February 2017

By Nereida (Neddy) Perez NCLBN Board Member and Principal of D&I Creative Solutions ­For more than 58% of corporations, nonprofit and government agencies with Diversity & Inclusion programs in place, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)/Business Resource Groups (BRGs) are at the heart of their corporate culture transformation. These groups were originally created to help support diversity awareness and enable safe conversations on race, gender, gender orientation and disability topics to take place. Many of these groups are volunteer based and report into the company’s diversity &inclusion office. ERGs/BRGs have in past been crucial to identifying and growing the leadership skills of employees, recruiting talent, connecting and uncovering new market niches to position products and services and serving as advocates for policy and process changes. Normally, ERGs/BRGs are provide with an executive/corporate sponsor to help coach and guide the group within the company. The sponsors are selected from the company’s executive leadership team and often report directly to the CEO or President of the business. What is your role as an executive/corporate sponsor? Executive Sponsors are critical to the success of ERGs/BRGS because they serve as advocates within the company to help advance understand about disabilities. They also serve as a coach to the employees who have volunteered to serve on the leadership committee of the ERG/BRG. As a coach, the executive sponsor, can help employees understand the company’s policies processes, business strategy and how to navigate the corporate culture to advocate for internal change or help connect with customers. On a personal level, the ERGs/BRGs provide an excellent opportunity to learn and connect with employees who are helping the company meet its business goals. Executive sponsors are often expected to participate in community activities as spokespeople and/or attend internal events in a leadership capacity. It is okay to be uncomfortable & […]