networking activity, and more. By providing a full suite of analytics and reporting capabilities for ERG events, Airmeet provides its users with powerful data-driven insights.
Final Thoughts
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are invaluable assets to any organization, serving as powerful drivers of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In fact, their contribution is vital in building a vibrant and inclusive company culture.
By holding a variety of events and activities within a company, ERG not only brings shared identities or backgrounds of employees, but also provides collaboration opportunities, creates a sense of belonging, and gives chances for professional development.
Therefore, every organization should embrace and support ERGs that increase employee engagement, retention, and ultimately, create a more successful and representative workforce.
FAQ
No, ERG events are open to all employees whether they are members of that specific ERG or not.
ERG events are usually scheduled during work hours to provide employees with an opportunity for engagement and community building within the company.
