Employee Groups as a Crucial Resource for Organizations and Leaders

As workplaces cope with the realities of an economic downturn, existing DEI challenges among different groups of employees may become more visible and provide significant opportunities for action.

Employee groups (also called employee resource groups) are an excellent resource to help organizations during times of crisis and change. The Conference Board recommends organizations partner with their employee groups in seven ways to support employees and inform organization-wide strategies and communications:

1. Help assess and combat bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, especially in terms of employee well-being
2. Gather critical insights about the unique challenges some groups of employees are experiencing and craft solutions to support them
3. Support and provide resources for employees dealing with work/life challenges
4. Provide resources for managers
5. Offer innovative solutions to both people and business problems
6. Give a voice to employees who might feel isolated and/or uncomfortable speaking up
7. Engage broader segments of the organization and external communities to provide feedback on crisis management and recovery practices.

For more insights on how to deploy these strategies under adverse economic circumstances, see the following article written June 18, 2020, HC Management During COVID-19: Employee Groups as a Crucial Resource for Leaders and Organizations, containing tactics and examples that are still applicable today.