Women in the workplace are at a watershed moment. From college degrees to buying power, women are now in the majority and poised for driving positive change like never before. The rise of the informal workplace “think tanks” known as ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) has helped women join forces and inspire important causes, share growth opportunities, and help each other advance in life and at work. ERGs are enabling women to build the community and marshal the drive to achieve more and reach higher for themselves and for their organizations.
In this week’s episode of HR Trends with Game Changers: Women Driving Change: Power of Employee Resource Groups, three dynamic female leaders discuss this welcome phenomenon that is already in place and thriving at a growing number of enterprises. Our panelists are Simone Morris, Diversity & Inclusion Leader; Marla Britt, Thermal Processing Engineer, Applied Materials; and Bela Dwivedi, Senior Director, Mergers & Acquisitions, SAP. Listen to the podcast at your convenience here.
Top memorable insights from our panelists:
- Women are powerful beyond our measure. We owe it to ourselves to play bigger. – Simone Morris on Twitter @jubileetown
- ERGs are think tanks to come up with innovative ideas to support and drive business value. ERGs are where women can shine. – Simone Morris @jubileetown
- Fast fact: 82% of women in executive-level jobs played sports in high school or post-secondary school. And it wasn't about winning, but teamwork. The moments to shake it off and get up again. – Bela Dwivedi @beladwivedi
- On team sports: Even if you're not an athlete, passion, resilience and drive would suffice to lead. – Simone Morris @jubileetown
- On men in women’s ERGs: We open up our membership to men and they get to see things we discuss – our perspective. Very important and necessary. – Marla Britt @Applied_blog
Top #CrystalBall predictions for the year 2020:
- There’s push vs. pull coming. More push [for change, instead of being pulled to do it]. It will be challenging. Game and reward will engage more people in ERG development. –Simone Morris @jubileetown
- Companies are going to realize that ERGs are a great training ground for leaders and use this as a basis for promotion. The Fortune 500 will tap into ERGs to scope leadership for promotion. My advice: Take 1-2 years to scout support for your new network. – Marla Britt @Applied_blog
- ERG will morph to WRG: Workforce Resource Group. – Bela Dwivedi @beladwivedi
The next live HR Trends with Game-Changers Radio episode on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 explores The Workplace Learning Revolution: Redefining Learning for the 21st Century. Follow us on Twitter at #SAPRadio.
- SAP Managed Tags: