Responsible companies develop innovative approaches for implementing and managing diversity in corporate culture

On September 23, 2022, a networking breakfast was held on the topic of ERGs - Employee Resource Groups in companies and companies with the kind support of MONETA Money Bank. The topic of the breakfast was „Employee Resource Groups“ (ERGs), which we perceive as an important strategic tool for the development of diversity in the workplace. ERGs represent groupings of employees based on shared identity, origin, experience or interests, and are usually supported by the management of companies and companies.

The first ERGs were created in the United States in the 1960s as a response to racial discrimination and gradually spread to other countries. In the Czech environment, this is a relatively new trend that has appeared in corporate culture only in the last decade.

The event was opened by the CEO of MONETA Money Bank, Tomáš Spurný, who shared his personal experience with diversity and presented the participants with how they perceive diversity and inclusion at MONETA Money Bank. He emphasized that actions and not words are important. Diversity is truly lived at Moneta and is part of the company's DNA.

Klára Escobar, HR Director of MONETA Money Bank, and presented the MON FAIR program - an employee platform for diversity and inclusion. MON FAIR is an advisory body of the MONETA Group's board of directors, and therefore contributes to shaping the company's overall strategy with its proposals. "Our mission is to support diversity, fair access and inclusion of employees," said Klára Escobar, "and the goal is a constructive dialogue between employees with top management and the supervisory board."

The purpose of establishing the MON FAIR is to prevent inequalities, while constantly respecting the differences of our employees and clients. MON FAIR members focused into five pillars, which are support for parents in Moneta (the goal is to facilitate the return from maternity and parental leave), gender diversity (the goal is to increase the number of women in management and reduce the Gender pay gap), MON Pride ( the aim is to eliminate inequalities in relation to LQBTQ+) and MON Step (with the aim of offering employment to persons with disabilities). For now, the last, fifth pillar is MON Care, which supports informal caregivers and focuses on intergenerational dialogue and age management, and so-called sandwich generation.

Mrs. Jana Smolíková, Project Manager at Deloitte presented the ERGs strategy at Deloitte. She spoke in detail about the Ladies@Advisory group, which was created to increase the number of women in leadership, especially in the positions of managers, directors and partners, and to offer women working conditions that support their professional careers. The goal was to identify the causes and plan the next steps to resolve them. The group identified 6 key themes to focus on – from brand perception and leadership style, reassessing key competencies and offering training support (e.g. in business skills) to family and career balance issues including maternity and parental leave. The group immediately focused on things that can be easily and quickly implemented (quick wins), such as support before and during maternity/parental leave including keeping in touch with the company, offering flexible working hours or childcare support. It has also established a detailed "Project Roadmap," based on which it will gradually implement other activities.

As we have seen, the form and activities of ERGs may vary in different companies, but their common goal is to support the given group in the company, educate and advise, and co-create an inclusive work environment.

ERGs bring benefits to both, employees and companies - they connect group members with each other and help them to be an integrated part of the company, help spread awareness and break down prejudices and barriers, improve communication in the company and provide support and further development. These groups can also attract new interesting talents to companies and improve the reputation of the company in the labor market, increase creativity and efficiency in solving challenges and motivation in the company. These groups also prove themselves during the onboarding and adaptation process of newcomers and during their integration into the company. ERGs can also be a great inspiration for public and government employers.

It is definitely worth addressing this topic in companies and companies. If you have interesting experiences with ERGs in your company, we are happy to share them on our website and in our Newsletter. Networking events for shared experiences of good practice are intended only for signatories of the Diversity Charter and members of the BPS platform.