Employee Resource Group (ERG) leaders share their best advice for running an ERG
By: Kristal Cobb, Director of Culture, Belonging & Diversity at Chegg
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have officially been a part of Chegg for about four years. Some of the ERG leaders have been leading their groups for several years. And earlier today, during our company end of year All Hands, we took the opportunity to acknowledge their work and reflect on their accomplishments.
Chegg’s six ERGs educate, build awareness and improve engagement and retention for our employees. Members find community and connection, and they expand their networks. The ERGs also support inclusive recruitment for prospective employees. And group leaders gain career and leadership skills, as well as mentorship from their executive sponsors.
I recently sat down with some of the ERG leaders, who are retiring from their ERG leadership roles at the end of the year, to get their advice for others who lead Employee Resource Groups.
Chris Ryan, chair of the Chegg Pride ERG for the past two years, was encouraged by his colleagues to start Chegg Pride after they saw the need for LGBTQIA+ representation and community. The group launched during Pride Month in June of 2019. Leading this ERG taught Chris the real impact of diversity and inclusion and how much representation means to him personally. During the past two years, Chris has helped Chegg Pride raise $60,000 for various LGBTQIA+ charities, notably Rainbow Railroad and TransTech Social Enterprises.
Melanie Zhao became involved in the CheggHER ERG a couple of years ago, and officially became co-chair earlier this year. She has put on many events at Chegg, including workshops on salary negotiation and effective communication on Zoom, and she helped raise almost $20,000 for the National Network to End Domestic Violence as part of Women’s History Month. This organization was especially close to her heart, and Melanie was amazed to see the extended Chegg community engaging with it.
Melanie said, “I’ve always been passionate about equality. I’ve been lucky to have wonderful mentors in my life that taught me the rules of engagement for the corporate tech world, and how to play the game as a woman. I wanted to help build a community at Chegg where we could all share that kind of knowledge and support.”
It’s also important to surround yourself with support. At Chegg, each ERG is usually led by two co-chairs and a few other committee members who can share the workload, but also help with brainstorming and networking. Melanie added, “There have been so many times where we’re looking for a speaker, and someone you wouldn’t expect says, ‘My former coworker’s wife is the perfect person!’ ”
Krystal Alvarez signed up to lead Umoja Para Todos, the ERG supporting Black and Hispanic employees and allies, two years ago after creating events for Hispanic Heritage Month in Chegg’s San Francisco office. Krystal believes that companies must take a stand on critical issues, like civil liberty and justice. She said, “Companies that care about employees in the BIPOC population are companies that recruit, retain, and foster BIPOC employees.”
Krystal’s advice for others thinking of participating in an ERG is simple: “If you have an opportunity to give a voice to a community at your job and uplift employees that often don’t feel seen, please take it. You never know who you are helping when you are able to give an unseen community a platform.”
Devonya Batiste has co-chaired the Umoja Para Todos ERG along with Krystal ever since she joined Chegg in early 2019. Devonya said that she found an ERG that really spoke to her experiences, her wants, and her dreams of diversity in the tech industry. She saw the potential for the ERG to grow (in terms of both members and intersectionality). She explained, “I’ve learned that, as an ERG chair, ERGs have strength in numbers, and the more driven your members are, the more impactful your ERG can be. I’m proud to say that I truly feel impactful as a co-chair of UPT.”
Devonya also had some excellent advice for others thinking of volunteering to lead an ERG. “The truth of the matter is that it takes a special person with fantastic sthenic to juggle effectively running an ERG and still performing optimally at the job that you were hired for. My advice is to know where to put your effort into and, to do so, really connect with your members and ask what would most benefit them. Remember, their interests will help spark others’ interests in your ERG, helping your membership grow.”
This group of ERG leaders has laid the foundation, and a new crop of leaders at Chegg are looking forward to evolving these groups even more in 2022.
Learn more about our culture, people and life at Chegg here.
