So you understand why employee resource groups are important, but if your organization doesn’t yet have them, how do you start? Here are our top employee resource group best practices for those looking to launch their first ERGs:

Don’t treat them as a nice-to-have employee benefit

While employee benefits are nice to have, your ERGs aren’t one of those things.

It’s easier than ever for employee resource groups to get dismissed as simply nice-to-have DEI initiatives. This is especially true when you’re just starting them for the first time.

That’s why it’s important for you to ensure everyone, regardless of how long they’ve worked for you, knows they’re a core part of your business.

Including your ERGs in key decisions can help with reinforcing this and is one of the most effective employee resource group best practices. For example, if you’re a SaaS business working on a new tool, preview it with members of your disability ERG to get feedback. That will ensure you create something accessible for everyone.

Too often, accessibility is seen as optional, or added on simply because it makes able-bodied people’s lives easier.

But disability comes for us all one day.

Making it a core part of your business has no downside, and having an ERG for people with disabilities helps you get things right the first time.

Establish a formal process

A formal process ensures that if someone wants to set up an ERG, they know exactly what to do. It saves everyone a lot of time and confusion, and is one of the most fundamental employee resource group best practices.

It also helps make sure every group is paired with an active executive sponsor. This will help legitimize the group to employees and show that you’re serious about them being a valued part of your business.

Moreover, give them a decent budget that allows them to actually do things. This could include in-person meetups, online hangouts, speakers, etc. Their executive sponsor can help them acquire and manage this budget.

Hold them accountable

As well as a formal setup process, you also want to ensure they have goals so that they don’t fall into the trap of just being a social group.

Get them to set yearly goals, track their progress, and hold them accountable to achieving them. As with anything else, what gets measured gets managed, making this another one of the core employee resource group best practices.

Acknowledge leaders’ time

It takes time and energy to run a community; it’s an extra responsibility alongside someone’s job that could easily spiral into another part-time role.

You therefore want to acknowledge the time and energy ERG leaders spend organizing your groups. Adjust their workloads accordingly to ensure they have the capacity to actively support their ERG (and protect them from burnout).

You also want to connect them with development opportunities—like leadership training, for example—or other ways to thank them them like increasing their pay. Ensuring your group leaders feel appreciated is another important effort on the list of employee resource group best practices.

Publicize groups early and often

You’re never talking about things as often as you think. Whether it’s mentioning ERGs in job postings or internal communications, regularly reminding employees that those supports are there ensures the people whom the groups can benefit can find them and join them if they choose to.

Mentioning your groups publicly can also be a way to distinguish yourself from competitors and show what your company values are, too. It’s one of the employee resource group best practices that can really boost your employer brand.

Likewise internally, regularly plug them in as many places as you can. For instance:

• Relevant Slack channels
• Onboarding materials
• All-hands meetings
• During events like Pride Month, Disability Pride Month, etc.
• Internal emails
• Intranet

To make it less repetitive, you can showcase the groups’ accomplishments. This further reinforces the fact that you don’t just see them as social groups.

Track engagement as well as enrollment

It doesn’t matter how many people are in a group if nobody has posted since 2019. You need active participants for them to make a difference.

So, when it comes to your metrics, be sure to look at how many people are engaging and how often. This will help you show where the demand and interest are. It’s one of the employee resource group best practices that is often overlooked, but which is very important.

Know when to decline applications

As hard as it may be, you don’t want to accept every application to start a new ERG. Sometimes, there isn’t enough interest, it has too much overlap with an existing group, or you already have too many.

If you have too many, it can lead to employees experiencing decision fatigue. They may either not join any at all or join lots and be less active in them because there are simply too many.

Give them the tools to succeed

ERGs are beneficial for employees whether they work remotely, in the office, or hybrid. So it’s important to find ways to make ERGs accessible to everyone within your organization.

Knowledge bases can also be useful, so new members and leaders don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time they want to plan an event or other initiative.

Depending on the size of your organization, hiring a coordinator or manager to support all of the groups is one of the employee resource group best practices you may want to consider.

Organize your ERGs with Workrowd

Another tool that will make ERG leaders’ and members’ lives better is Workrowd. You can keep everything employees need to know about your ERGs in one place, from what groups are available to upcoming events. So they never need to go fishing to look for what they want to know.

Get them working together 

Any good YouTuber will tell you that part of their secret to success is cross-collaboration. You’ll often find YouTuber A features YouTuber B on a video, then the following week, it’s the other way around.

Sometimes they have similar types of videos, sometimes they don’t. But this cross-promotion is key to any channel’s long-term success.

Your ERGs are the same. After all, they have similar goals: they want to support your business and employees. And sometimes cross-collaboration is the perfect way to do it.

For example, if you’re working on a new product or service, you could get members from each group to test it and provide feedback.

Or you could get them to collaborate on organizing a particular type of event.

There are so many things that you could do. Don’t forget to ask them for suggestions, too!

Conclusion

If they’re not already, ERGs should be a core part of your business. They can help you make better, more informed decisions as well as being a way to attract and retain talent.

Organize your ERGs with Workrowd

If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry—that’s why we’re here! Workrowd can help you implement all of these employee resource group best practices and more.

From organizing all your employee initiatives in one place to maximize visibility, to tracking their performance so you’re always getting the best value for money and the best results, it’s all at your fingertips. Your employees will want to take part in ERGs and other programs and events more, and you’ll get more out of them as a result. Get in touch today to book your free demo.

All too often, employee resource groups get dismissed as nice-to-haves or solely DEI initiatives. But there’s so much more to why employee resource groups are important for organizations today.

Luckily, while some may question their impact, other companies fully recognize the value of these communities. In fact, 61% of employers even report that they plan to boost their ERGs’ budgets. Would businesses really put that much effort and money into ERGs if they were just a nice-to-have?

ERGs are so significant to businesses’ health that 90% of Fortune 500 companies have them. What’s more, 83% of staff who find their company’s ERGs “effective” or “very effective” report a positive inclusion score.

Employee resource groups can help inform and optimize your business decisions to be better, more inclusive, and more efficient. Which of course helps you become more profitable and expand faster. And every business wants that, right?

So let’s dig deeper into why employee resource groups are important, now more than ever.

