Pauline Clottey, Co-Chair of the Black Employee Network (BEN) at NBCUniversal explains how Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) create communities for employees and help organisations stay in touch with what is important to them.
Pauline first became involved in the Black Employee Network (BEN) at NBCUniversal in 2020 following the death of George Floyd. “My colleague and I brought Black employees together on a call for support and discussion and this inspired us to make our voices heard,” she says “NBCUniversal’s London chapter organically started from that initial meeting.”
This timing also coincided with a multi-year, $100 million investment from the company dedicated to fighting racial injustice and that encouraged input from employees.
As Co-Chair of BEN London, Pauline’s role includes championing the ERG’s goals, representing the ERG externally and leading the planning and execution of its strategy. She adds, “I’m in regular communication with network members, other ERGs and senior leadership”.
BEN has two senior sponsors and Pauline says: “They are both hands-on in their approach and have been a huge asset, using their influence to represent BEN’s views to effect evolution and systemic change“.
Pauline says they measure the ERG’s impact both qualitatively and quantitatively to understand whether they are catering to the members’ requirements and achieving its goals. ”We use feedback and measurement to inform our approach for upcoming initiatives,” she explains.
One of the ERG’s key achievements is their Mentorship Programme which is focused on empowering employees of Black heritage and helping to equip them with useful tools to navigate their careers. Pauline explains, “We provide Mentees with access to senior executives and provide tailored sessions covering everything from communicating your personal brand to building strength and resilience. We attract Mentors of all backgrounds and they all participate in training that, among other things, guides them on how to mentor inclusively”.
She says that there has been incredibly positive feedback from the programme with both Mentees and Mentors finding it valuable. “Mentees have experienced positive changes in their careers and Mentors have benefited from working with their Mentees, citing how much they have learned from the programme” she adds.
Some of the ERG’s other achievements include contributing to internal conversations with NBCUniversal’s HR and Talent teams on initiatives to attract and retain under-represented groups. They have also worked with external partners, including charities, to host student networking and speaker sessions.
Pauline says that ERGs such as BEN are important because they increase the sense of community and inclusion for employees. She explains, “They give members a safe space to share their thoughts, feel included and celebrate achievements.”
She observes that whilst her organisation has always supported ERGs, they have increased in number. There are 9 community-specific ERGs with hubs across the US, Europe, Latin America and in Asia Pacific.
In the UK, employees can join five other ERGs, in addition to BEN. NBCUniversal also has ERGs in the US, Latin America and in Asia Pacific. Globally, BEN has been part of NBCUniversal since the early 2000s and currently has 22 chapters, with over 2900 members.
There are also community groups such as Green Is Universal which represents the organisation’s commitment to sustainability and the Parents and Carers Network. Furthermore, in the last few years several business divisions have set up DEI groups. “The increased support and prominence of ERGs and awareness of DEI is a positive change for all employees” Pauline explains.
Pauline is most proud of BEN members sharing positive feedback about how much the ERG means to them. She says that she has also benefited personally from being a Co-Chair, adding, “Being a committee member has provided me with opportunities to develop skills outside of my day job. All of this is a huge boost to an employee’s experience.”
