The power of Employee Networks

The power of Employee Networks

Employee Networks are critical to delivering your organisation's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion priorities.

Since 2020 there has been a steady increase in employers setting up Employee Networks partly due to a shift in societal attitudes and growing need to address structural inequalities in the workplace.

Maybe you're considering setting up an Employee Network for the first time?

The benefits of Employee Networks if set up in the right way and with proper structure, senior sponsorship and ways of working can help your employer:

🧲 Improve its ability to attract talent from underrepresented groups through providing insight in improving hiring policies and processes and being actively involved with your talent attraction strategies helping your organisation to tap into a much wider talent pool and addressing bias at each stage of the hiring process

💼 Provide career development opportunities for Employee Networks, helping them progress into leadership roles and providing opportunities for mentorship

🫶 Creates a safe space for employees to share their experiences of barriers in the workplace and shape future decisions and policies that help your organisation to better support a more diverse workforce to thrive and retain talent

🗣️Employee Networks can provide valuable insight into the needs of consumer groups and help you develop products and services that better resonate and respond to different consumer groups' needs. Tesco is an example of this where they gathered insights from their staff network to develop plasters that better match different skin tones of customers

So how can Employee Networks be a force for good?

♥️ Be clear on your why: there must be a clear rationale for setting up a network, its purpose and how it feeds into the company’s Inclusion Agenda.

📑 The network has a clear term of reference, structure and governance

📆 There is a programme of key topics to discuss or lead on including events.

📣 It is recognised and utilised as part of any consultation with staff.

🏗️ There is support from senior management to ensure any issues raised are then actioned.