Who ERGs benefit

While thriving ERGs benefit the whole organization, we most commonly see groups focused on the following communities:

• Women
• LGBTQIA+
• Disabilities
• Veterans
• Race and/or culture-based
  • Black
  • Latine
  • Pan-Asian
• Age-based
  • Multigenerational
  • Young professionals
• Parents
• Interfaith

Why employee resource groups are important

Employee resource groups really are pivotal to the health of businesses in the modern world. Let’s look at the benefits to understand why employee resource groups are important:

Make work about more than just work

All too often, it can feel like life is all about work and…nothing else. This can eat away at employees’ wellbeing, which then affects their ability to work.

78% of employees who feel like they belong at work rate their wellbeing positively. In fact, it’s the biggest driver of workplace engagement—91% of employees who feel they belong at work are also engaged.

Given how crucial employee engagement is, this alone is a compelling reason why employee resource groups are important.

Improve retention rates

When people feel like they belong, they’re less likely to want or need to leave. Retaining your star players is therefore also high on the list of why employee resource groups are important.

For example, Dell’s Women in Action ERG helped the company to boost retention rates among its female employees.

Attract more candidates

More than 3/4 of candidates now look for diversity when considering employers. So being loud and proud about your ERGs will help you attract more top candidates.

ERGs show what your business values, something that’s increasingly important among Millennial and Gen Z workers. 89% of employees now want to work for a company that shares their values. What’s more, 39% of Gen Z-ers and 34% of Millennials have declined roles that don’t align with their values.

Sharing details of your ERGs on social media, or even in job descriptions, helps you communicate your values to potential candidates. It then means that people who apply for roles are more qualified, weeding out those who would be the wrong fit for your business because their values don’t align.

Putting your values front and center is another reason why employee resource groups are important.

Elevate your onboarding

Starting a new job can be an intimidating time. ERGs are a great way to help new hires settle in.

You could set up a mentoring program, have a place where they can ask questions, or even organize an ERG specifically for newer employees. They can talk about their experiences and offer each other moral support to make those early days a little easier.

Become more innovative

Innovation is key to standing out in the modern world. It’s also a top reason why employee resource groups are important.

Prioritizing diversity in your business can help you generate new product ideas you may not have thought of otherwise.

For example, Procter & Gamble’s Hispanic and African Ancestry ERGs helped with product creation such as the Pantene Gold series.

And according to BCG, companies that have more diverse leadership generate 19% higher revenues than those with below-average leadership diversity.

Build psychological safety

Psychological safety is vital to a culture of innovation, productivity, and wellbeing. It enables your employees to experiment and try new things without worrying about the consequences to their careers.

As a result, they’ll take more risks, leading to greater innovation and more profits for your business.

In fact, research found that 2/3 of staff feel ERGs contribute to this feeling of psychological safety. Yet another reason why employee resource groups are important.

Boost trust in leadership and colleagues

Trust is another key element to psychological safety. 36% say that ERGs help employees trust leaders more and 31% feel they help them trust their coworkers more. This empowers everyone to achieve more in less time and makes for a more welcoming work environment.

Strengthen company culture

Your company culture is vital to your business success. 26% feel that ERGs helped them connect more to the company culture.

Moreover, 66% of employees believe ERGs help contribute to a strong community feeling, something which gets everyone in your business heading in the same direction, as opposed to working against each other. The more employees work against each other, the harder it is to achieve business goals and the slower everything—and everyone—moves.

Increasing collaboration and boosting company culture make two more points on the list of why employee resource groups are important.

Welcome underrepresented talent

Helping underrepresented talent feel welcomed and appreciated is more important than ever. Having access to ERGs where they can connect with others who share similar experiences and backgrounds shows them you see them, value them, and want to continue supporting them.

Increase revenue

When workplaces are racially diverse, they experience 11.1% higher revenue growth. Over time, that can quickly add up to a huge difference, adding yet another reason why employee resource groups are important.

Conclusion 

ERGs are no longer a nice-to-have employee benefit. The bigger your business, the more important it is to show candidates and team members that you’re serious about treating your employees like real people. Beyond that, it shows that you value what their individual experiences can bring to your business.

Organize your ERGs with Workrowd

If you want to benefit from all of these reasons why employee resource groups are important, Workrowd can help. With tools to help market, manage, and measure your ERGs, and all your other employee initiatives in one central hub, you maximize both engagement and your ROI. Get in touch today to book your free demo.

Recruiting and hiring underrepresented talent is one of the simplest ways to expand your internal knowledge, innovation, and creativity.

If everyone in your organization thinks alike, they’re far more likely to fall into the trap of groupthink. This can slam the breaks on innovation quicker than you can say “1984.”

Underrepresented talent can help you solve problems you didn’t know you had by spotting oversights in your products or services. For example, using lots of emojis on social media posts makes them clunky for someone using a screen reader to listen to, as the screen reader will describe every emoji. Many people who don’t know someone who’s partially sighted are unaware of this seemingly small thing.

How we see the world is influenced by our experiences. Which is why supporting underrepresented talent matters now more than ever. It future proofs your business from every angle.

It’s also going to be a key differentiator for attracting and retaining talent. Gen Z is the most racially diverse generation in the US—48% identify as non-white.

Meanwhile, people with disabilities are the most likely demographic to be unemployed. 7.2% of people in the US with a disability are unemployed.

So how do you support underrepresented talent pools like these in the current work climate?

Rethink your hiring practices

There are very small things you can do to even the playing field when it comes to hiring underrepresented talent. Or even attracting it in the first place.

For example, providing interview questions in advance. This allows candidates to prepare their thoughts so that you get the best-quality responses from them. 

Someone being able to think on their feet isn’t a reflection of their intelligence or abilities. It’s a skill in and of itself but not one that’s necessary for most roles.

Other simple strategies you can adopt include making sure your in-person venue is on the ground floor or includes a working elevator. Or removing candidates’ names, ages, and other demographic data from their resumes when reviewing them to avoid unconscious biases creeping in.

Have a formal mentorship program

You may hope that mentorship and knowledge transfer will happen organically without the need for a formal program. I’m here to tell you, as an introvert, it won’t.

Or, if it does, it will only benefit the loudest people in the room—not necessarily the most capable.

A formal mentorship program takes the burden off of employees asking someone to mentor them. You can use tools to connect employees to mentors, or host mentoring events for people to network.

