Were just really getting started, but if you look at the group of people at our meetings, its super diversewe have people from all over the Bank. Taken together, however, Persons with disabilities are the largest minority group in the United States, noted a representative from St. Louis-based Paraquad, who spoke at the employee resource groups kickoff. A corporate commitment to a disability diverse and inclusive workforce requires that digital products and content be fully usable by a companys employees and job applicants with disabilities. WebThese groups are also known as Affinity Groups or Business Resource Groups (BRGs). As a result, the group struggled to obtain resources and funding. Nicholas Jones et al., 2020 census illuminates racial and ethnic composition of the country, US Census Bureau, August 12, 2021. Hosted by Current Global, Webinar: International Day of Persons with Disabilities Microsoft Exclusive, Webinar: Disability Inclusion: Building Inclusive Cultures Hosted by CECP, Disability:IN & NILG Webinar: Mental Health in the Workplace, Creating Accessible Digital Zoom Meetings Resource from Inclusion Works, Minority Mental Wellness Disability:IN Webinar, Best Practices for Accessible, Inclusive Communications, Infographic: Global Disability & Employment, Purchasing and Licensing Accessible Video Conferencing Platforms that Work for Everyone, Digital Accessibility: Getting 2021 Off to an Inclusive Start, Disability Fundamentals Training for Managers, Questions for Captioning and Transcription Vendors During Procurement Process, Supplier Certification Document Checklist, Digital Accessibility Statement Best Practices, ADA Past, Present & Future: Resources. Learn more about the Econ Lowdown Teacher Portal and watch a tutorial on how to use our online learning resources. Analyze data to detect, prevent, and mitigate fraud. Accessible procurement is key to that commitment. Prevent, detect, and investigate crime. Out of awareness and understanding arise the final parts of the groups focus: allyship and advocacy. These include the following. Through our research and work with hundreds of organizations, weve observed the pitfalls that make ERGs ineffectivealong with what leading companies do to avoid these pitfalls. These groups help businesses learn to accommodate, attract, retain, and market to people with disabilities (PWD). Representing 17 ethnicity groups, the mission of the Asians employee resource group is to accelerate the advancement of Asian employees at Microsoft, increase the communitys influence, and build a network of camaraderie and support within the community and with allies. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Readthis articlefor more information on those considerations. Social media is a critical component of inclusive communications. It can enable families to buy a home or a car, start a business, pursue an education, or withstand a medical emergency or drop in income. Its official goals include promoting greater awareness and understanding of people with disabilities through advocacy and allyship. WebDisability Employee Resource Groups. as employees settle into the daily routines of their jobs. Create accessible and universally designed workplaces, spaces, processes and opportunities. This checklist outlines required documents needed to become a certified Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE), including Veteran Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (V-DOBE) and Service-Disabled Veteran Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (SDV-DOBE). Try these steps to get back on the upswing when you are on a down cycle in your accessibility journey. Almost no one has running an ERG as their primary job, most people try to squeeze ERG work in around their other main job responsibilities. Web1. This maturity model helps you start an ERG, and develop plans for continuous improvement. Last week, I wrote about how important disability-focused employee resource groups are to creating an environment where employees with disabilities feel comfortable disclosing them and in turn helping others. This week Im going to describe some steps to take to build or relaunch one. What is an ERG anyways? Their ERG work is often made more difficult because many ERGs dont share practices or resources with one another. We looked at how ERGs that were rated as effective in one of five dimensionsexternal engagement, allyship, leadership connection, employee community building, and career advancementcorrelated with employee inclusion and belonging (see sidebar The five dimensions of ERG activity). Wont be able to find candidates with disabilities; Might find some candidates with disabilities, but they dont feel comfortable self identifying, or. #block-googletagmanagerheader .field { padding-bottom:0 !important; } Why accessibility bugs are a good thing and how to handle them, Using plain language is essential for content accessibility, increase their personal development in the workplace, improve recruiting in the areas the ERGs focus on. Military at Microsoft advocates for current and former military members, spouses, and supporters worldwide. Download these disability inclusion posters and social media graphics to promote inclusion and awareness within your company. WebEmployee Resource and Diversity Working Groups are responsible for developing and implementing a wide variety of initiatives that directly assist the Laboratory in meeting its diversity-related goals and objectives. The group is dedicated to increasing representation of Latinos within Thomson Reuters, raising an understanding of our diverse cultures and eliminating stereotypes through education. According to the National Disability Institute, Americans with disabilities have [], Best Known Methods for Creating Accessible Digital Microsoft Teams Meetings Download the Teams Resource DOCX Notes: Microsoft Teams continuously upgrades its accessibility features and options. U.S. Census Bureau. An agency within the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution AveNW A lot of Disability ERG work revolves around communications, especially if you are a large multi-national corporation. To avoid this pitfall, effective ERG leaders align with their companys DEI team and communicate extensively about the ERGs purpose and goals. WebResources that the ERG/BRGs of the Disability:IN partner companies have found useful are listed under three categories: 1. ERGs foster inclusion in a number of ways, including by helping employees