Key takeaways_

• After one year of running ERGs, we’ve learned what drives engagement, and where structure can help or hinder.
• The biggest improvements came from making ERGs feel more accessible: smaller, lower-pressure sessions and less formal ownership.
• Going into year two, the focus is on fewer, more intentional sessions backed by visible leadership support to deepen impact.

A year ago, we launched our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to strengthen connection across the business and create spaces where people could share perspectives, learn from one another and feel supported at work. The response was encouraging: genuine interest, strong early engagement and a clear desire for conversations that don’t always have a natural home in day‑to‑day working life.

Twelve months on, those foundations are still firmly in place. But running ERGs isn’t a static initiative; it’s something that needs to grow with the organisation, reflect how people really work and adapt as needs become clearer. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot about what drives engagement, where structure helps (and where it hinders) and how to design ERGs that feel accessible rather than performative.

This blog is a reflection on that first year: what’s worked well, what we’ve refined and where we’ve seen meaningful impact already.

If you’re running an ERG or considering a similar move to boost culture in your organisation, this should provide practical advice on what to do next, based on our lived experience.

Why we started ERGs_

We introduced Employee Resource Groups to create space for the kinds of conversations that don’t always surface in day‑to‑day work, especially with teams often working remotely or across different offices. As our organisation grew, so did the need for deeper connection.

At their core, our ERGs were about understanding and shared experience. They were a way to support belonging across a workforce that was becoming more diverse in background, perspective and life stage. Most crucially, we wanted to acknowledge that people’s experiences of work are rarely one‑size‑fits‑all. Creating dedicated spaces for those conversations felt like a natural step.

As Louise Otton, our Head of Talent and Culture, explains: “They were never meant to be polished programmes or box‑ticking initiatives. The intention was far simpler than that — to give people somewhere they could come, listen, talk to their colleagues and learn from each other without pressure.”

They were deliberately human. We wanted people to have somewhere they could talk, listen and learn, without pressure to have the right answers or represent anyone but themselves.

Many organisations start ERGs with the right intent. The challenge often comes when that intent meets the realities of busy workloads, varying comfort levels and different expectations of what engagement looks like. Our first year running ERGs gave us valuable insight into that gap, and what it takes to bridge it in practice.

Lessons learned in the first year_

Our first year running ERGs reinforced an important truth: starting them is only the beginning. The real value comes from paying attention to how people engage in practice and being willing to adapt. These are the most meaningful lessons we’ve taken from year one:

1. Engagement can fluctuate, and that’s normal_

Like many organisations, we saw strong early interest when our ERGs launched. Attendance was high, conversations were lively and there was a genuine appetite for the space we’d created. As the year progressed, however, participation naturally became more consistent rather than expansive.

Time pressures and perceived relevance were the biggest barriers. When workloads increase, optional activities are often the first thing people deprioritise, even when they value them.

We learned quickly that a drop in attendance doesn’t mean ERGs aren’t working. More often, it signals an opportunity to adjust format, cadence or focus so sessions feel as relevant and worthwhile as possible for those choosing to attend.

2. Smaller sessions can work better than large_

One of our clearest learnings was that people were happy to join ERG sessions, but far less comfortable contributing in large, online settings. While the intent was to encourage open discussion, the reality was that psychological safety is harder to achieve in virtual forums where people feel observed, recorded or unsure what’s expected of them.

In response, we began shifting towards smaller breakout conversations and lower‑pressure discussion formats. These created more natural opportunities for people to talk, listen and connect, without the expectation of speaking to a large group.

3. Over‑structuring can put people off_

Initially, we introduced formal structures around our ERGs (like champion roles, co‑chairs and defined responsibilities) based on common best‑practice advice. While well intentioned, feedback showed that most people didn’t want the additional responsibility that came with formal ownership.

What we learned was that contribution needs to feel optional, flexible and supported. Not everyone wants to lead, but many are happy to contribute ideas, share experiences or help in small ways. And often, that contribution is more valued by attendees. Simplifying the structure lowered the perceived barrier to involvement and made participation feel more accessible.

4. Cadence matters more than volume_

In year one, running multiple monthly ERG sessions created too much noise, both for organisers and attendees. Even with good content, the frequency became difficult to sustain.

We’ve since moved to a quarterly cadence per ERG, ensuring fewer sessions but with more focus and intent. This change reduced pressure, allowed for better planning and made each session feel more purposeful. Fewer, more meaningful conversations proved far more effective than trying to do everything, every month.