The more you do to remove the barriers to entry, the more likely your mentorship program—and therefore your knowledge transfer and succession planning—is to be successful.

Members of Gen Z have vital technological knowledge and they’re changing the rules of work. 

But current employees and managers need to meet them halfway. They need to learn how Gen Z thinks while helping Gen Z navigate corporate politics and the world of work. Mentoring and employee groups are two of the most powerful ways to do this.

Start—and encourage—employee groups

Employee groups are key to fostering a sense of networking and belonging at work. They enable someone to feel like part of the gang, not an outsider who doesn’t fit in with their colleagues. 

And fitting in at work is key to people’s happiness and productivity. If they’re on the outside, regularly feeling left out by their teammates, they won’t be as invested in what they’re doing, so they’ll be less likely to put effort in. Then they’ll wind up quiet quitting or just leaving.

You could create groups for underrepresented talent to connect, Gen Z-ers, or even groups for common hobbies like writing or gym-going.

You don’t want to overwhelm employees with options. Then the groups may become too quiet or saturated, but you do want to give them some choices. Shared interests can be crucial foundations for getting to know colleagues and working with them better in the short- and long-term.

Using Workrowd, you can organize your employee groups and keep everything in one place. It’s the perfect tool to support knowledge-sharing, mentoring, and networking initiatives.

Collect feedback

You don’t know what you don’t know. Which is why it’s important to ask employees what they want and need from you.

Sending employee surveys is a crucial way to find out how employees, and in particular your underrepresented talent, really feel about work and what you could do better.

Workrowd can help you automate your feedback surveys, so then you’ve got more time to act on the results. Want to find out more? Book your free demo today.

Don’t assume an “open-door policy” is the answer to everything

Just because you say you have an “open-door policy” that doesn’t mean employees will use it. This is especially true for underrepresented talent.

Some employees may feel too shy or intimidated, or afraid of repercussions if they say something controversial or personal.

Employees need a safe space to ask questions and hold leadership accountable. An employee listening platform where employees can post anonymously, or a regular automated survey, helps you collect this vital feedback to help you, and your leaders, improve.

Educate your workforce

There is nothing more powerful than education. If someone has never experienced something themselves, they have no idea what it’s like.

Educational programs, or even employees sharing their own challenges or experiences, helps the rest of your employees understand the struggles faced by people with different backgrounds to them. And therefore empathize more with them and other groups of underrepresented talent.

Conclusion 

Supporting underrepresented talent doesn’t require huge changes. It simply requires listening, maintaining an open culture between leadership and employees, and helping your underrepresented talent connect—to each other and your business.

Workrowd can help you keep the dialogue open between your employees and leaders through automated surveys. It can also help you manage your employee groups and other programs to keep your underrepresented talent engaged and connected. Get in touch today to find out more.

Back in 1987, just 2% of the workforce was older adults. That number is now 7%. The silver worker has become a major player in today’s workplaces.

Workers 55 and older are projected to make up more than 25% of the workforce by 2031. And according to the Pew Research Center, the average silver worker now works longer hours and gets paid more than ever. 

Around 11 million older workers are now employed in the US. Over 42% of these are in management, professional, and related occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Which shows how their knowledge and experience remains relevant to the workforce.

Some of this increase is because we’re living longer. Some is because we’re in a cost of living crisis where extra money can go a long way (or not). And retirement age in many countries continues to increase. 

In the 1990s the average age of retirement was 60. It’s 66 today, and 41% of US workers expect to continue working in some way beyond 65.

So what can you do to support your silver worker population? Here are some tips:

Provide training to help them adjust to the evolving technical landscape

The world is changing faster than ever. Offering your silver worker cohort support through different training initiatives shows that you still value their contributions. And you want to help them adjust to what’s new. 

It also shows that you’re not going to write them off because they’re over a certain age.

Training could come in the form of books, webinars, coaching, mentoring, audiobooks—the list is almost endless.

Offer them opportunities to mentor

Your older employees have plenty of experiences and skills that they can share with your younger recruits. That’s true whether they’re new to your business or have been there a while. The average Boomer employee stays in a role for 8 years. So why not give these silver worker team members the chance to mentor?

In addition to benefitting your younger employees, mentoring helps your older employees grow their leadership skills. It also provides more purpose at work, which can help with employee engagement.

Help them connect in an ERG

You can create an ERG for just about any population or demographic, so why not start a silver worker group?

It allows people to discuss what’s on their minds, share memories, ask questions, and talk to people who understand where they’re coming from.

Workrowd can help you get more from your employee groups. You can keep everything in one place, so it’s easier for team members to find whatever they need, and enables them to connect with their colleagues. Book your free demo today to find out more.

Ensure you don’t have an ageism problem

It’s a sad fact that ageism still exists. I’ve spoken to many people over a certain age who won’t apply for new roles—and instead stay in jobs that make them unhappy—because they believe when they’re over the age of 50 (sometimes even 40!) that no one will want to hire them anymore. Even if they have decades of experience in their industry.

Given that the average age of CEOs in the FTSE100 is 55, this is pretty mind-boggling. But ageism does still exist. It’s why celebrities who age naturally get told they look “old” and precisely why most celebrities opt not to. It could ruin their careers.

There are subtle signs this is changing (mostly outside of Hollywood) with Boomers now being the fastest-growing demographic in the workplace. But it still requires people to keep their attitudes in check.

To show that you value the wisdom that comes with age, you could create a silver worker showcase on your organization’s social media. 

Or if they’re comfortable, consider helping them grow their own personal brands.

The more you can show that employees of a certain age are still valued parts of your workforce, the more likely you are to attract the silver worker demographic to your business and retain the ones who already work for you.

Update your pension plan

Census data found that almost half of adults aged between 55 and 66 have no personal retirement savings. The global average pension is also considerably below the 65-80% of earnings experts recommend to maintain someone’s living standards when they retire.

Saving for retirement is often one of those things that people put off because they think they can worry about it at a later date. Then a later date hits and they’re left with very little. If you don’t already have a 401(k) option for your employees, consider creating one with auto-enrollment. Similarly, if you do already have one, make sure it’s effective and up-to-date.

