EMPLOYEE BUSINESS RESOURCE GROUPS
Employee Resource Groups
are an essential part of businesses working with the LGBTQ community
Employee Business Resource Groups go by various names and acronyms at businesses across the globe.
As Forbes contributor Kalina Bryant notes, “In an increasingly diverse and globalized world, organizations are recognizing the importance of fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within their workplace. Over time, ERGs have evolved to become integral components of corporate DEI efforts, offering numerous benefits to both employees and organizations.”
To that point, here is a look at EBRG programs across New Jersey, with an emphasis on groups formed for the LGTBQ+ community. (Note: companies are presented alphabetically.)
Atrium: PRISM (Pride. Raising Awareness. Involvement. Support. Mentoring Alliance.)
When the group started: As part of ongoing efforts to foster a more inclusive workplace, the Employee Experience and DEI team implemented Employee Resource Groups in August 2022 to provide additional support to and gain continuous insight from employees.
A recent DEI survey identified 11% of the population as LGBTQ+, which uncovered a need for this group to be one of the inaugural Employee Resource Groups in the program.
Within the first year, the group was able to build a charter, design a name and logo, elect leadership and create impactful programming within the areas of Self Enrichment, Social Purpose and Community Expansion.
Goals: PRISM serves the LGBTQ+ community and its allies both inside and outside of Atrium. The purpose is to build connections between queer members of the Atrium community, create a safe space for lived experiences and perspectives and provide access to education, resources, and professional development.
What the group does: PRISM has taken action in bringing awareness to the Atrium population on issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community by facilitating meaningful conversations, supporting the greater community through service, and striving to be a consultative partner both personally and professionally.
PRISM ERG facilitates learning and development opportunities for all staff on LGBT topics and provides ongoing insight to leadership teams on inclusive practices.
Outside the organization, PRISM has represented Atrium at events such as New Jersey Pride and the Ali Forney Center, in addition to attracting and retaining talent by leveraging external partnerships with NGLCC and NJPCC. They also aid in integrating best practices within our new hires onboarding experience program.
Through their efforts, they aim to identify gaps in inclusivity and enhance internal policies to make Atrium a role model as a safe and inclusive place for our LGBTQ+ friends, families, and neighbors to work.
The group’s positive impact: Over the last year, PRISM has increased the community service efforts and visibility within the LGBTQ+ community and has successfully enacted change within the organization by bringing awareness to LGBTQ+ issues.
Because they identified a need, there now is an internal response committee in place to quickly address any external events that negatively impact marginalized communities.
Source: Aiyana Jones, People & Engagement Business Partner at Atrium
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey: Spectrum
When the group started: Spectrum began 10 years ago to provide a voice and a resource for LGBTQ+ employees, as well as to recognize the unique needs and challenges of members.
Goals: The mission is to promote educational awareness of LGBTQ issues, make impactful community contributions, and harness the talents of a dedicated and diverse group of employees to deliver tangible business benefits to the organization as a whole.
Horizon is a diverse and inclusive company and the affinity groups are integrally involved in nearly every aspect of the business. Spectrum gives voice to and serves as a resource for LGBTQ+ employees as well as the company.
Employees learn of Spectrum, and all of Horizon’s Affinity Groups, when they are hired as part of their on-boarding. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are embedded with Horizon’s culture, and that begins on day one.
What the group does: Senior leaders meet with Spectrum to discuss issues and how the company should respond.
The group is routinely consulted by company communicators to help ensure that the language and images used are authentic and reflect who they are.
Spectrum helps raise awareness, celebrate the contributions of LGBTQ+ employees and community members, identify opportunities for Horizon to support LGBTQ+ organizations and causes, and provides information to fellow employees to promote greater understanding and acceptance.
Spectrum members are also directly involved in helping Horizon understand and meet the unique and specific needs and challenges of LGBTQ+ members.
The mission statement says the group exists to empower members to achieve their best health. That means ALL of our members. Regardless of a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, employees are empowered to be their authentic selves, and members are empowered to achieve their best health.
The group’s positive impact: Employees who have a sense of belonging and who work in an organization that reflects and proactively honors the diversity of New Jersey feel more connected and engaged. Today, more than ever, people want to feel good about their work and the company they work for. Feeling connected and engaged is central to that.
At Horizon, more than 1,000 employees participate in Affinity Groups. Spectrum, along with other sister organizations, offers employees opportunities for professional development, educational sessions, networking, team-building and community volunteering.
Myriad studies show that employees who participate in workplace activities and professional development are significantly happier at work, have higher productivity and have less turnover compared to employees who do not participate in employee engagement activities.
Spectrum’s impact is demonstrably and overwhelmingly positive. The group collaborates with many of the business units and divisions across the enterprise.
Sources: Brigitte L. Hickey Manager, Manager, Community Affairs Corporate Social Responsibility and Wendy Lanski, Director, Enterprise Vendor Management & Operations for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
Merck: The Merck Rainbow Alliance
When the group started: The Merck Rainbow Alliance formed in 1999, first as GLEAM (Gay and Lesbian Employees at Merck) as a formalization of employees who had previously banded together to walk in the Philadelphia AIDS walk, starting in 1995.
Goals: To create an environment in which LGTBQ+ colleagues can bring their authentic whole selves to work.
The Rainbow Alliance enables colleagues to reach their fullest potential by creating an inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ community through awareness, learning, and allyship. The group also strives to strengthen the company’s reputation within the LGBTQ+ community through internal business partnerships, key external alliances and community involvement.
What the group does: They create a workplace where people want to be and where they feel comfortable being themselves. The Rainbow Alliance creates events where members can participate in professional and personal development.
They partner with local pride organizations to support them and offer opportunities for members to participate in Pride Parades, networking opportunities and more. The group also connects with other EBRGs across the company to cover issues and topics that may be intersectional, and in doing so strengthen connections and understanding with one another.
The group’s positive impact: Group leaders have said they noticed a great change in the last few years that directly shows the impact within the business.
It’s that now they are not simply an EBRG that creates events and spaces for members to participate. Rather, they have entire business units that are requesting their presence to show up to meetings and help educate and inform a broader audience about the group’s mission, and also to raise awareness on acceptance and understanding with people that may not have felt comfortable reaching out for that education on their own.
Creating the best experience for employees ensures that they’re creating a positive work environment for all.
Source: Jacob Ponulak, Project/Program Manager Specialist at Rahway Technology Center CoS, Merck Animal Health IT
New Jersey Resources: LGBTQ+, LIVE (Let’s Inspire Visions of Equality)
When the group started: LIVE was unveiled during Pride Month, June 2020.
Goals: LIVE’s goals are to continue to support the LGBTQ+ communities and members
through volunteerism, education, professional development and awareness.
The group is committed to creating and maintaining an organization that prioritizes employees’ safety, wellness and sense of belonging and allows them to perform their best.
Their DEI strategy is a critical part of these efforts. It is founded on the belief that we are bound together by shared values and principles, and that every individual deserves respect and the opportunity to grow, develop and contribute in an equitable and inclusive environment.
What the group does: Their BRGs provide employees with professional and personal development opportunities that include initiatives in training, networking, mentoring, cultural awareness and mental health.
This year, they implemented programs to address mental health concerns and a targeted training curriculum for leaders to handle microaggressions and unconscious bias while fostering psychological safety among all employees.
All of these opportunities lead to a healthier, more engaged workforce that puts the organization at the forefront of its industry.
The group’s positive impact: Our BRGs are equity and inclusion in action, bringing the unique cultures and perspectives of their members to life.
Moreover, they provide employees with a place to form valuable connections with each other and the communities they serve, while providing the space for members to be heard, valued and engaged.
