Four Things to Consider Before Building Your Employee Resource Groups

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are an excellent tool to build community within organizations across shared identities and interests. Like many other culture-related initiatives, however, they require intention and strategy in order to be sustainable.

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that Executive Order Number 14173 has created barriers for organizations that are federally-funded to build or create culture initiatives that are labeled as “DEI.” More specifically, the memo from the Attorney General’s office issued in July 2025 titled “DOJ Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination” specifically includes:

“Prohibition on Protected Characteristics as Criteria: Using race, sex, or other protected characteristics for employment, program participation, resource allocation, or other similar activities, opportunities, or benefits, is unlawful, except in rare cases where such discrimination satisfies the relevant level of judicial scrutiny.”

For that reason, you may consider working with legal counsel or a subject matter expert on what is best for your organization. Further, it is considered best practice (legally and organizationally) to ensure that all programs are open to all people. However, we also know that affinity groups do require some sense of connection by way of shared experiences. A safe alternative to using specific “resource” language would be instead focus on ‘employee interest groups’ or ‘employee communities.’

Here are four additional tips to building employee communities within your organization.

1. Survey your staff: Disability rights and social justice advocates have long used the expression “nothing about us without us” to emphasize the importance of community buy-in. Before deciding to offer ERG’s, make sure that you’ve gotten feedback from your employees on if it is something that is even desired; further, employee interest groups can be built around any number of shared experiences. Groups for Parents & Caregivers, Pop Culture Nerds, or Outdoor Enthusiasts are all unique ways to build connection.
   

2. Find the right leads: In order for an ERG to be successful, you need the right employees to lead. You want to identify staff who can not only balance the responsibility of group leadership, but ones who can also build buy-in. It’s not a popularity contest, but team members with strong footholds in the existing employee ecosystem can help to establish trust and build buy-in.
   

3. Identify an executive sponsor: This is essential to the success of employee community initiatives. Executive sponsors are the ones who will be able to share the business case and secure the necessary resources within senior leadership. Of equal importance, executive sponsors can support the employee leads, ensuring that the requests or needs of the group are recognized at the appropriate level. 
   

4. Allocate a budget: Without funding, affinity groups are likely to die on the vine. Allocating a budget not only allows for more productive and creative decision-making, it signals to the organization that leadership actually wants to see these groups thrive. They do not have to be budget-busters, but appropriate funding can allow for speaker honorariums, program supplies, and overall more flexibility in what the group can accomplish. 

While there may be any number of pitfalls or obstacles that occur while building an ERG, the benefits of creating shared communal space for your staff are vast. In a culture where it feels nearly impossible to find common ground, Work in Progress is here to help navigate you through creating a positive workplace culture.

In solidarity,

Ryan Zymler (they/he)
Special Projects Consultant, Work in Progress Consulting