Employee resource groups in the workplace: their prevalence, composition, and concerns

Abstract

Employee resource groups (ERGs) in the U.S. are voluntary employee-led groups that are created to act as a resource for both employees and the organization and to foster a more inclusive and diverse work environment. These originated with the Black Caucus group at Xerox and have since spread to encompass a wide range of groups representing diverse social identities (Scully, 2009). ERGs can serve as a form of intrafirm employee voice (Freeman & Rogers, 1999) for employees belonging to different demographics and life stages. Our 3 purposes in this paper are to investigate the prevalence, composition, and nature of ERGs, because they are a phenomenon of broad interest for research on inclusion and voice. Further study – and debate about ERG efficacy as a representation form – can proceed meaningfully once this empirical baseline is established. Future exploration of ERGs beyond the U.S., in both multinational and domestic organizations, will also widen the lens of collective voice mechanisms.