How to Start an ERG at Your Workplace
In a highly globalized workforce, employee resource groups (ERGs) are one of the most effective ways to foster community, belonging, and professional growth among employees from diverse backgrounds. They also offer numerous benefits to organizations, including increased employee engagement, better retention rates, and the ability to tap into the unique perspectives and experiences of their members. The beginning of an ERG involves recognizing issues faced by the affinity group both in and out of the workplace.
While establishing an ERG, it is important to keep ERG Best practices in mind. Here are 6 steps to start an ERG at your workplace:
Step 1: Survey your existing employees
Before starting an ERG at the organization, it is essential to have an understanding of the problems that employees from your affinity group face at your organization. Study company policies that affect these groups, and look at recruitment, retention, and performance numbers. This is also a good time to talk to employees from the affinity group at the workplace to get a deeper understanding of their professional experience at the organization.
Once you have a clear idea about the employee challenges in the workforce, it’s time to make a case for an Employee Resource Group and generate interest within the organization.
Send out resources that address the need for an ERG, conduct a short survey to gauge interest, or simply ask for a show of hands in company meetings. Use the survey to get data about employee experience. This can later be used to make a case for the leaders and sponsors.
Step 2: Setup goals and mission
Before you can take your proposal to the leadership, you need to define a Mission statement, objective goals, and a charter for your ERG. The mission statement is a short (4-5 lines) paragraph that states the need and purpose of the ERG. It can be followed by more elaborate and quantifiable goals, and a charter to launch the ERG.
Step 3: Seek executive sponsorship
When you have set up your goals and mission statement, it is time to secure buy-in to ensure that you have the funds to organize impactful ERG activities and events. When you arrange a meeting with the executive leadership, you need to be prepared to make a strong case for your ERG. Your presentation should include:
- The purpose of your ERG with goals, objectives, and mission statements
- Quantitative and Qualitative data based on your employee experience survey
- External research and data to support the need for gender equity in the workplace
- Inputs about employee interest in the resource group
- Identified executive sponsor(s) along with other organizational support that the ERG will require for smooth functioning
- A proposed plan for the functioning of the ERG and upcoming events and activities
- A proposed budget based on the data above
Read next: How to Fund Your ERGs.
Step 4: Recruit members and elect leaders
When you start recruiting members for the ERG, your ERG needs to take a call on allies. Some ERGs allow allies to join the group, and others do not. Different stakeholders might have diverse viewpoints, and once an agreement has been reached, earnest recruiting for the ERG can begin.
Begin by spreading the word about your resource group through in-org newsletters or all-hands meetings. An inauguration event to kick-start the group can also generate interest in the activities of your ERG. If there are people in the organization whom you know to be interested in the ERG then reach out to them specifically. Using word-of-mouth marketing to spread your invitation is also a common way to recruit members.
Once members have been recruited, it is advised that the group nominates or elects a leadership committee, with the size of the council depending on the size of the ERG. The first meeting can also be used for this purpose. A good head-committee rule is to make their terms limited with re-election or nominations scheduled at recurring intervals. Not only does this ensure accountability and urge actions from the ERG leaders, but it also ensures that new perspectives and ideas are constantly introduced in the leadership.
Step 5: Set Agenda
To kickstart your ERG, you need to set an agenda for the quarter/year. Your agenda should include the activities and events you are planning to conduct, along with the impact you are hoping to create with them. A common problem that ERGs face is that they start with a bang and a rush of energy that fizzles out due to lack of direction, mismanaged event calendar, or loss of organizational support. To arm your ERG against these:
- Make sure that your charter is filled with goals and objectives that are achievable. Reassess these goals every once in a while to make sure that your activities are aligned with the goals, and that your goals are aligned with what employees from the affinity group at your workplace need.
- Plan your ERG’s activities well in advance. Organizing multiple big events like panels and conferences very frequently is not sustainable. Therefore, it is wiser to plan a bunch of smaller events like group discussions, volunteering events, video screenings, etc around bigger events to keep the calendar populated and your members engaged.
- Ensure that you are reporting and amplifying the ERG’s impact to the stakeholders and the rest of your organization. Transparency translates into continued faith and support in your ERG’s work.
Step 6: Organize your ERG’s first meeting
Once everything else is set, it’s time to organize the first meeting for your ERG. The purpose of this meeting should be to introduce members to each other, discuss the ERG Charter, and start planning events for the ERG.
