Employee resource group (ERG)

How common ERGs are

In a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 26% of US workers said their workplace has affinity groups or employee resource groups based on a shared identity such as gender, race or being a parent. Another 37% weren’t sure whether their workplace had them.¹

Membership is lower than availability. Just 6% of all workers said they belong to one. Among workers whose workplace has ERGs, 22% are members, with women more likely to join than men and non-White workers more likely than White workers.¹

What to check before you act

In the US, the EEOC’s March 2025 technical assistance on DEI says that limiting membership in ERGs, business resource groups or other affinity groups to certain protected groups can be unlawful segregation under Title VII.² This applies to employer-sponsored activity, which includes giving groups company time, space or other support. Title VII covers private employers with 15 or more employees, and state laws and rules outside the US differ, so check local advice before changing a program.

• Make membership and events open to every employee, and say so in the group’s description.
• Give every group the same process for asking for budget, meeting space and leadership time.
• Keep decisions about hiring, pay and promotion out of ERG channels.
• Review group charters once a year with legal or employment counsel.

An example

A 400-person logistics company has a parents’ group started by a few warehouse supervisors. They ask for an executive sponsor and a budget of $3,000 a year. The first thing the group does is survey members about shift swaps, which leads HR to publish a clear swap policy for all staff. The group is open to anyone, and about a fifth of its 45 members aren’t parents.