Why Your ERGs Need Executive Sponsors

Pride Month 2024 is in full swing and the spotlight is on employee resource groups (ERGs) around the world. But an ERG can only do so much without the support of an executive sponsor.

As organizations continue to look for ways to cultivate an inclusive and healthy working environment, employee resource groups (ERGs) are becoming more and more commonplace and are now found in 90% of Fortune 500 companies.

Employee resource groups are voluntary, employee-led communities that work with their organizations to help create a more inclusive and diverse workplace. Each ERG is usually made up of a group of employees who have shared characteristics, life experiences, identities, or values.

In this blog post, I consider why ERGs are so important within organizations, and explore the key roles of an ERG executive sponsor.

Why are ERGs important?

According to McKinsey, effective employee resource groups are key to workplace inclusion. When given the right support, they can highlight blind spots and unconscious biases in order to drive positive change that improves working conditions.  

And as Fabian Sandoval explained in one of our previous blog posts, ERGs consistently demonstrate their value by fostering a sense of belonging, inspiring conversation, and introducing new ways to look at issues and drive innovation.

Sticking with the Pride theme – it is June, after all – a study from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation found that having an active LGBTQIA+ ERG leads to more positive workplace experiences for LGBTQIA+ employees, compared to those without such a group.  

Whatever the community or cause, ERGs have been shown time and time again to act as a catalyst for employee engagement and inclusion. So much so that 90% of organizations use their ERGs as part of the onboarding process to make new hires feel included, and 66% of employees believe that ERGs are effective at fostering a sense of community.  

But ERGs can only be effective when they are given the right support.

The importance of ERG executive sponsorship

Having the support of an executive sponsor can amplify an ERG's impact ten times.

An ERG executive sponsor is a senior leader who acts as a mentor for the group and helps bridge the gap between ERG members and the organization’s executive team. They can advocate on behalf of the group and help build meaningful connections between the ERG’s strategy and the organization’s overarching goals.

The best executive sponsors have the power to drive genuine cultural change by promoting support and allyship from the organization’s most senior leaders.

Have I convinced you yet? Here are a few more ways that executive sponsors can support ERGs…

• Building effective programs 
• Helping secure budgets
• Aligning ERG goals with corporate priorities 
• Securing buy-in from the broader leadership team
• Preventing ERG leader burnout 
• Encouraging organization-wide engagement

And the benefits go both ways, because ERG sponsorship can be incredibly fulfilling and career-enhancing for executives. They’re able to build authentic connections with employees, amplify the voice of a potentially under-represented group, and play their part in creating a more diverse and inclusive organization.  

The 5 roles of an ERG executive sponsor

So, what makes a good executive sponsor? They need to be part of the senior leadership team – ideally C-Suite – but do the creme de la crème of ERG sponsors have any common attributes?

As it so happens, they do.

A detailed study by Jennifer Brown Consulting investigated the qualities of effective ERG executive sponsors and found several themes. The team at JBC used their findings to create “The JBC Executive Sponsor Five Key Roles Chart”, which defines five roles most likely to deliver meaningful change at the ERG executive sponsor level.

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