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Employee resource groups are voluntary, worker-led workplace communities that focus on bringing employees together who have shared identities, ethnic groups, or gender identity.
If implemented strategically, ERGs can be truly impactful to the employees and overall organization. However, the issue remains that these groups are often employee-led, which can have leaders balancing group responsibilities with their regular workload. That could lead to burnout for these leaders, which could hurt their morale.
Why ERG Leaders Are at Risk of Burnout
ERG leadership often requires a level of empathy, advocacy, and a strong will to desire change for the organization. The purpose behind engaging in ERGs is often twofold: ERG leaders would like to see their community represented and respected at the organization, and they want a safe space to discuss issues that is prevelant to their community at the workplace. For example, if there was a South Asian ERG at my place of work, I assume that my unique identity and unique stressors would be shared and understood by other ERG members.
This level of understanding, in addition to core project management skills such as event planning, communication, advocacy, meetings, and coordination of updates, is all in addition to someone’s primary role. This level of invisible labor, if not addressed, can lead to either a lack of interest in completing the ERG goals or complete burnout managing multiple workloads.
As organizations continue to evolve, executive leaders should partner with ERGs, as this is essential work for team members to thrive.
Treat ERG Leadership as Real Work
ERGs are an extension of workplace benefits since they can make employees feel accepted and supported, therefore prolonging their satisfaction and tenure at the company.
A potential solution is to give leaders dedicated work time for ERG responsibilities. A few hours on a weekly basis can give enough clarity and capacity for the ERG leads to keep momentum and share results with the organization as a whole. Oftentimes, employees volunteer to become ERG leaders because they really care about the cause. However, assuming their passion will continue to be the driver for them to work tirelessly is a false assumption. Ultimately, your leads will pick up on this exploitation and either step down from their role as ERG lead, or worse, leave the organization.
Provide Budget, Resources and Executive Support
ERGs shouldn’t have to rely entirely on volunteer effort. How can you support ERGs? By providing budgets, meeting tools, and administrative support.
You’re removing barriers and making it easier for ERGs to connect and collaborate. Knowing how to support ERGs is so important for making all employees feel like they belong to something.
Share the Responsibility Across the Group
Another effective way to prevent burnout among ERG leaders is to split the responsibilities across the group. Help ERGs organize themselves by providing recommended leadership roles as well (e.g. President, Treasurer, Events Coordinator).
Official workplace communication should encourage members to contribute as well based on their capacity. This sort of planning can also prevent an ERG from becoming dependent on one leader.
Communicate With Your ERG Leaders
Communicating with your leaders can prevent massive transparency issues. It’s better than assuming that every ERG needs the same structure or resources. Check in with leaders about workload, barriers, and participation. See what support would make their roles easier.
Periodic surveys or conversations with your leaders/members could make the process a lot easier. You’ll get a better sense of what’s working and what’s not. Implementing employee resource group best practices with real feedback will make these groups more enjoyable and productive for everybody.
Sustainable ERGs Create Stronger Connections
Successful ERGs benefit everybody. That includes the members, the leaders, and the business stakeholders. By making sure people feel like people and not numbers on a dashboard, you’re ensuring stronger connections between employees and the company. And that only leads to better work.
If you’re looking for training on how to implement and run ERGs, then book a call with me to learn more.