ERGs need allies in times of crisis: Here’s how you can help

Employee resource groups (ERGs) are spaces where employees expand leadership skills, further innovation, and build strong relationships. Particularly in moments of collective distress for underrepresented groups, it’s often a company’s ERGs that are both affected by crises and expected to respond to them. That’s why these groups need allies both in and outside their ranks.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, there are ways to help ERGs thrive in any external landscape.

1. Welcome everyone into ERG membership.

   One of the best ways to support ERGs is to welcome employees from every background into them. Growing ERGs with more members, as well as encouraging allyship from those who hold different lived experiences, fosters more innovative and effective responses to crises. As Zeynep Ince, Global Head of Inclusion & Diversity at PMI, said at the 2025 ENERGIZE conference: “If we want to drive meaningful change, we need to bring more people together. It shouldn’t be a small group.”

2. Develop a plan for how ERGs will support each other.

   In their annual plan, ERGs should include how they will support employees when internal and external challenges arise. At ENERGIZE 2024, Jamie Bergeron, Associate Director of Strategy and Operations Team Leader at EY, advised: “Thinking through what kind of collaborative ally you want to be among the entire ERG community at your organization is an investment of time and strategy that makes it possible for us to show up authentically and stay connected with one another." That way, when crises arise, ERGs already have a clear and unified response.

3. Empower employees to check in on each other.

   Checking in on one another is an intentional and proactive action ERG leaders and allies can take to create real connections among colleagues—so that, if someone is in need, support is available. Empathy can make a big difference for employees navigating challenges in the workplace or externally. According to Nicole McCormick, Senior Manager - National Assignment & Indigenous News Team, CityNews, Rogers Communications: "What we see over and over is that people really freeze. They really hesitate to [...] ping someone, send that email, walk over to their desk.” ERGs can create how-to guides to share best practices for these one-on-one check ins. For example, the business resource groups at CityNews reframed checking in to be “a really intentional and proactive action that we should incorporate not just in times of collective distress but all of the time so that we actually are more connected in real ways to what we each actually need.”

4. Create space for curiosity.

   Creating initiatives that encourage curiosity and question-asking, such as having a "Be Curious Week,” helps employees discuss challenging topics with better awareness. At ENERGIZE 2025, Nicholas Babij, Process Chemist at Corteva Agriscience, named curiosity as one key to building connection with colleagues. “Be curious for yourself and appeal to other people’s curiosity.”

5. Offer to temporarily ease workloads.

   If employees notice that colleagues are struggling, Bergeron said that “those are great opportunities for an aspiring ally to get really tactical.” She advised that in addition to asking, “What can I do to support you?” you can also ask, “What can I take off your plate?” She said that this results in “taking some of that workload toward activation so that those in community can focus on one another, on caring for one another, and still get to the thing that needs to get done.” Bergeron noted that, “Clearing space and time for people in moments where they need to focus their attention on themselves, their families, or their communities, is one of the most important and impactful ways that we can show up for one another one-to-one or ERG-to-ERG.”

6. Encourage charitable initiatives.

   Giving back is a great way to strengthen community ties and bring people together. Mariel Borrel, Inclusion & Diversity Program Lead at Phillips66, named charitable partnerships with outside organizations as a vital tool to grow their ERG networks—and a great strategy to boost morale and increase an ERG’s impact.

7. Celebrate small wins.

   Keep in mind: This is a long game. ERGs are a powerful strategy to create strong talent pipelines, improve retention, and advance the next generation of leaders. Every contribution an ERG makes advances to these larger organizational goals. Allies can encourage these efforts by supporting ERG initiatives.