Elizabeth Creveling of Zoetis offers a sneak preview of this online event for employee resource groups (ERGs).
At Catalyst enERGize on 5 June 2024, an online event for corporate employee resource group (ERG) leaders, members, and sponsors—as well as other DEI leaders—we will learn how to engage in effective partnership.
Elizabeth Creveling, Senior Director, Inclusion & Engagement of Catalyst Award-winner Zoetis, will kickstart the event at a session titled “The Power of ERGs in Driving Inclusion and Innovation.” We reached out to Creveling in advance to obtain a sneak peek of what she will share with the Catalyst community.
What ERGs does Zoetis have, and how do they fit in with your DEI strategy?
At Zoetis we have nine Colleague Resource Groups, or CRGs. We view them as catalysts of our DE&I strategy, fostering an inclusive environment while positively impacting our business and community. Our CRGs are:
- Adaptable, Limitless, Insightful, Vital & Experienced (ALIVE50+), focused on supporting colleagues over age 50,
- Asians Rising Together (ART),
- Black Employees Leading in Inclusion, Equity, Vision, Education, Recruitment and Strategy (BELIEVERS),
- The Differently-abled Neurodiversity Alliance (DNA),
- LaZos – Latinx CRG at Zoetis,
- Proud And Welcome (PAW), supporting the LGBTQ+ community,
- Women Achieving Vision, Excellence and Success (WAVES),
- Zoetis Early Career Champions (ZECC),
- and Zoetis Veterans Engage Together & Support (ZVETS).
Our DE&I strategy is focused on embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion across four pillars: culture, colleagues, careers, and community—our CRGs contribute to all areas. For example, to support careers at Zoetis, our CRGs offer their members professional development programming. To support our communities, our CRGs partner with the Zoetis Foundation each year to recommend non-profit grantees that align across the Zoetis and CRGs’ mission (for example, our ALIVE50+ CRG recommended Pets for the Elderly as a 2023 Foundation grantee).
Your enERGize session is on how ERGs drive innovation. This is so interesting; many of us don’t think of ERGs as helping with innovation. Can you explain how this happens?
At Zoetis, we believe innovation takes many forms and all colleagues can inspire innovation. Our Colleague Resource Groups have contributed many ideas that have led to innovative processes, policies, and programs. For example, our WAVES CRG worked with our talent team to create a unique pod mentorship program for its members, and our PAW CRG contributed to the creation of global gender transition resources for colleagues.
Please share best practices for ERGs to drive meaningful change and any success stories.
We create intentional and frequent connections between our CRGs and Zoetis senior leaders, including our executive team. These listening sessions, networking lunches, or events elevate diverse voices and provide a safe environment for education and growth. In a recent leadership listening session with our Differently-abled Neurodiversity Alliance CRG, new hires shared about their experience joining Zoetis, and attendees walked away with practical tips on how to create a supportive candidate experience for all and how to ask inclusive interview questions.
How are you supporting your Colleague Resource Groups so they continue to thrive?
Our Colleague Resource Groups are still in their very early stages and are growing rapidly. We are continuously looking to improve and innovate the ways that we support them. We often evaluate the resources and guidance we provide to CRGs to ensure they can continue to grow and thrive and contribute to our strategy effectively.