A treasure trove of advice from co-chairs of Achievers Proud: Trevor Cull, implementation manager, professional services, and Chantal Primeau, senior account manager, customer success
When you realize you don’t have all the answers, it’s the perfect time to begin
The DEI committee at Achievers strives to be known for its inclusive, adaptable, and socially equitable culture of belonging. Closely related to this mandate are Achievers’ employee- and volunteer-run employee resource groups (ERGs). Like the DEI committee, ERGs are initiatives that foster more diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in the workforce. The difference is that an ERG focuses on a specific area its members are passionate about, either through lived experience or in allyship. ERGs are a way for employees to bring their whole selves to work: their beliefs and their lifestyles – while creating environments for others to do the same. ERGs help companies define what they get behind. Ultimately, they help society move the needle forward on change.
We have many ERGs: Achievers Women’s Network, Achievers Cares, Achievers Wellness, Achievers Proud, and Achievers Mentorship Program. Chantal and Trevor are the co-chairs of Achievers Proud, an ERG they’ve been cultivating since 2020 to ensure that Achievers maintains a forward-thinking, inclusive, and safe environment for all 2SLGBTQ+ employees. Their journey has been a fruitful one, for them and for the organization. In this piece, they offer up recipes and advice for launching and leading an ERG at your organization. The only prerequisite? Passion.
Connect with your “why”
“The work that you do for an ERG will serve those around you, and you personally, far greater than the day-to-day tasks that you were hired to do. I have had the most fulfilling moments of being an A-player in being a co-chair, and you will learn more about your organization and the people who are in it.”
~ Chantal Primeau, co-chair, Achievers Proud
A perfect list of qualifications in someone for the role of ERG founding leadership doesn’t exist. However, you absolutely must be passionate about the space you are advocating in, as this, intrinsically, will be your motivator. Likewise, expect to draw on your reserves of resilience. Plans won’t always play out the way you’ll expect, and that’s okay. It’s your fervor for your ERG’s mission that will keep you motivating others in pursuit of your goals.
Vision and mission
Achievers Proud leads by example, empowering employees to bring their whole selves to work as they continue to develop and grow.
Achievers Proud is a small and mighty team that first and foremost aims to serve the internal Achievers community through education, representation, policies, social events, and fundraising – all while supporting DE&I strategies and fostering a community of support for 2SLGBTQ+ employees and allies.
Secondly, Achievers Proud aims to serve the Achievers brand as a top employer in the 2SLGBTQ+ space through education, branding, and best-practice training. Knowledge is shared with the local community and demonstrates that Achievers “walks the walk” in DE&I initiatives within the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
And lastly, Achievers Proud aims to provide support to the market in DE&I initiatives, ensuring marketing and sales efforts are representative and reflective of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
STRATEGIC STARTER
You will need:
– Your passion for an issue
– Vision and mission
– An idea of how the ERG might align with organizational and societal progress on change
PRO TIP: Your ERG’s vision and mission may look something like those developed by Achievers Proud, or completely different, depending on your aspirations. You may want to tier your mission, the way Achievers Proud has, to get clear on priorities for the ERG’s goals: serving employees; aligning with the DE&I goals of Achievers; contributions to community. You may find these vision and mission guides helpful, designed for organizations, but work just as well for ERGs.
Build your strategy on collectivity
“This is absolutely a collective. I cannot pretend that everything Proud does is solely led by me or my co-chair. Lean on your team and ask for help – that’s why they raised their hands.”
~ Trevor Cull, co-chair, Achievers Proud
It truly takes a village. Building a formalized ERG with a steering committee, a mission, vision, and measurement that you hold yourself accountable to won’t be built overnight.
What started out as an initial group of a few people at Achievers has since snowballed into a full-blown initiative with the support of our executive sponsor, a core team of six steering committee leaders representing different functions (events, education, fundraising etc.), and a broader group of 40+ volunteers that have expressed interest in joining to support Proud.
Simply hearing from employees who want to get involved will be reassurance of the work you’re doing. Establishing a presence for your ERG with an open door, and willingness to meet employees where they are in their participation interests, will be the foundation of a strong ERG.
An ERG can’t be successful without employees finding the extra time to make strides. They are the ones consciously choosing to continually find the energy, time, and creativity to serve their fellow employees, the organization, and communities they’re a part of, or are allies to.
And leadership at an organization should be the wind in an ERG’s sails. As Chantal puts it, “I’ve been consistently surprised that we haven’t been met with a ‘no’ in our ideas. The response from leadership within this organization, all the way from the top, has been, ‘What do you need from me to be successful?’ Hearing that, consistently, has added wind in our sails as an ERG and really allows us to run with our mission and vision.”
STRATEGIC STARTER
You will need:
– Willingness to work with the ideas of volunteers
– A way for employees to reach you and participate
– A gauge of executive leadership support
PRO TIP: Don’t forget to partner closely and cross-promote those on your organization’s DEI committee, if one is established, and be creative in partnering with other ERGs on initiatives. Don’t be hesitant to lean, also, on those outside of your organization, in your own community. They may be able to provide additional support and perspective when you are met with a problem you have yet to solve.
Celebrate your achievements
“The overwhelmingly positive reactions we received after hosting ‘Understanding the basics of the 2SLGBTQ+ community,’ made me emotional. It was well attended, and people brought such thoughtfulness to their questions and feedback. It really reinforced for me why our ERG is so important; why the work that we do is wanted and needed.”
~ Trevor Cull, co-chair, Achievers Proud
Achievers Proud has been able to celebrate as an organization with events such as drag bingo, a speaker series, an education series, and a campaign to include pronouns in employee communications. Some of these initiatives, while successful in their awareness goals, also extend into community.
In 2020, through a silent auction at Achievers for office furniture, Achievers Proud raised more than $8,000 for Rainbow Railroad, a charitable organization helping 2SLGBTQ+ people flee countries where they risk facing violence and prosecution because of who they are or who they love.
Currently, one volunteer is leading a great group of people in the roll-out of the Achievers Proud Mini Education Series, which celebrates significant dates throughout the year from the 2SLGBTQ+ community, such as International Transgender Day of Visibility and International Pronouns Day.
STRATEGIC STARTER
You will need:
– A way to activate awareness initiatives
– Measurement of tangible outcomes
– Space for celebrating the intangible outcomes
PRO TIP: Include the organization in celebratory events and messages that highlight the progress and outcomes of your ERG. A Slack or Teams channel to reach all employees with announcements and keeping top-of-mind with micro-presentations in all-hands and town halls go a long way in building your ERG’s presence and growth.
Be prepared for the tougher stuff
“I am privileged that I can be outspoken and serve as someone who allies feel comfortable approaching to ask questions and learn. For that, I’m grateful, but there are days I’m reminded that we have a long way to go. ”
~ Chantal Primeau, co-chair, Achievers Proud
As a leader in a group faced with unique challenges in a world that is still progressing toward inclusivity, there will be times when you’ll be asked questions, to weigh in, or to speak on behalf of the ERG during certain moments.
Proud’s responses and reactions to political- and social-justice issues is expected and important, and also incredibly challenging when navigating potentially differing opinions of employees globally. Likewise, beginning to establish a voice at all means your ERG and team need to show up for every issue, which can completely overtake messaging or even obscure the mission. It’s a careful, thoughtful, intentional balancing act. Finding the right tone isn’t always easy. Being effective and true to your mission while being conscious of your messaging and voice becoming too educational, too judgemental, or just generally too much at work can be a challenge.
Ultimately, every time Proud has addressed issues as an ERG, it’s aimed to ensure two things: that a space is created of safe, non-judgmental discussion; and that vetted resources are provided for employees to learn, get assistance, or help.
STRATEGIC STARTER
You will need:
– The understanding that you will be looked to as an expert and spokesperson on issues related to the ERG
– To delicately balance the voice of your ERG to cover topics looked at from differing perspectives
– A way to provide employees with a safe space for discussion and resources
PRO TIP: You may want to consult with your HR team for support and partnership in providing safe spaces for discussions and opportunities to offer ongoing resources for employees, or reminders of resources that may already be available, such as those included in employee benefits.
You won’t have all the answers
Building an ERG is a new endeavour that a lot of organizations are navigating without a great deal of previous experience, and in environments of great change. You won’t have all the answers. The important thing, however, is to be willing to do the work: always learning and growing as progress is made. Remember that progress must be collective, thoughtful, and intentional to be successful and have impact.
The more you continue to operate on your mission and goals for your ERG, the more you’ll grasp how significant the impact will be on your employees and the business culture. You may be surprised at how much impact an ERG can truly have. Achievers has been recognized as a Great Place to Work for Inclusion, which doesn’t happen only because of strong culture. Inclusion is its own element of an organization’s culture – one of the five elements that foster a sense of belonging for employees.
As organizations are realizing the importance of real, ongoing DE&I work, and making it happen through ERGs, a lot of people are seeing brighter days ahead.
Advice from Trevor:
“I think its so easy to fall into a mindset of ‘I’m not doing enough’ at any given moment, which can be overwhelming. I think it’s so important to acknowledge that this is enough and it’s a slow game. As much as I want to, I can’t get everything done at once or on the timelines I want because there simply isn’t enough time in the day – nor is it healthy for any one person to take on in addition to the day-to-day.”Advice from Chantal:
“Perfect isn’t possible, and progress is better than nothing. In every initiative that we embark on, we try to find ways that we can represent our ERG’s vision, all while having some fun. There are some events that lean heavily on the ‘fun’ side of things, and others are hard conversations and vulnerable moments, but when we see how each initiative impacts our employees, we know it’s worth it.”
The DEI Committee at Achievers strives to be known for its inclusive, adaptable, and socially equitable culture of belonging at Achievers. Its mission is to create an evolving environment of inclusion, acceptance, and belonging where all feel safe and welcome, and have a voice both domestically and around the world. This practice and expectation of performance, extending beyond Achievers, is where employees can do the best work of their lives.