5. ERGs need visible support, not just goodwill_

Finally, we learned that ERGs can’t thrive on enthusiasm alone. Running them without budget or external input limited what we could deliver and relied too heavily on the same people each time.

One of the biggest wins was having clear executive sponsorship for each ERG. Leadership advocacy legitimises ERGs beyond the session itself, ensuring their value is recognised and supported across the organisation. So, these leadership champions proved crucial.

Tangible impact so far_

While ERGs are often viewed as cultural initiatives, our experience over the past year has shown that they can deliver meaningful, measurable impact, even in their early stages.

From an engagement and sentiment perspective, the response has been largely positive. In feedback collected during the year, most participants said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the ERGs, and around 70% said they would recommend attending to a colleague.

When we asked what people valued most, the answer was consistent: personal stories, guest speakers and lived experience resonated far more than formal presentations or generic resources. As Louise explains: “What people valued most was hearing real stories — from colleagues or from guest speakers — because that’s what makes it relatable. It’s those conversations that help people realise they’re not alone, or that there are ways to ask for support they didn’t know about before.”

Beyond sentiment, we’ve also seen clear practical outcomes. Conversations within the neurodiversity ERG, for example, increased awareness around workplace adjustments and highlighted that colleagues do not need a formal diagnosis to ask for support. That insight alone prompted additional conversations between employees and managers about flexible working practices and the tools people need to do their best work.

Other sessions created space for discussions that don’t typically happen openly at work. Conversations around men’s mental health and parenting challenges helped normalise topics that many people struggle to raise elsewhere, particularly in professional settings. For some colleagues, ERGs became a rare opportunity to talk openly, listen to others with similar experiences and feel less alone in challenges they were navigating outside of work.

Advice if you’re considering ERGs_

If there’s one thing our first year running ERGs has reinforced, it’s that there’s no single ‘right’ way to do them. What matters more than templates or frameworks is designing ERGs that reflect how people actually show up at work and being willing to evolve them as you learn. Here are our top tips:

• Start small and avoid over‑engineering: It’s tempting to build structure, roles, and governance from day one, especially when following best practice guidance. Our experience showed that too much structure too early can create unnecessary barriers to engagement. ERGs often work best when they’re allowed to grow organically, shaped by participation rather than process.
• Reduce the ‘ask’ to get involved: Many people are happy to contribute ideas, share experiences or support sessions in small ways, but far fewer want formal responsibility. Keeping involvement flexible and optional makes ERGs more accessible, while culture or leadership teams can provide stability behind the scenes.
• Secure leadership backing early: Visible executive sponsorship gives ERGs credibility and longevity. It signals that these spaces matter to the organisation and that time spent participating isn’t peripheral or discretionary. Leadership advocacy also helps ensure ERGs are represented beyond the sessions themselves.
• Listen to what people want: Frameworks and templates can be useful, but they don’t replace listening. Some of our most valuable insights came from feedback that challenged conventional guidance. ERGs are most effective when they’re shaped by the people they exist for, rather than assumptions about how they should operate.
• Remember that impact isn’t always structural: Not every ERG insight results in a policy change or formal initiative — and that’s okay. Much of the real impact shows up in quieter ways: stronger relationships, safer conversations and greater confidence to speak up or ask for support.

What we’re carrying into year two_

As we move into our second year of ERGs, one thing is clearer than ever: connection is the point. Everything we’ve learned (from formatting and cadence to leadership support and participation) comes back to creating spaces where people feel comfortable showing up, listening and being heard.

Success now looks less like scale and more like substance. It’s about running sessions that feel relevant and worth people’s time, encouraging more voices to take part without raising barriers to entry, and designing ERGs that reflect the reality of our organisation rather than a corporate template borrowed from elsewhere. That means staying flexible, continuing to listen and accepting that ERGs will evolve as the business does.

We’re carrying forward what’s worked, being honest about what hasn’t, and staying open to change. If the first year was about building foundations, year two is about deepening connection – creating ERGs that feel genuinely useful, human and sustainable for the people who engage with them. That’s the focus and it’s the direction we’re continuing to grow into.

And with a stronger culture, backed by the right initiatives, it’s easy to perform effectively. For us, that’s meant achieving 35% growth, upgrading our tech stack and embracing AI. Watch below to hear more from how we’ve achieved it with specific steps and great people: