If you want to remain competitive in today’s talent market, setting up an LGBTQ+ ERG can help. 28% of Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+.
Despite now being over a quarter of the working population of their generation, they earn less: 89 cents for every dollar earned by their peers. For those who are non-binary, the number drops further to 70 cents, and for transgender women it’s just 60 cents.
It follows then, that if businesses don’t take more steps to support a wider range of employees, they risk losing out on the most qualified, technologically savvy young talent.
At the same time, they risk turning off older employees who want to work for a forward-thinking and inclusive organization as well.
How to set up (and maintain) your LGBTQ+ ERG
Now that you know why an LGBTQ+ ERG is important, let’s explore what you need to know when setting up your group. And how to ensure you get the most from it.
Choose the right leader
Leaders play a huge role in the culture of any group. Getting the right people in place is a crucial first step.
Consider who would be the best leader for your LGBTQ+ ERG and seek input from group members to decide. That way, the people in the group get to choose who they want running things.
Welcome allies
Welcoming allies can be good for team dynamics, but be sure to hold space for just identifying members of your LGBTQ+ ERG on certain occasions. You don’t want to feel like allies are taking over the conversation when it shouldn’t be about them.
This is where your effective leader can come in. They can create a respectful atmosphere when asking allies to step back or deciding who is involved in different initiatives.
Include remote employees
It’s really important to include remote employees in any ERG that you set up. If you’re going to have remote employees, you need to make them feel as much a part of your organization as anyone working full-time from an office.
Otherwise, they’ll feel disconnected and disengaged from your company and mission, so they’ll either quiet quit or leave altogether.
Remote employees can be some of your most productive if you support them in the right ways. Of course, that includes with employee resource groups.
You also want to find ways to bridge gaps between different office locations and ensure everyone feels able to participate in your LGBTQ+ ERG.
Consider different schedules when organizing events
Activities after work aren’t suitable for everyone. They might have families or other responsibilities to attend to, or simply be too drained after the workday.
Be sure to organize your LGBTQ+ ERG activities at different times throughout the day and different days of the week so that you can include everyone.
Keep talking about it
Employee resource groups aren’t the sort of thing where you launch them then never talk about them again. Sometimes announcements get missed or simply forgotten about if an employee is busy.
If you want to show employees your LGBTQ+ ERG is a priority, you should plug it regularly. This shows it’s an active, engaging part of your organization that you value and believe makes a difference to their lives.
Talk about it in:
- Employee onboarding
- All-hands meetings
- Internal communications like intranets or Workrowd
- Slack/Teams chats and emails
- HR documents and policies to show it’s integral to business operations
- Internal and external social media to show what it has achieved
When discussing your LGBTQ+ ERG, be sure to share the benefits to employees of being a part of the community. In particular, share the perks beyond just socialization.
Use it for career growth acceleration
LGBTQ+ employees sometimes struggle to get the support they need to grow to the next stage of their careers. Your LGBTQ+ ERG can play a pivotal role in this by connecting them with experienced colleagues to show them the ropes and help them navigate workplace politics.
Don’t just hope for this to happen organically, though.
Introverted or self-conscious employees are unlikely to actively ask for help but could benefit just as much—and benefit your organization just as much! Especially if they’re from an underrepresented group.
As Susan Cain explores in her bestselling book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, there are plenty of benefits to encouraging less outgoing employees and they have just as much to share.
Supporting every employee to excel gives your business the upper hand. The best ideas don’t always come from the most vocal people. Those who speak less are often the most observant, which means they may have ideas no one else had considered because they come from a different angle.
You never know unless you give them a chance. Your LGBTQ+ ERG could be the supportive space they need to find their voice and be heard.
Celebrate achievements
To really show you value your LGBTQ+ ERG, be sure to celebrate its achievements. This could come in the form of posts on your company LinkedIn page, a shoutout in a company newsletter, or even a press release sent to local media outlets.
It doesn’t matter how you do it or what you’re celebrating—it can be big or small, internal or external.
What matters is that you’re clearly showing how much you value every one of your employees and what they do for your organization—and each other.
Conclusion
Your LGBTQ+ ERG can be a huge asset to your organization and a supportive tool for your LGBTQ+ employees.
It can also help your business be more inclusive and empower employees to be their full selves at work. That means they can be more productive and spend less time masking.
Try Workrowd
Want to make your employee groups even better? Try Workrowd. It’s your one-stop-shop for employee initiatives. Keep everything in one place so employees never have to go searching for what’s coming up or what to do ever again. Whether they want to grow their network or advance their career, you can make it easier for them.
And with automated analytics built in, you’ll be able to track your ROI from day one. Get in touch today to book your free demo.