Source: Maria Diaz, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at New Jersey Resources
New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit): Ride With Pride
When the group started: The Office of Diversity & Inclusion created the Company Employee Resource Group Program (CERG) in April 2021 to empower employees to help cultivate a culture of belonging and inclusion for underrepresented and marginalized groups.
Goals: The primary goal for the CERGs is to promote awareness, understanding and to build on the actions taken by NJ Transit on diversity and Inclusion topics that aim to strengthen the relationship with employees, foster a culture and work environment that is welcoming and inclusive and enhance service to customers and the community.
Ride with Pride’s goal is to develop a culture of openness, inclusion and resilience for NJ Transit’s LGBTQIA+ employees and have that culture extend to the services provided.
It is the group’s responsibility to ensure that every employee, customer and community member has the experience of being seen, welcomed and included in the services and programs.
By fostering an organization that reflects the diverse communities served, Ride with Pride is inherently positioned to achieve the objective of delivering world-class public transportation for all customers.
What the group does: The CERGs play a critical role as a sounding board in the 10-year strategic plan. They also contribute to the D&I strategy through targeted company initiatives, inclusion projects and cultural events.
The group’s positive impact: The groups are part of an effort to understand each community’s history, heritage, concerns and challenges. This enables Ride with Pride to create a cohesive organizational approach to providing a high-quality customer experience and building stronger community partnerships.
At the same time, the CERGs have a positive impact inside the organization by promoting inclusivity among employees. For example, Ride with Pride participated in the NJ Pride Chamber of Commerce’s Employee Business Resource Group Round Table.
Ride with Pride networked with groups from all industries and shared best practices as to making an impact, both internally and externally on the greater LGBTQIA+ community in NJ.
Source: Kyalo Mulumba, Senior Public Information Officer, NJ Transit
TD Bank: Forever Proud BRG
When the group started: The Forever Proud BRG has been available to colleagues across the organization for more than 15 years.
While the group started in Canada in the 1990s, Forever Proud quickly grew to include U.S. colleagues with the acquisition of TD Bank North and Commerce in 2008.
Goals: Forever Proud’s primary goal is to engage, inform and inspire colleagues across TD Bank around diversity and inclusion initiatives specifically focused on the LGBTQ2+ experience. A commitment to the LGBTQ2+ community is a part of who they are every day, whether creating an inclusive workplace for colleagues, partnering with local community organizations, or providing career development and advancement opportunities to leaders of tomorrow.
What the group does: Forever Proud strives to help colleagues identify career paths in different areas of the organization through mentor matching and development programs like the Proud to Lead Mentorship Program across TD’s organization.
To complement the existing mentorship programming available to all colleagues, this program was created specifically by LGBTQ2+ colleagues, who brought their experience, knowledge, and understanding of the community together to create a unique offering.
It is a structured initiative that acknowledges the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ2+ individuals in the workplace, while developing new skills, expanding colleague networks, and strengthening abilities for career advancement.
Initiatives like pulse surveys and BRGs help us better understand the diversity of the unique colleague population and in turn, enables us to assess the effectiveness of TD’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.
The data helps the group to evolve programs, improve accessibility, develop/update training, identify relevant learning resources, update regulatory reporting and offer awareness events to celebrate and support all colleagues.
Forever Proud also helps with administering Financial Empowerment Classes and Workforce Development classes at numerous LGBTQ2+ organizations.
The group’s positive impact: They are proud to support a multitude of LGBTQ2+ initiatives in Canada and the U.S. that are helping people feel included during Pride — and all year long — to keep pushing progress forward.
Forever Proud BRGs across the organization play a critical role in supporting non-profit organizations through volunteer efforts as well as serving as board members, site visitors, and committee members at many affiliates of the NGLCC.
At the core of all that they do at TD is a culture of care where everyone is seen, included, appreciated and supported.
Source: Steven Garibell, vice president of diverse business and executive leadership team member at TD Bank for the Forever Proud BRG, who is also president of the New Jersey Pride Chamber of Commerce
