A Complete Guide to Women’s ERGs

Women’s Employee Resource Groups or Women’s ERGs (WERGs) are employee-led voluntary community groups in the workplace that ensure equality for women employees, foster diversity, and promote inclusivity. These resource groups are essential for fostering a safe space for women in the workplace while also furthering the organization’s broader objectives, values, and mission statement.  

According to a recent study by McKinsey, there is a lack of women leadership in organizations, which is prompting women employees to switch jobs at rates higher than ever before, affecting retention numbers and leading to a loss of women in the workforce.  Women's ERGs are one way to bridge this gender inequity and ensure safer, and more professionally conducive environments for women in the workplace.

Benefits for the organization 

• When ERGs support the organization’s DEI goals, it enhances company culture within the organization and builds strong and empowered employee communities
• Talent retention is increased as employees from diverse backgrounds find value in the company’s mission
• Employee engagement is boosted as employees foster better relationships with the workplace culture 
• Good company culture leads to better client relationships and assists in business development 
• Meaningful and productive changes to company policies are facilitated 
• Increases number of women leaders and women in other qualified job positions 
• Members of the Women’s ERGs help the organization’s employee networking efforts by participating in conferences, panels, job fairs, etc; and contributing positive testimonials about the organization 

Benefits for Women Employees

With robust Women ERGs in the organization, Women employees: 

• Feel a sense of community and empowerment at the workplace which reduces isolation
• Are equipped with the means to influence business decisions and results 
• Gain access to professional development opportunities
• Get fairer pay and further gender equity in the workplace 
• Gain greater potential for new growth opportunities, promotions, and contributions to their work
• Can access senior leadership, including women in important positions to learn from and be mentored by 
• Gain opportunities to network beyond their immediate work colleagues 
• Increase overall competencies of employees by transferable skills such as leadership skills, better communication and collaboration, organizational understanding, and interpersonal skills. 

Examples of Women’s ERGs and their Mission Statements

So far we’ve read about what Women’s ERGs are and what are their benefits and goals; before you jump into how one can start a Women’s ERG at their workplace, take a look at some successful ERG examples and their mission statements that can not only provide insights on why other organizations build Women’s ERGs but also inspire your own Women’s ERG: 

1. Motorola Solutions 

Motorola’s Women ERG has 15 established chapters for its global teams. The group is called the Women’s Business Council (WBC) and is supported by Kristin Kruska as one of the executive sponsors for the ERG. The mission statement of the ERG is as follows: 

“The WBC aims to empower, develop and elevate the women of Motorola Solutions by providing community and connections to enable success while remaining focused on meeting the company’s business objectives so that they can rise, inspire and thrive together.”

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2. One North

One North is notable in many aspects but especially in its policy to keep the Women’s ERG open and accessible for allies of all genders. Their mission statement reads:

“The One North Women’s ERG commits to empowering one another’s personal and professional growth through building an inclusive culture, providing an opportunity to talk about issues we’re facing, and carving out time to educate ourselves on strategies and philosophies to help us be the best versions of ourselves. All are welcome to participate and all voices are encouraged.”

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3. Syneos Health 

The Syneos Health Women’s Employee Resource Group is an ERG focused on advancing the careers of women through achieving work-life presence and enabling personal and professional growth. Their mission statement is as follows: 

“The mission of the Syneos Health Women's ERG is to build an inclusive community to discuss and create awareness around issues women face in the workplace, provide tools and resources for women and help colleagues who work with women be better equipped to support them.”

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4. Georgia Tech 

The Women’s Employee Resource Group at Georgia Tech, also known as the Women of Georgia Tech Employee Resource Group invests in women to create an environment that celebrates their unique contributions, champions their professional and personal growth, and fosters experiences in which all women can thrive. Their mission statement declares:

“Women of Georgia Tech provides a network that supports the professional development of women, facilitates recruitment and retention, and works with senior management to address and provide feedback on matters of interest to female employees, including policy matters. Women of Georgia Tech’s activities also provide a forum to acknowledge the achievements of women at Georgia Tech and address their common workday challenges. It also serves as a support system on matters of interest unique to women in the workforce.“ 

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5. SLAC

The Women’s ERG at SLAC is called “Women@SLAC.” Their primary executive sponsor is Carole Fried and their leadership includes 5 members. Their mission statement is as follows:

“The "Women@SLAC" Employee Resource Group is dedicated to raising awareness of the issues facing women in the workplace. We are committed to making SLAC an inclusive workplace for everyone where we foster personal and professional growth and development.”

