At Radius we often hear about employee network or employee resource group (ERG) members who go above and beyond the call of duty, combining the role with a busy “day job”. Rewarding and recognising ERG members can be a powerful way to promote engagement, collaboration and innovation. Here are some best practices to consider when implementing a reward and recognition programme for your employee network members.
- Focus on collective efforts: ERGs are often made up of diverse groups with different skills, interests, and goals. When designing your reward and recognition programme, it’s important to focus on the group’s collective efforts and not just individual performance. This will ensure members continue to collaborate with each other as well as to work with other networks to enhance inclusion across the organisation.
- Promote innovation and creativity: By recognising and rewarding innovative contributions, organisations can encourage employees to come up with new solutions. The business case for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is about avoiding groupthink. By specifically rewarding and recognising new and different ideas, you’ll actively enable the benefits of diversity. This can lead to increased productivity, improved customer satisfaction, and a competitive advantage in the marketplace. And perhaps more importantly, your ERG members will feel seen and valued for their contributions.
- Be transparent and consistent: Ensure that your recognitions are consistent, and fair. Employees should understand how rewards are earned and what they need to do to be eligible. Sometimes rewards have unintended consequences. so observe the impact on behaviour too. What you offer should be meaningful and aligned with the interests and preferences of employees. For example, while an organisation may benefit from enhancing the visibility of black, disabled or female leaders, individual employees may not want to be showcased. Ask your ERG members what would feel empowering and motivating for them.
If you are an employee network leader or EDI professional, you’ll know that great recognition pays dividends. But this can be hard to do well in a busy work environment. Rewarding and recognising employee network members is a powerful way to promote engagement, collaboration, and innovation. By focusing on collective efforts and being transparent and consistent, rewards and recognition can accelerate ERG motivation and commitment.