In the event auto-enrollment isn’t an option, periodically remind employees that they can opt in if they want to. Or consider having a company policy of auto-enrollment, especially for employees approaching silver worker status.

Provide flexible working options

Over a third of companies offer part-time, flexible, or phased retirement options, according to Mercer. 

For the silver worker who finds full-time work too much but isn’t yet ready to give it up entirely, this can be a really beneficial option for both the employee and your business. They get to stay in the workforce longer, giving them a sense of purpose and keeping them mentally agile. And you get the benefits of their years of experience in the workforce.

Conclusion 

Your silver workers are treasure troves of knowledge and experience. Their presence in the workplace is going to continue to grow, too, as people live longer, retirement ages go up, and the cost of living crisis continues. 

Providing support for your silver workers ensures that you retain all their great experience while balancing it with their changing needs.

If you’d like to really help your silver worker demographic, why not connect them in an ERG? Workrowd makes it simple for you to set up and manage your employee groups. Plus, you’ll get real-time analytics you can segment to see what really matters to a silver worker within your organization. Get in touch to find out more.

Employee resource groups (ERGs) can lead to an increase in employee engagement of up to 15%. With stakes that high, it can help to have some employee resource group guidelines to set you up for success.

ERGs can also boost the visibility of underrepresented talent. Even more so when you consider the positive impact on employees’ networking opportunities, career growth, and job satisfaction.

But how do you equip your ERGs to thrive and drive real impact across your business? Here are some employee resource group guidelines to empower your ERGs to reach their full potential:

Pick the right leaders

Leaders aren’t just people managers, and the ones who run your ERGs don’t have to be. 

But they do have to be great listeners and able to tap into what the group wants and needs. This goes for your groups’ executive sponsors, too.

Successful groups live and die by their leadership as members will follow the example set by the people in charge. 

I’ve seen many groups falter and decline because previously enthusiastic leaders have lost interest. Or the wrong people have been put in charge.

The worst is when the role goes to someone because no one else wants it. Especially when it’s clear they’re not going to be the right person for it. This then risks causing existing members to become detached or disinterested. If the leader or sponsor doesn’t care or put the time in, why should they?

Enthusiasm for a cause is contagious, and your ERGs are no exception. When it comes to employee resource group guidelines, picking the right leaders is an important place to start.

Use the right tools

The right tools is the second pillar of our employee resource group guidelines. When you use a tool that makes it easy for people to join and stay engaged with your groups, you can maximize their success without the stress.

With all your groups’ important information and announcements in one place, plus automated feedback collection and real-time analytics, every ERG will have what they need to be at their best.

Check out our tip at the end for details on how to run your ERGs more effectively! 

Know their purpose

Why do you want to create ERGs? For whom do you want to create them?

Is it to boost talent attraction and retention? 

More than half of companies say ERGs have a positive impact on their recruiting efforts, so it’s a solid goal. 

A further 75% say that they’ve helped them with retention.

Plus, there’s the 15% boost in employee engagement we mentioned above.

Whatever your goals are with ERGs, view their creation, management, and budget through that lens. This will help you make more effective decisions about how they work and influence what you get out of them. This is key when it comes to employee resource group guidelines.

Tie them into organizational goals

How can you tie your ERGs into the company’s goals? 

For instance, if your goal is to increase diversity among new hires, would setting up ERGs for underrepresented talent, and including them in employer branding materials, help you show that you’re serious about your commitment and there’s a community waiting for them to join?

Considering how the groups can play other roles in helping you achieve business goals in the long- and short-term is core to employee resource group guidelines.

Support them financially

If an ERG wants to go on a trip or hold an event, can you support that financially? Giving them a budget shows that you see their value and want to support their continued growth and development.

Events and trips are great ways for members to interact in person. They can learn new things, visit new places, or just get a change of scenery. If you want to follow best practices for employee resource group guidelines, you have to put your money where your mouth is.

Create rules around fairness and inclusivity

You know when you request to join a Facebook group, a popup asks you to agree to the group rules? Things like no spam, be polite to everyone, etc.? You want something like that for your ERGs, too. Some employee resource group guidelines for within your groups, essentially.

ERGs should be safe spaces for everyone where they can be treated with fairness and respect. Having those rules in place acts as a reminder and a safety net. 

It’s not to say you think the worst of anyone by having them just in case. But you protect yourself, group leaders, and vulnerable members from being bullied if sensitive topics get raised. 

Employees should be able to have difficult conversations with each other and disagree amicably without the conversation becoming rude or offensive.

Talk about them!

If employees don’t know that your ERGs exist, they’re not going to join them. Let alone use them.

Introducing your ERGs should be a part of onboarding for any new employee. As should encouraging them to join any groups they feel are relevant.

But it shouldn’t be a case of sharing about them once during onboarding them forgetting about them. Employees learn a lot in their first few weeks on a job and may not have the bandwidth to join right away. That doesn’t mean they won’t want to join later, though! Keeping that door open is central to employee resource group guidelines.

Encourage their use

It helps when leaders encourage employees to join ERGs, reminding them that they’re there during company meetings, sending updates via email, and sharing their successes.

It’s also important to encourage ERG leaders to talk about them and invite people who might be interested in them to take part. Not in a pushy sales way that risks putting people off, but in a way that shares why it’s a welcoming, inclusive place.

Leaders also need to actively start and respond to discussions, as this will encourage others to take part. If leaders don’t participate, employees won’t see the point either, no matter how many other employee resource group guidelines you follow.

Conclusion

ERGs can be hugely beneficial for companies of any size. For larger or remote teams they’re especially effective at connecting employees who may not otherwise have the opportunity to meet. 

They also have huge potential to create networking and career growth opportunities for employees at all levels when run by the right people and supported by a company’s leaders. Following these employee resource group guidelines can help you make the most of yours.

Make managing your ERGs a breeze

The benefits of ERGs might be tempting, but the challenges of running them might be intimidating, too. 

Workrowd can help you organize and track your employee groups so that you and your employees get more out of them. 

Ready to learn more? Visit us online or write us at hello@workrowd.com to schedule some time to chat.

Women in the workplace still face barriers, despite 56% of women taking part in the US job market. Globally, 59% of women in the workplace face non-inclusive behavior. This can come in the form of being rejected for flexible work opportunities, intentionally sexist interactions, or more subtle discrimination.

