Could The Secret To Workplace Equality Lie In Womens ERGs

Could The Secret To Workplace Equality Lie In Womens ERGs Employee resource groups (ERGs) exist at 90% of Fortune 500 companies, and that got us wondering Just how effective are unterstellung groups for women? Fairygodboss asked 400 women about the value (or lack thereof) theyve found in joining their womens employee resource group at work.The results were mixed, and while there is a lot of positive feedback, women are still finding that these groups can be a waste of time if they are able to find the time to participate in them at all.Surveying only women whose employers offered internal womens networking groups, we found that 65% of survey respondents did, indeed, say they belonged to their womens ERG. Encouragingly, 70% of women who belonged to their ERG said when utilized, it was responsible for influencing changes in policy at their employer. The top policy changes achieved by womens resource groups included improving parental leave benefits (55%), advocating for a more flexibl e work schedule or vacation policy (53%), and establishing a mentor or sponsorship program (44%). While its clear that ERGs can create positive change, its still troubling that many women said they found them to be a waste of time or quite simply didnt have the time to commit to them in the first place. Even more troubling is that nearly 33% of women dont join their womens ERG because they feel its too highly controlled by human resources, resulting in a lack of transparency and honest dialogue.The top reasons women do not join their companys womens ERG includeSo, how can employers make these groups more worthwhile for women to join? Fairygodboss isconvening a summitin New York on Nov. 1 and 2 with more than 50 companies internal womens networks to discuss the role of womens employee resource groups and how to make them more effective and relevant. According to our survey respondents, employers can abflug by offering more professional development resources like continuing education (53%), providing more networking opportunities (44%), and investing in mentorship (42%).Join our community in thisconversation about womens employee resource groupsand share whether your womens networking group at work has been effective, and how to improve it