Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are an extension of the day-to-day responsibilities at Nielsen (No. 32 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list), allowing associates to enhance their personal development and have fun while completing their daily tasks. The company recently held the fourth-annual ERG Experience Week (also known as enERGize Week), with more than 3,200 associates in 71 offices across 49 countries coming together for a week full of enERGizing activities.
“In order to ensure our ERGs continue to grow and do the amazing work, prospective ERG members have to know what is in it for them,” said Sherri Dublin, Vice President, Diversity Programs, Nielsen. “During ERG Experience Week, we emphasized the power of ERGs to develop our associates both personally and professionally, in order to show interested associates how they can connect joining an ERG back to their lives and careers.”
To kick off enERGize 2017, Angela Talton, Nielsen’s Chief Diversity Officer, hosted two virtual, global town hall meetings. In these meetings, she, along with other leaders from Shanghai, Dubai and Oxford, U.K., shared perspectives on the value ERGs bring to Nielsen’s business. She emphasized her vision for ERGs as “innovation think tanks,” leveraging the unique backgrounds, skills and perspectives of associates to bring valuable solutions to clients.
This year during “enERGize week,” Nielsen prioritized providing meaningful, relevant professional development and work-life balance instruction to its associates around the world. As part of this initiative, more than 2,000 Nielsen employees participated in internal workshops covering topics such as persuasive storytelling, unconscious bias and fueling growth through multicultural insights and solutions.
There were also sessions specifically tailored for people managers focusing on adopting a team culture that is conducive to innovation. Associates also participated in personal development sessions, which covered improving emotional intelligence, women’s health issues and becoming a change agent. These sessions are just a few of the benefits Nielsen’s employees experience from their ERG membership.
Some of the most exciting results from the week were the launch of 30 new ERG chapters around the world and a 25 percent increase in global ERG membership during the week.
“For the fourth year in a row, ERG Experience (enERGize) Week has served as a catalyst to growth. Year-over-year, membership increases as does the manager participation in our ERGs,” said Talton. “When associates and managers see the benefits of ERG engagement both for the individual via professional development and for the company with client engagement opportunities, making the decision to join an ERG is a no-brainer.”
Additionally, because Nielsen’s ERGs are open to any associate (you need not be a member of the diverse group to join), the company anticipates continued growth particularly given the valuable coaching and mentoring participants receive from the senior executives who sponsor each ERG (two to three per ERG). At Nielsen, ERGs are a crucial component of the company’s overall strategy and a means of infusing diversity and inclusion into everything the company does.
Learn moreabout Nielsen’s ERGs and global diversity & inclusion strategy.