Roughly two-thirds of women in the workplace are looking for new opportunities. This presents a challenge to employers. They must find ways to retain female employees so they can continue to benefit from their knowledge and diverse viewpoints.

So, without further ado, let’s explore some ways to empower women in the workplace:

Pay equity

Do the women in your organization get paid the same amount for the same job as their male colleagues? Is it time for a pay bump?

UK retailer Next risks closing stores—and potentially going bankrupt—because the UK courts have ruled that it didn’t pay women in the workplace as much as male workers.

It now has to pay back almost $40 million to 3,540 past and present female workers.

Its reasoning for paying less to female workers, who predominantly work on the shop floor, is that warehouse workers had to work undesirable hours and lift heavy items. Yet retail workers are on their feet all day, dealing with all kinds of customers. And also sometimes have to lift heavy items.

The Tribunal did say that Next’s behavior wasn’t a case of “direct discrimination.” Instead, it was about cost-cutting. However, it still didn’t think this was a justifiable excuse.

Times have changed. Excuses like Next’s just don’t cut it anymore. Putting profit above all else isn’t good enough. Businesses that do that will lose employees and customers.

Make sure your employees are paid equally for similar jobs so you don’t end up like Next.

Mentoring

Mentoring can be an effective way to connect women in the workplace. It can give them a leg up, particularly in more male-dominated industries. It can also equip them with more support to help them navigate challenges. 

Moral support from someone who’s been there before is beneficial for people of any age. It can help with employee engagement and retention, even increasing the number of people who finish training programs.

However, 71% of executives choose to mentor people who are of the same race or gender. Which presents a problem when men hold 72% of C-suite positions. So it’s crucial that you build a leadership team that reflects the type of workplace you want to develop. Diverse workplaces take work to build and maintain—they don’t happen by accident.

(And let’s not forget that gender quotas do not mean the people you hire are less competent. Quotas merely weed out the incompetent.)

Employee resource groups

ERGs are a really good way to connect people with colleagues who share similar backgrounds and experiences. So, creating groups for women in the workplace can make a big difference for your female employees.

ERGs can be a place for them to share concerns, learn about how your benefits work for women and families, and just talk about life in a safe environment.

Plus, with access to the right tools, like Workrowd’s employee group management suite, you can ensure your ERGs drive real value for women in the workplace.

Flexible working

So many women can’t return to work because they can’t find a role that fits around childcare.  This is despite 8% more women than men having bachelor’s degrees by the age of 29.

Childcare is expensive, especially in some countries. And sometimes, even if a mother wants to return to work, it isn’t financially viable. Childcare would cost more than they earn in a month. But having a flexible working arrangement could make it all doable.

There’s no downside to offering flexible working. Whether that’s altering someone’s hours, offering a job share, or allowing employees to work remotely. 

Surely what matters at the end of the day is how well they perform in their role, rather than where they perform their role from?

Open communication

How do you know if you’re providing women in the workplace with what they need if you don’t ask them?

Needs change over time, which means if you’re not in regular contact with employees, it’s possible that something might’ve changed but they don’t feel comfortable raising it. If they don’t feel comfortable raising it, they’re more likely to leave if another opportunity comes along.

So make sure that managers regularly check in with their employees, send feedback surveys, organize events where they can meet colleagues, pay attention to what people say in ERGs, and maybe even organize focus groups to ensure you’re getting the full picture.

The more avenues you have for open communication, the more likely you are to find the information you need to empower women in the workplace.

Leaders also need to model this behavior. If they don’t encourage open communication, and create a psychologically safe workplace, no one will feel comfortable discussing their issues for fear of reprisals.

Conclusion 

Empowering women in the workplace is simple: pay them what they’re worth, help them connect, and keep communication open.

The more you do those things, the more it creates a positive cycle for women in the workplace and your business. 

Women get the support they need, financially and socially. Meanwhile your business gets the extra skills that come from having a more diverse workforce.

Support women in the workplace

Support the women in your workplace with Workrowd. You can manage and measure ERGs; collect employee feedback; and create a more engaged, empowered workforce. Get in touch today by visiting us online or emailing us directly at hello@workrowd.com to book your free demo.

The most culturally diverse companies perform 36% better than the least diverse companies, according to McKinsey research. But diverse teams can only reach their peak if cultural competence is a priority.

Cultural diversity at work leads to teams making better decisions 87% of the time. That’s a huge difference in a company’s decision-making abilities. Plus, it has the potential for ripple effects throughout the business and into the outside world.

Culturally diverse companies also have better collaboration, innovation, and operations. All things that are key to getting ahead of your competitors, whatever industry you’re in.

So let’s take a deeper look at cultural competence: what it is, what the benefits are, and how you can improve cultural competence in your business.

What is cultural competence?

Cultural competence refers to a person or business’s ability to understand different cultures and their needs.

Key elements include empathy and understanding for people of different backgrounds and experiences.

Why does cultural competence matter for the global workforce?

Here are just some of the benefits of cultural competence for businesses:

Recruitment 

Diversity is more important than ever to jobseekers. 76% now see it as important when picking an employer. 32% wouldn’t apply at all to a company that lacks diversity.

A lack of diversity within a business can make employees worry that they won’t be heard. 

The less diverse a company is, the more likely it is to fall into the trap of groupthink. This makes it harder for employees to speak up, even if companies put diversity statements on their job applications. (Which, let’s face it, many just do because it’s a legal requirement in some countries).

If your organization lacks cultural competence, you won’t be able to attract the underrepresented talent your business needs to thrive.

Employee satisfaction

When employees are satisfied with their employer’s DEI efforts, they’re happier at work. 

And when they’re happier at work, they can perform better and earn more money for your business.

Higher employee satisfaction, of course, also improves your retention rates. If employees are happy, why would they want to leave?

Despite this, 57% of employees feel their organizations could do more to increase diversity and cultural competence.

Innovation

One of the best ways to solve a challenging problem is to see it from a new point of view. 

New hires offer a great way to get a fresh perspective on your business. But don’t underestimate the power of diversity within your existing team, either.

The way someone from the UK approaches a problem will be different from how someone from the US approaches the same challenge.

Every aspect of someone’s background can impact how they solve a particular problem. And that’s a good thing.

The more diverse perspectives you have, the more they can combine to make your business more innovative and forward-thinking, helping to future proof it in the age of AI.

How to improve cultural competence in your business

So, what can you do to improve cultural competence in the workplace?

Training 

Training is one of the best ways to introduce new initiatives and educate employees. It can help them develop new ways of working and looking at the world. Which can go a long way towards helping them develop cultural competence.

It could be through a formal workshop, or it could come from things like written content, books, webinars, or podcasts.

The more options you offer for training, the more learning styles you can appeal to. This helps both with retention and attraction and shows that you really are committed to your DEI efforts.

Employee listening

The results of employee feedback surveys can be difficult to swallow. But they’re a vital way for you to spot problems before they become gaping chasms that seem monumental to fix.

Sending automated feedback surveys asking employees what they feel you could be doing better allows for an open dialogue about how your business operates and how you can create a strong company culture with high cultural competence.

If you’d like help sending your feedback surveys, why not get in touch? We can help you automate your employee feedback surveys and analyze the results so that you can collect more data and have more time to take action that supports your employees.

Get feedback

Employee listening is a crucial part of your feedback strategy. But so is managers actively asking for and collecting it from their employees. It’s important to not get complacent with things like diversity initiatives, as that’s when bias can creep back in.

If you really want to create a business with strong cultural competence, be sure to train your managers and employees on how to give and receive feedback. 

Too often, there’s an assumption that people know how to do this. Giving feedback is all about clearly communicating positives and negatives. It’s not as easy to do effectively as it sounds.

Embody it

Understanding what cultural competence means is one thing. For it to truly happen in the workplace though, everyone within the business needs to live it. 

This starts with managers setting an example, being aware of the differences between employees, and supporting their varying needs.

It’s also about taking action when employees provide feedback. You can’t just nod along and say you know there’s a problem but it’s too challenging to fix. This puts employees at risk of becoming disengaged because they feel like their problems don’t matter.

Conclusion

Cultural competence impacts every area of your business, from profits to recruitment and retention. It leads to better decision-making in almost every situation. And, it helps you attract better quality candidates who can further support your initiatives.

To make it work, you need to listen to employees and act on what they want and need from you. 

You also need to ensure that all managers are trained in cultural competence—and don’t take it for granted. 

Employees will be able to see when managers don’t have cultural competence, and when they’re not open to feedback. Ensuring everyone within a business knows how to give and receive feedback puts everyone on even footing. It helps create a workplace where everyone feels included, regardless of their background.

Ready to boost cultural competence in your organization? Workrowd has the tools you need. From automated feedback surveys to ERG management tools to real-time analytics dashboards, everything you need is just a click away.

Want to learn more? Visit us online or reach out directly at hello@workrowd.com.

As the saying goes: what gets measured, gets managed. So if you want your programs to make a real impact, measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion is key.

How often do you assess internal attitudes around DEI? Should you regularly check in with your employees about your initiatives?

Well…

Companies that think they’ve solved all their DEI problems are the most likely to actually have DEI problems.

Why?

Complacency.

Complacency has consequences in every area of a business. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are no different.

DEI requires conscious effort from everyone in an organization to be a success. 

Things like your recruitment process, how managers communicate with their employees, and what employees say when they think their managers aren’t listening need monitoring so that standards remain high—and inclusive.

Unfortunately, almost a quarter of companies don’t bother measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion progress.

And only a fifth of global organizations measure the business impact of their DEI initiatives. Despite how much data is already out there about the benefits of diversity in almost every area, from company finances to employee mental health.

So, how do you go about measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion in your organization?

Check in as a business regularly

How diverse are your departments? How many women, people of color, or people with disabilities are managers? Where can you improve?

While there can be backlash around quotas, they do work. They help combat the desire to hire people like ourselves that leads to groupthink.

Instead, we’re challenged to see things differently and embrace people from all walks of life.

In one study, when quotas were instituted to hire more women, it helped exclude incompetent men.

Everything has pros and cons. Quotas aren’t perfect, but they can be a good starting point when you want to improve how you’re measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Look at your hiring and retention rates

How long do new hires stay? Do candidates drop off during the hiring process?

Over 75% of candidates value a diverse workplace. So could your lack of diversity be turning candidates off as they’re applying and interviewing?

Your hiring and retention rates can tell you a lot about your business—and how candidates, employees, and even customers perceive you.

If employees don’t stick around for very long, or some departments have higher turnover than others, it’s a sign that something is wrong and needs to be addressed right away.

Measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion at every point within your hiring process can help expose areas that need more attention.

Send surveys—and collect anonymous data

It’s the comments employees make when they think management isn’t listening that really tell you what they think.

There’s no real way to monitor those—they can turn into a he said/she said/they said if someone reports it—but anonymized surveys can help.

You can ask employees how they feel and what they’ve heard/witnessed/experienced. Even if they don’t want to officially report things that have happened, this is still important information to have.

Allowing employees to respond anonymously gives them a feeling of safety and removes the fear of reprisals. It can then open the door to more honest conversations between HR teams about what’s really happening internally and how to improve it.

Workrowd can help you send employee surveys and examine the results so that you can take action sooner. Our tools are especially useful when it comes to measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Look at the setup of your ERGs

What ERGs do you have? Who runs them?

Your ERGs will tell you what types of employees work within your business and potentially highlight gaps.

For example, do you have an LGBTQ+ or Pride group? Does the lack of one suggest that you don’t have many LGBTQ+ employees, or that they don’t feel comfortable being themselves at work?

What about one for women of color in the workplace? Employees with invisible illnesses?

The more diverse your ERGs are, the more it reflects an open, honest, welcoming company culture. And the more their data can support your efforts around measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion.

But don’t get complacent! 

These groups need to be active, too. 

If they rarely or never hold events or conversations, it still requires some investigating to find out what isn’t working.

Perhaps you need a new tool, like Workrowd, to help you manage your ERGs. It can help with everything from daily updates, to document sharing, to networking.

Want to find out more? Book your free demo today.

Track workshop attendees

How many people attend your DEI workshops? And how many attendees actually engage with the material?

In a previous role, I went to a diversity workshop and many of the participants made sarcastic or stereotypical comments.

It was pretty obvious they were there as a box-ticking exercise and didn’t understand why diversity matters. I couldn’t help but feel like they didn’t actually learn anything from it, and they were going to laugh about it after. There was little sense of empathy or understanding.

It wasn’t a bad workshop, but employees need to engage with the materials for them to make a difference in the workplace. And if they don’t, you need to work out where the root of the problem is.

There are lots of reasons people don’t engage with diversity practices, despite the many benefits it brings to businesses. The sooner you spot these issues, the sooner you can tackle them.

And the sooner you can start seeing better outcomes across your work on measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion

Consider the qualitative stuff, too

Measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion is about so much more than putting numbers on it.

It’s about your employees’ attitudes, internally and externally.

Do they collaborate well with each other? Within teams and interdepartmentally?

Do they make negative comments when someone who’s neurodivergent doesn’t understand a task? When someone who’s LGBTQ+ walks by?

The small things that are often hard to measure are your real indicators of DEI success.

They tell you about the inner workings of your employees’ minds and if they’re really on board with your DEI initiatives.

You’ll never achieve true diversity, equity, and inclusion success until they are.

Conclusion

Measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion is about so much more than numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s about the things you can’t measure, too: the stories employees tell themselves and each other. That’s where you’ll find the real information on your DEI efforts and whether they’re working.

If you’re ready to level up on measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion, Workrowd has the tools you need. With ERG management features, automated feedback surveys, and real-time analytics dashboards, you’ll always know exactly how your DEI efforts are performing.

Want to see how our all-in-one platform can make measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion a breeze? Write us at hello@workrowd.com to set up some time to chat.

According to a 2018 research paper, 31% of people are highly sensitive. That’s a big enough portion of the population that you need to know how to manage sensitive employees.

Famous sensitive people include Princess Diana, Abraham Lincoln, Frida Kahlo, and Mozart.

If you don’t know how to manage sensitive employees, it can lead to burnout. Or your sensitive employees might just leave altogether because they feel unsupported.

What makes someone sensitive?

Sensitive people are those of us who respond to physical, mental, or emotional stimuli more strongly than an average person. It’s often perceived as a negative trait, but it comes with huge positives.

For example, a sensitive person may experience emotions more deeply – but this means they can better empathize with others. Many creatives are sensitive and that’s why their songs, poems, and art create strong reactions in others.

Sensitive people can be great at sales because they can quickly build a rapport with prospects and show an understanding of the person’s problem.

This empathy and understanding also makes them great leaders, because they listen to, and take on, other people’s feelings.

Other symptoms of high sensitivity include a lower pain tolerance (including finding fabric itchy); perfectionism; jumpiness; being easily affected by other people’s moods, and a greater attention to detail.

For a complete list of symptoms, check out this sensitivity list from the Highly Sensitive Refuge. Someone doesn’t have to experience all the symptoms to be a sensitive person.

While being sensitive has many benefits, and great thinkers and inventors throughout time were sensitive, it comes with challenges.

So here are some steps that can help with how to manage sensitive employees.

Give them control over their workspace

When an employee can control their own space, and work on their own terms, you’ll get the best out of them whether they’re sensitive or not.

Forcing them to work in a cold office with bright fluorescent lights at a time when they’re half-awake means you’ll have unhappy and unproductive employees. Being inflexible can really take a toll when it comes to how to manage sensitive employees.

If they need to be in the office, perhaps you could compromise and allow them to work remotely a couple of days per week.

They could come in earlier or stay later so that they can work when it’s quieter.

At my previous job, I started an hour before most of the people on my floor. It was magical how quiet it was. 

I loved that time because it felt like I could think more clearly without the constant background noise that comes with an open-plan office.

Use open communication

Sensitive people often don’t want to ask for what they need for fear of upsetting others. So instead, they suffer themselves.

This is why open communication is so important.

Periodically, ask employees if there’s anything they need to do their job better.

It might be that their chair is uncomfortable, or they want to work from a different desk. 

Small things like this can help you get more—and better quality—work from your employees.

Not only that, but establishing a culture of open communication is key to efforts around how to manage sensitive employees. It makes people feel calmer and more supported, further helping them perform at their best.

And encouraging them to stay for longer.

To make sure you don’t forget to ask employees what they need, why not turn on automated surveys? Better yet—automate the data analysis, too.

Get in touch to find out how Workrowd can help you do just that.

Allow for regular breaks

Regular breaks should be acceptable in any workplace, in my opinion. No one can work for four hours straight, have an hour for lunch, then work for four more hours. Not a single person has concentration skills that good.

Not to mention how often we get interrupted by colleagues walking past, emails coming in, Slack or Teams messages, social media…then how hard it is to focus again after all those disruptions.

Regular breaks, particularly in busy or noisy spaces, allow employees to reset.

This then means they can come back to their desks recharged and better able to concentrate.

Breaks also help us return to a problem with a clearer head, making it easier to find a solution we missed before from spending too long working on something.

Giving them the space to take a breather when needed can be a big help when it comes to how to manage sensitive employees.

Reduce visual clutter

Sometimes, to fill a space, there’s the temptation to turn a wall into an art gallery or add lots of inspiring quotes or bright colors or patterns.

This visual clutter is mentally stimulating, but in busy environments it can quickly become overwhelming. This is an especially key consideration when thinking about how to manage sensitive employees.

You obviously don’t want team members to fall asleep, but the office should be a calm place to be, not one that’s going to leave people so distracted they can’t concentrate on their roles.

Consider things like:

• Adding some plants (fake ones if you can’t keep real ones alive, but real ones can work well as air purifiers. Avoid ones with lots of flowers so that you don’t trigger hay fever sufferers)
• Using neutral/natural colors like white, cream, or light green. Blues and greens are the most calming colors
• Resisting the temptation to put tons of inspirational quotes on the walls
• Getting rid of glaring fluorescent lighting. Anything is better than that
• Providing screen protectors to reduce the glare on monitors for anyone working near bright lights or windows

Offer employees noise-cancelling headphones

Background noise can be irritating to some people but not others.

For instance, as I write this, I can hear:

• The air purifier humming
• The fridge/freezer buzzing
• Cars driving past
• The dog breathing

And each one of those sounds distracts me.

Some days those noises don’t bother me, but right now I need to go find my noise-cancelling headphones so that I can focus.