feel that they belong and are part of a community, especially through connections that counter the feelings of being an only within an organization. If ERG members want to expand the ERGs remit and activities by, for example, taking a more active role in debiasing internal processes or shaping corporate giving strategy, ERG leadership should decide whether to expand their scope of activities. An employee resource group for people with disabilities provides a great testing group to ensureyour website or other resource are accessible. I joke that since this effort started, officially kicked off, the floodgates of subject matter have just flung wide open, she said. Our research found that ERGs are more likely to be effective in community building than any other dimension (Exhibit 3). It is important when starting any type of ERG not to overload too few people with too many responsibilities. View the Zoom Webinar. ol{list-style-type: decimal;} Employee Resource Groups; ERG. WebEmployee Resource Groups. Every day, we strive to create and nurture a culture of inclusion. WebUtilized by 247 Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 corporations in 2022, the DEI tool benchmarks a corporations disability inclusion efforts. For Pusch, a senior instructional designer at the Banks Center for Learning Innovation, a deeper understanding of accessibility considerations follows awareness. .paragraph--type--html-table .ts-cell-content {max-width: 100%;} If other ERGs exist at your organization, looking at the way they have done things is frequently a good guideline. An invisible disability can be physical. ERGs also provide new employees with disabilities a community and a sense of belonging within the company, and help them feel less conspicuous. WebWe encourage employee connection through our network of Intel chartered 40+ Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Leadership Councils (LCs). Being able to access information equally ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity for education, employment, and success in life.. This week Im going to describe some steps to take to build or relaunch one. Disability ERGs offer great opportunities for employees with disabilities to build a community and develop professional relationships outside of the confines of their given departments. A newer employee may have insights into how the company can better accommodate everyone. TheThomson Reuters Veterans Networkexists to bring awareness to veterans in the workplace, to show appreciation to those who have served or are currently serving, and as a support group for employees who are active Guard and Reserve members, as well as those recently transitioning from active duty, to help with transition from military deployments. An employee resource group for people with disabilities provides a great testing group t. your website or other resource are accessible. Employee Resource Groups The Disability Equality Index (DEI), a joint initiative with the American Association of People with Disabilities, is a benchmarking tool that provides an objective score and roadmap on disability inclusion policies and practices. Either your organization: Disability ERGs are a huge win for everyoneemployees (both those involved in the group that are leaders, and those that are members), the organization itself, and members of the public who may be treated with less bias when applying for a position with the organization. Identify patterns of potentially fraudulent behavior with actionable analytics and protect resources and program integrity. Formal ERGs. How to build a disability employee resource group | Guardian For example, an employee who is blind or has low vision may not feel comfortable presenting in front of a crowd and has never had the opportunity to practice that skill to gain confidence in it. Especially in larger companies with many office locations or departments, ERGs offer employees the opportunity to network with workers in other areas of the company. Also having anERG leadership transition planis important. We conducted our conversations and research in late 2020 through early 2021. Mayo Clinic | Employees with Disabilities @media (max-width: 992px){.usa-js-mobile-nav--active, .usa-mobile_nav-active {overflow: auto!important;}} However your company is working this year, accessibility is essential to ensuring that employees and applicants with disabilities are part of that work. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Blue Pride Day #8 Establish an Employee Resource Group - DOL .table thead th {background-color:#f1f1f1;color:#222;} Employees with disabilities can share tools and ideas with one another, upper management, and the company as a whole to ensure their needs are met and that they are professionally successful. In honor of World Mental Health Day on October 10th, join Disability:IN and the National Industry Liaison Group (NILG) to hear speakers from multi-national corporations discuss their actions to promote mental wellness across their company. Web"Salesforce is a place for employees of all abilities. It also spotlights the people and programs that make the St. Louis Fed central to Americas economy. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines ERGs as non-union voluntary employee organizations led and comprised of members of the organization, formed around common interests. A companys LGBTQ+ ERG had an active leadership team, which organized events such as participation in Pride marches and unconscious-bias training. A powerful tax and accounting research tool. Most companies today have what is known as employee resource or affinity groups. We see several ways in which ERGs can help advance companies DEI efforts. Representing employees with conditions such as hearing loss, blindness, visual impairments, ADD, mobility disabilities, and dyslexia, the Microsoft Disability employee resource group drives internal visibility and collaborates with product teams to design, develop, and build accessible, inclusive products. The opportunity for organizations is clear: to position their ERGs as sources of ideas and engines for change. WebMost commonly, employees of similar ethnicities, gender identities, or sexual orientations form employee resource groups to give them a space to discuss their experiences at To avoid conflicts between the strategies of ERGs and corporate DEI teams, effective DEI teams share their strategies with ERGs so the groups can devote activities and resources to overall DEI strategy.