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6. Premise

Premise started their Women’s ERG because a diverse group of women across many departments was interested in the opportunity to cultivate an inclusive environment that supports and encourages women to advance their skills and leadership potential through collaboration, community, connection, and mentorship. Their mission statement reads:

“Building culture and ensuring employees have a feeling of empowerment in the workplace, have become focal points for many organizations over recent years. So much so, that these companies have created, or employees organically create specialized Employee Resource Groups or ERGs. These established forums provide a tangible resource to network and share ideas, strategies, and experiences for employees. As an added benefit, ERGs provide an opportunity for those within the organization to gain a better understanding of the importance of inclusivity and diversity.”

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7.  Minnesota Government 

Minnesota Statewide Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are intentional groups of employees building a broader culture of inclusion across the state enterprise. These groups embrace diverse cultures, professional development, and community involvement. ERGs work closely with Minnesota Management and Budget's Diversity and Inclusion Program to ensure group activities align with diversity and inclusion efforts. Their Women’s ERG called ‘Women IT ChangeMakers’ define their mission statement as:

“Women in IT ChangeMakers will support and provide outreach to under-represented women in technology.  The gender gap is wider in executive leadership and cyber-security.  It is important to not only establish a network of leaders but resources and partnerships that can advance creativity and opportunities for women.  Who best to establish this, than the women that are impacted by this disparity?  It's our mission to build an influential and sustainable network of women leaders to increase the number of women in technology.  This includes traditional and non-traditional roles such as cybersecurity.  To establish partnerships, resources, and strategies to build a strong pipeline of women leaders in IT where this ERG would no longer be needed.”

The beginning of a Women’s ERG comes from acknowledging the gap in gender equity at the workplace. While establishing an ERG, it is important to keep ERG Best practices in mind. The steps to starting a women’s ERG at your workplace are as follows: 

Step 1. Survey your existing employees

Before starting an ERG at the organization, it is essential to have an understanding of the problems that women employees face at your organization. Study company policies that affect women employees, and look at recruitment, retention, and performance numbers. This is also a good time to talk to other women at the workplace to get a deeper understanding of their professional experience at the organization. 

Once you have a clear idea about the state of women in the workforce, it’s time to make a case for an Employee Resource Group and generate interest among the workforce. Send out resources that address the need for a Women’s ERG, conduct a short survey to gauge interest, or simply ask for a show of hands in company meetings. Use the survey to get data about employee experience. This can later be used to make a case for the leaders and sponsors. 

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Step 2: Setup goals and mission

Before you can take your proposal to the leadership, you need to define a Mission statement, objective goals, and a charter for your ERG. The mission statement is a short (4-5 lines) paragraph that states the need and purpose of the ERG. It can be followed by more elaborate and quantifiable goals, and a charter to launch the ERG. To gain inspiration for your Women’s ERG mission statement, read examples of other Women’s ERG mission statements in the previous section. 

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Step 3: Seek executive sponsorship

When you have set up your goals and mission statement, it is time to secure buy-in to ensure that you have the funds to organize impactful ERG activities and events. When you arrange a meeting with the executive leadership, you need to be prepared to make a strong case for your ERG. Your presentation should include: 

• The purpose of your ERG with goals, objectives, and mission statements 
• Quantitative and Qualitative data based on your employee experience survey 
• External research and data to support the need for gender equity in the workplace 
• Inputs about employee interest in the resource group 
• Identified executive sponsor(s) along with other organizational support that the ERG will require for smooth functioning 
• A proposed plan for the functioning of the ERG and upcoming events and activities 
• A proposed ERG budget based on the data above 

Step 4: Recruit members and elect leaders

When you start recruiting members for the Women’s ERG, your ERG needs to take a call on allies. Some Women’s ERGs allow allies to join the group, and others do not. Different stakeholders might have different opinions on the matter, and once an agreement has been reached, earnest recruiting for the ERG can begin. 

Begin by spreading the word about your resource group through in-org newsletters or all-hands meetings. An inauguration event to kick-start the group can also generate interest in the activities of your ERG. If there are people in the organization whom you know to be interested in the ERG then reach out to them specifically. Using word-of-mouth marketing to spread your invitation is also a common way to recruit members.

Once members have been recruited, it is advised that the group nominates or elects a leadership committee, with the size of the council depending on the size of the ERG. The first meeting can also be used for this purpose. A good head-committee rule is to make their terms limited with re-election or nominations scheduled at recurring intervals. Not only does this ensure accountability and urge actions from the ERG leaders, but it also ensures that new perspectives and ideas are constantly introduced in the leadership.

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Step 5: Set Agenda

To kickstart your Women’s ERG, you need to set an agenda for the quarter/year. Your agenda should include the activities and events you are planning to conduct, along with the impact you are hoping to create with them. A common problem that ERGs face is that they start with a bang and a rush of energy that fizzles out due to lack of direction, mismanaged event calendar, or loss of organizational support. To arm your Women’s ERG against these:

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1. Make sure that your charter is filled with goals and objectives that are achievable. Reassess these goals every once in a while to make sure that your activities are aligned with the goals, and that your goals are aligned with what women employees at your workplace need. 
2. Plan your ERG’s activities well in advance. Organizing multiple big events like panels and conferences very frequently is not sustainable. Therefore, it is wiser to plan a bunch of smaller events like group discussions, volunteering events, video screenings, etc around bigger events to keep the calendar populated and your members engaged. 
3. Ensure that you are reporting and amplifying the ERG’s impact to the stakeholders and the rest of your organization. Transparency translates into continued faith and support in your ERG’s work.

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Find more insights about your Women’s ERG agenda in the next section.

Step 6: Organize your Women’s ERG’s first meeting

Once everything else is set, it’s time to organize the first meeting for your ERG. The purpose of this meeting should be to introduce members to each other, discuss the ERG Charter, and start planning events for the ERG. 

An exciting way to onboard members to the ERG could be to organize a short volunteering event with a non-profit that works for the upliftment of women. Alternatively, you can use the first session to share basic resources including blogs, articles, educational videos, or other media to generate awareness for the issues you plan on tackling. Lastly, you could simply utilize the first meeting to familiarize the members with each other and have a fun chill session of discussions. 

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Find more resources for your first meeting in our Women’s ERG Toolkit!

While the agenda that you set for your Women’s ERG is going to be unique to your company and employees personally, here are some ways to start thinking about your ERG’s agenda:

Growing your Women’s ERG 

One of the primary goals of a functional and robust ERG is to continue growing, increase recruitment, and retain a healthy membership. Here are a few ideas that can help your Women’s ERG grow: 

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1. Hosting open sessions and events

Hosting open sessions and events helps you interact with members of your organization who might be a good fit for your Women’s ERG. When employees get to witness the impact that your ERG events have on the affinity groups, and the employees themselves, they will be able to assess how being a part of the Women’s ERG can contribute to their well-being at the workplace. 

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2. Marketing your ERG within the organization 

Use avenues like internal company newsletters, announcements at all-hands meetings, update emails to all employees, posters/flyers at company notice boards, and word of mouth to market your Women’s ERG and its activities within the organization. The more the employees are exposed to your ERG and its activities, the more members it will attract. 

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3. Informing new employees 

Get in touch with the HR of your organization and make sure that the onboarding of new employees involves informing them about the ERG and its activities. 

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4. Collaborating with other ERGs 

Collaboration with other ERGs is not only a good way to share resources and avoid duplication of efforts, but it is also a great way of interacting with members of other ERGs within your organization who may be the right fits for your Women’s ERG too.