Providing noise-cancelling headphones is an effective way to up your game on how to manage sensitive employees. They block out external stimuli and send a clear signal to colleagues that a person doesn’t want to be disturbed.

Set up an ERG

ERGs are great places for employees to meet like-minded people.

It gives them somewhere they belong at work, further providing sensitive employees with the support they need to perform in the workplace.

Need help organizing yours? We’ve got you! Get in touch to book your free demo.

Conclusion

Sensitive employees bring a unique set of skills that every workplace can benefit from. 

To get the most out of these employees, it’s important to encourage them to ask for what they need, and provide them with time, space, and equipment. This recipe ensures they’re happy in their roles and more productive as a result.

If you’re wondering how to manage sensitive employees and want some help, Workrowd has your back. Our all-in-one suite of tools makes it easy to give sensitive employees everything they need to engage at their own pace.

Plus, with automated surveys and real-time analytics, you always know what’s working and where you could step things up a bit.

Ready to learn more? Drop by our site or reach out to us at hello@workrowd.com.

62% of workers believe a company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is important to its ability to drive success.

And they just might be on to something—businesses in the top quartile for gender diversity are 25% more likely to financially outperform their peers, and those with high ethnic diversity are 36% more likely to outperform competitors financially.

This makes sense when you consider that inclusive teams are more than 35% more productive and make better decisions 87% of the time.

The more diverse a team is, the less likely that team—and therefore that business—is to fall into groupthink.

Stepping up your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion opens you up to a wider range of ideas. The more suggestions you have, the more likely you are to find the best one.

So, what are some ways you can boost your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion this year?

Brush up on your law

The laws around your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion are regularly changing.

It’s therefore important that you’re aware of what’s recently changed in your country’s laws, or any future potential updates.

Also monitor the law in countries where you operate, as even countries as close as England, Scotland, and Wales can have different laws.

Hold regular unconscious bias training (for everyone)

Even when we’ve done unconscious bias training before, we still need refreshers.

It’s too easy to fall back into old patterns, or pick up bad ones, when we don’t actively work on creating an inclusive workforce and checking our own unconscious biases. 

And with everything going on at work, it can be easy for bias to creep in.

When managers regularly attend unconscious bias training—without complaining or rolling their eyes—it sets an example for the rest of the team and for other managers. It shows that they take this seriously because they understand the positive impact it can have not just on the business, but on employees’ lives.

Ask employees what matters to them

The best way to support a diverse workforce is to ask your employees what’s important to them.

If your diversity, equity, and inclusion statement doesn’t hit the right notes, if employees feel like you say one thing but do another, it will create a disconnect between you and your workforce. They’re less likely to trust you, and as a result, less likely to stay.

On the other hand, if they feel listened to and valued, they’re more likely to stick around long-term.

So make sure that when it comes to creating an inclusive workplace, you ask employees what matters to them, how you can support them, and what you could do better. 

It’s through this continuous improvement that you’ll cultivate the happiest, most engaged, most hard-working team.

Showing your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by asking about and meeting a wide range of employee needs is important.

Update your DEI policy

When was the last time someone updated your DEI policy? Have the laws changed since then?

As with any workplace policy, it’s important to evaluate it regularly. This ensures it stays relevant to both you and employees.

It also ensures you adapt it to any future laws that may involve new protected characteristics. For example, the Scottish government recently updated their hate crime laws.

Being aware of these laws—particularly if you have a global workforce—ensures your policies benefit everyone.

Your DEI policy can also inform your business strategy, keeping decisions on track.

In the policy, make sure to explain why DEI matters to your business, and include definitions for different protected characteristics. You could even mention how you support each of those characteristics.

Also mention where you want to go next. What’s the goal of your DEI policy? For your business, your employees, your customers, and even the world?

The next time you update your DEI policy, you can reflect on how far you’ve come and what direction you plan to go in next. It will help reinforce your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Hire a chief diversity officer

HR pros are busy. Sometimes, things can get lost or missed. It’s no one’s fault, but they can still impact your diversity efforts.

A chief diversity officer’s job is to spot ways you can make your workplace more diverse and support diverse employees. So then the rest of the HR team can focus on other areas of the business.

When you have a specific role dedicated to diversity, it shows employees and candidates that you’re serious about diversity being a priority in your business. In other words, your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion isn’t just talk.

This means you’ll attract a more diverse pool of candidates. Existing employees, meanwhile, will feel more visible and listened to within the workplace.

Don’t copy and paste diversity statements (especially in job ads)

Is it just me, or is every job ad starting to look the same?

I’ve spoken to several people recently and we’re increasingly noticing that pretty much every LinkedIn job ad now looks identical.

From what the job entails, to the skills required, to the diversity statement at the end.

I get it. It’s tempting to use AI. AI has many benefits.

But when every diversity statement reads the same, it comes across like you’ve only put it there to cover your business legally and that your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion isn’t genuine.

So instead of attracting people from diverse backgrounds, you miss out on underrepresented candidates because it reads like what matters to you the most is getting things done quickly and cheaply. Even if those attempts are half-baked and sound exactly like everyone else.

Connect your employees with ERGs

Employee resource groups are powerful tools to help improve employees’ senses of inclusion and belonging in the workplace.

They’re the perfect place for people to meet colleagues with similar backgrounds, interests, and goals to them even across a remote workforce. 

The more an employee feels like they belong, the more likely they are to stay and be engaged at work. As a result, they’ll be more productive and earn you more money.

If you’re not sure where to start with ERGs, or want to get more out of yours, get in touch to book your free Workrowd demo.

Conclusion

The more diverse your business is, the more future-proof it will be.

Employees want to work for businesses with a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion because they understand how much it benefits the workplace and their employee experience.

So take these tips as a starting point to improving your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in 2024. And most importantly, remember that building diverse teams is a journey, not a destination.

Are you ready to take your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion to a new level this year? Workrowd can help. Our all-in-one suite of tools makes it easy to launch, manage, and track DEI initiatives while giving everyone on your team easy access to the parts of your employee experience they like best.

Ready to learn more and see how our platform could accelerate DEI progress across your workplace? Send us an email at hello@workrowd.com to set up some time to chat, or simply drop by our site for more info.