What scares you about having a minority-specific employee resource group at your credit union?
If having an ERG didn’t make you afraid, you’d be doing it.
I’ve recently stepped into the role of chair of the Black Alliance Cooperative at $28 billion BECU, Seattle, where I’m also a supervisor in our contact center .
B.A.C. is an employee resource group for 100+ Black-identifying employees at my credit union, as well as open to all people who identify as allies to this group. The group focuses on connecting black employees, educating and bringing awareness to all employees about the black experience overall, and positively impacting our communities.
In this blog, I’ll describe the history of B.A.C., the group’s current work and its plans for the future. I’ll also share some lessons I’ve learned and some points you may want to ponder. I hope this information will help you boost your existing employee resource group or groups—and maybe help you overcome your fear of having one. After all, ERGs can be pathways to helping more employees bring their full selves to work. And this can result in more diversity of thought, better decisions and solid business outcomes.
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