Jermaine Moore of the Mars Hill Group at a speaking engagement (Photo Courtesy of The Mars Hill Group)
More NH businesses and organizations are launching affinity groups as part of their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, touting advantages like heightened productivity, easier recruitment, and more employee loyalty.
An affinity group, also called an employee resource group or ERG, is “an organized group of people who share an identity that typically or historically has been marginalized or discriminated against,” says Jermaine Moore, founder of the DEI consulting firm The Mars Hill Group, which has dozens of clients in the state.
Often, such groups are based on gender, sexual orientation, or race and give participants and their allies “a safe space where they can talk about shared challenges” and help the company provide initiatives to help, Moore says.
The Hampton-based utility company Unitil has a Network of Women (NOW) ERG to support female employees in what has been a predominantly male business, according to Tracy Paterson, director of human resources. Another Unitil ERG is YPU, or Young Professionals of Unitil, formed because “we have a base of young employees, which wasn’t necessarily always the case, and we want them to stay,” she says. In the coming year, Unitil is hosting an executive roundtable with executives so YPU members can learn how the executives got to where they are and what advice they have to offer.
The Faculty and Staff of Color Affinity Group started at the University of NH about six years ago and has about 61 registered members, according to Nadine Petty, chief diversity officer. UNH’s LGBTQIA+ Faculty and Staff Affinity Group includes about 80, though not all members are active in either group.
Dartmouth Health, based in Lebanon, offers multiple ERGs across its broad service area, including those for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), emerging leaders, gender and sexuality alliance, as well as groups for international, military, remote workers, and working parents and caregivers.
ERGs can also be established to support any group that has something in common, like a company’s sales team, or its finance department, says James T. McKim, Jr., managing partner of Organizational Ignition, which helps companies align people, process, and technology to boost organizational performance. “Affinity groups are just a tool to foster an environment where people feel like they belong and where they can contribute,” he adds.
As for individuals’ reasons for joining an ERG, “It’s important to not feel like ‘the only one’ in the organization, and that you have community surrounding you and supporting you,” says Rebecca Sanborn, founder and president of Derry-based Sanborn Diversity Training Solutions, which provides LGBTQ diversity, equity, and inclusion training and consulting to businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Strategies for ERGs
Experts offer an assortment of strategies for companies considering establishment of affinity groups.
Moore recommends first determining whether there are enough people to support a group by looking at demographics or sending out a survey. ERGs are more common in large corporations but “any size company can have them,” he says. If there is sufficient interest, an information session, typically led by employees, can be arranged to help get a group off the ground.
Depending on the organization, groups might meet every month or two, or every quarter at a minimum, he says, adding that providing a budget and a space and time during working hours shows a company’s commitment and increases participation. “Leadership buy-in is so important,”
he notes.
McKim says company leaders can reach out to employees who are representative of a potential affinity group and get their help in creating one. “Leadership has to say ‘we want to create this affinity group and to help the individuals grow and the organization to grow,’” he says.
Sanborn, who practiced law for 17 years before starting Sanborn Diversity Solutions, recommends establishing a charter for the ERG, and setting up a system of governance and a meeting schedule. Establishing clear lines of communication—on matters like whether the group will report to human resources or to the organization’s Diversity Council—is also key, she says, as is having an executive within the organization to sponsor or champion the group.
Affinity groups work best for a company’s culture “when they work together and aren’t siloed,” Sanborn adds. “It brings to light the intersectionality of the various diverse cultures and identities the organization has, and that’s a culture add for the organization.”
Benefits of Affinity Groups
Experts and business leaders alike say the benefits of affinity groups can be exponential. A survey by the Washington, D.C.-based consultant group Seramount found that affinity groups cultivate a sense of community, leading to a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% decrease in turnover, and a 75% reduction in sick days.
Because Unitil’s roughly 600 employees are spread over three states—Massachusetts, Maine and NH—it has started a new group called Unitil Connect with a goal of “bringing everybody together,” Paterson says. Events like an ugly Christmas sweater party, raffles and gift cards “create a sense of community,” she adds, noting that CEO Tom Meissner “understands that we have to have a culture where people can feel seen and valued and heard in order to retain the top talent we have.”
Having that type of culture also boosts productivity, Paterson says. “It really reinforces that we want everybody to come to work as their true, authentic self and we want everybody to feel support,” she says. “We get an excellent business product from that.”
McKim, author of the book “The Diversity Factor: Igniting Superior Organizational Performance,” says, “The real value to an organization around diversity is having different perspectives brought to the table, to help the organization overcome challenges and meet the needs of its stakeholders. … More productive organizations, more sustainable organizations, have a collaborative management style. They’re inclusive leaders; they’re equitable leaders.”
Affinity groups can build a company’s reputation as an inclusive employer and boost recruitment and loyalty, says Sanborn. “One way to attract talent, particularly from historically marginalized groups based on race, gender or LGBTQ, is for them to know that they have this space that is a safe space where they can get support and also a vehicle for sharing their ideas and perspectives with the leadership of the business,” she says. “It’s a great benefit that makes someone, especially from a marginalized group, more likely to stick around and it can be an internal pipeline for advancement within the organization.”
Experts say the shift away from DEI initiatives on the part of some large companies—Walmart, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply among them—is no deterrent to firms committed to their core values of inclusion and may result from a confusion between affirmative action, or preferential hiring, and DEI efforts. “They’re not the same,” says Paterson.
“The companies that are truly committed to this are staying the course,” agrees Moore.
Says McKim, “Research has shown that at organizations where people feel like they belong, the individuals perform better, the organization performs better, and the individuals are more likely to stay on.”
