Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Research shows great benefits for employees and institutions who host ERGs. For example, ERGs can help boost employee recruitment, retention and mentoring, and influence initiative marketing and special interest dialogue between employees and institutional leaders.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) allow members to connect with other employees who share similar interests and a common bond or background. These employee-led groups are designed to meet the unique needs of each affinity or identity, and aid in fostering a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with the college’s mission and values.
In addition, specific perks to the Columbus State ERG Program include access to potential opportunities for professional development through conference attendance.
Each ERG will have its own distinct culture that reflects the needs, wants, values and expectations of the affinity and identity it represents. Therefore, the structure and feel of each ERG will likely be different. In general, the expectation is that ERG meetings are informal and serve as an opportunity for employees of the college to come together and speak freely and confidentially about their perspectives through their affinity lenses as employees of the college.
Each ERG meet on a monthly basis. Meetings are not restricted to the traditional Monday through Friday work week and are not restricted to be located on campus.
Absolutely! The ERG Program at Columbus State is designed to support all of its professional employees, regardless of part-time or full-time status. ERGs also welcome all forms of teaching and instruction staff, from tenured faculty to adjunct professors.
A college employee may join as many ERGs as he/she likes. People may have more than one affinity with which they identify. For example, it is understandable that a woman who also identifies as being African-American and a single parent may want to join all three respective ERGs.
The focus for this academic year is to successfully and sustainably institutionalize the seven current ERGs. After monitoring their viability, the ERG Work Team and key leadership stakeholders over the ERG Program will evaluate and determine the feasibility of adding new ERGs.
While employees can support an ERG which represents an affinity they do not identify or share, the ERG Work Team does strongly suggest that attendees take into consideration the sensitivity of affinities and identities. In an effort to reduce unintended bias via voyeurism and to protect and support special interests of diverse and protected classes, groups will be able to identify certain meetings as "closed" to persons who do not share the specific affinity or identity of the ERG.
A closed meeting indicates a meeting that may be attended only by invited members and/or members who share a specific affinity and identity. As of August 2017, the LGBTQ+ ERG and Disabilities ERG reserve the right to hold closed meetings due to their classification as 1) a protected class and/or 2) the high level of stigma associated with said affinity or identity.
In order to support the sustained growth of the ERG Program, each group has two co-liaisons. Ideally, one liaison represents a staff perspective and the other liaison represents a faculty perspective. Each ERG also has an executive sponsor who supports the ERG program at a higher leadership level within the college.
For more information on the ERG Program, please contact Nichole Bowman-Glover, Wellness Program Coordinator, Human Resources Department at nbowmang@cscc.edu