ERGs have a huge impact on belonging

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Here at UNLEASH, we interview a lot of HR leaders from the world’s biggest brands. One of the core topics of discussion is diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), and most HR executives tell us that a core part of their strategy is employee resource groups (ERGs).

This, of course, begs the question whether ERGs actually work. Do they have a meaningful impact on making workplaces more inclusive?

That question has been answered once and for all by Workhuman, and its social analytics tool Workhuman iQ. The HR tech giant’s latest report – The Evolution of Work – found that ERGs play a key role in employee experience.

According to a survey of 4,000 workers from the US, the UK, Ireland and Canada, employees who participate in ERGs feel more psychologically safe at work.

They are also more likely to be highly engaged and to recommend their organization to a friend.

While ERGs are key around belonging and psychological safety, they are not a panacea. Workhuman’s research also found that those who participate in ERGs are more stressed and burnt out than the average employee.

In addition, one in three employees in ERGs report they had been treated unfairly for their participation in the group. This is a huge concern as ERGs are company sponsored DEIB resources.

It’s time to recognize your workers

Workhuman’s data suggests that employers need to make sure they are recognizing, rewarding and celebrating employees for going above and beyond and taking on extra responsibility through ERGs.

In fact, Workhuman’s data suggests that formal recognition programs come with huge benefits for psychological safety, as well as connection and engagement at work.

Employers with recognition programs have employees that are 1.5 times more connected to the organization, and 1.4 times more likely to recommend a company to a friend.

Talking about the findings, Workhuman iQ’s people data analyst Dr Isha Vicaria commented: “Recognition is strongly related to higher levels of psychological safety, an important indicator of belongingness and acceptance at work.

“Digging deeper into the experiences of employees involved in ERGs, we see those who participate have higher levels of psychological safety, which fits with the missions of most ERGs, which are to provide a workplace community that celebrates shared experiences and goals.

“When these employees work in an organization with a recognition program, they are more likely to say that their work is visible to the rest of the organization.

“This is huge because recognition has the power to strengthen ERGs by giving more attention to and appreciation for the people doing the work, who go largely unnoticed and uncompensated for these important contributions.”

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