Building Community Among Employees Key to Success

Research shows employees are more productive, perform their jobs more safely and inspire more innovation when they can bring their full selves to work. The Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and Kansas Gas Service hosted Creating Community for your Employees August 18. The event focused on ways for employers to create opportunities for intentional inclusion.

Julie A. White, vice president of communications and inclusion & diversity for Kansas Gas Services’ parent company ONE Gas, shared the organization’s efforts to create community through volunteer employee resources groups, or ERGs.

“One-third of ONE Gas employees participate in ERGs, and our goal is that all of our employees will become part of an ERG,” White said. “ERGs help us create a trusting environment where employees feel honored and respected, and that’s when they do their best work.”

In the company’s latest employee satisfaction surveys, employees who participated in ERGs were more productive, did their jobs more safely, were more engaged and brought more ideas for innovation to their jobs.

White offered eight steps for getting started with ERGs.

1. Do a survey of employees to gauge interest. What is the demographic make-up of the workforce and what are their needs for inclusion and community-building and who can lead those efforts. This also helps to measure organizational readiness for starting ERGs. Are there enough people interested in specific areas, or might it be more effective to have one ERG that bridges multiple characteristics?
2. Gain leadership buy-in. If leaders see the importance of these groups and actively participate as members or group advisors, it will open the door for their team members to participate.
3. Establish a mission and structure for the ERG. What is the purpose of the group? What officers or leadership positions will there be? How often will they meet, where and how? What events will they plan and execute? How can people sign up for the ERG? Thinking through these details is an important organizational step.
4. Complete the application process and determine governance. This clarifies the purpose of an ERG and provides the company an opportunity to approve the formulation of the group.
5. Coordinate the first meeting. Set goals for the group. Don’t be afraid to start small. This will help the group get established and build a track record before tackling larger projects.
6. Allocate resources. These are voluntary groups, but the company must be prepared to make investments of time, and sometimes money, to execute the group’s plans. Without resources, passion for a cause can burn out.
7. Encourage people to join the ERG. Use every communication vehicle at your disposal to promote the group and its purpose and encourage both people who align with the group’s uniting characteristic and those who can be allies in the organization to join.
8. Measure results and share them! White encouraged businesses to start small and celebrate success, even the smaller ones.

“Setting up ERGs is a process,” White said. “Always have a reason and keep focused on that purpose.”

She said ONE Gas sees ERGs as an opportunity to engage newer members of the workforce and develop their leadership skills. White said she likes to make sure supervisors know about the success an employee experiences within their ERG when it comes time for performance reviews so their volunteer work building community can be included.

According to White, businesses of any size can create ERGs to build community. Instead of creating the ERG around one specific characteristic, she would recommend forming the group around a broader list of characteristics or partnering with other similar small businesses to form a combined ERG.