An exciting way to onboard members to the ERG could be to organize a short volunteering event with a non-profit that works for the upliftment of the affinity group. Alternatively, you can use the first session to share basic resources including blogs, articles, educational videos, or other media to generate awareness for the issues you plan on tackling. Lastly, you could simply utilize the first meeting to familiarize the members with each other and have a fun chill session of discussions.
That’s a wrap on how to start an employee resource group at your workplace. To volunteer with your ERG, <rte-link_business-popup>talk to us<rte-link_business-popup>.
Find more insights about ERGs in our Complete Guide to Employee Resource Group.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is an Employee Resource Group and how does it work?
An Employee Resource Group is a voluntary, employee-led community built around a shared identity, experience, or interest. Common examples include groups for women, Black professionals, LGBTQ+ employees, veterans, and working parents. ERGs operate under a formal charter with an executive sponsor and dedicated budget, and they support belonging, professional development, and broader DEI strategy inside the organisation.
2. Why should companies invest in starting an ERG?
ERGs help companies strengthen inclusion, boost engagement, and surface underrepresented voices in decision-making. They give employees a structured space to build community, develop leadership skills, and inform workplace policy. Well-run groups also improve retention, feed talent pipelines, and offer market insight, which is why most large enterprises now treat ERGs as a core lever of their DEI strategy.
3. How can HR teams secure executive sponsorship for a new ERG?
Executive sponsorship starts with a clear pitch that ties the ERG's mission to business outcomes. Prepare a short deck covering purpose, quantifiable goals, external research, and the potential impact on engagement, retention, and hiring. Approach a senior leader whose remit aligns with the group's focus, and ask for concrete commitments: budget, air-cover, and protected work time for participation.
4. What are the first steps to launch an ERG at work?
The first steps are to survey employees for genuine interest, review existing HR policies, and identify a small founding team. From there, draft a mission statement, set quantifiable one-year goals, and write a short charter covering membership, meeting cadence, and decision rights. Securing an executive sponsor and a modest budget before public launch keeps the group credible and sustainable.
5. What leadership roles are needed to run an ERG?
A functional ERG typically needs four core roles. The Program Manager owns strategy, planning, and the annual calendar. A Spokesperson handles internal and external communications. A Treasurer manages the budget and reimbursements. A Membership Officer recruits new members, tracks engagement, and coordinates with the executive sponsor. Larger ERGs later add committee leads for events, mentorship, and community outreach.
6. How much budget should companies allocate to a new ERG?
First-year ERG budgets vary by company size but typically cover events, guest speakers, learning materials, and small community donations. Many organisations start with a modest annual allocation and expand once impact is proven. The bigger commitment is time: companies should protect a few hours a month of work time per active member, plus dedicated capacity for the executive sponsor.
7. What types of ERGs are most common in workplaces?
The most common ERGs reflect the workforce's identity groups and lived experiences. Typical launches include groups for women, Black, Hispanic or Latino, LGBTQ+, veterans, working parents, and employees with disabilities. Newer categories cover mental health, neurodiversity, early-career professionals, and caregivers. The right starting point depends on employee demographics, expressed interest, and where the company sees the biggest gaps in belonging.
8. How long does it take to formally launch an ERG?
Formalising an ERG usually takes three to six months from initial idea to public launch. That window covers employee surveying, charter drafting, executive sponsor recruitment, budget approval, and a small pilot event. Rushing the process often leads to unclear scope or thin sponsorship, while stretching past six months can drain founding members' enthusiasm before the group meets a single time.
9. How can companies measure the success of an ERG?
Measure a mix of participation, sentiment, and business outcomes. Track membership growth, event attendance, and repeat participation month over month. Layer in engagement, belonging, and inclusion scores from the employee experience survey, filtered by ERG members versus non-members. Then connect back to talent metrics such as retention, promotion rates, and internal mobility of members to prove long-term business value.
10. What are common mistakes to avoid when starting an ERG?
The most damaging mistake is launching without an executive sponsor, which leaves the group under-resourced and easy to deprioritise. Other common pitfalls include a vague mission, no dedicated budget, over-scoping first-year commitments, and treating the ERG as a volunteer side project. Skipping HR partnership on policies like meeting time and membership eligibility also creates avoidable friction once the group grows.
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