Many ERG leaders are working hard, yet their efforts still struggle to attract business attention and funding. The issue is not effort. It is that most ERGs are not positioned to connect their work to performance, growth, or operational outcomes.
In this episode, Andres Gonzalez, Vice President and Chief Belonging and Community Engagement Officer at Froedtert ThedaCare Health, shares how his teams have repositioned ERGs to drive measurable results across a large healthcare system, improving access, expanding market reach, and strengthening operating performance.
Key Insight
One of the most powerful shifts he describes is moving ERGs from internal community groups to sources of business insight. When employee and community perspectives are treated as strategic intelligence, they begin to influence how organizations serve customers and grow in the market.
In one case, insights from employees and community members led to changes in how care was delivered to underserved populations, producing significant improvements in utilization, satisfaction, and access. The details behind how that happened and how ERGs were involved are worth hearing directly.
What ERG and Inclusion Leaders Should Consider
- Position your ERG as a contributor to business performance, not just culture
- Focus on problems the business is already trying to solve
- Build relationships beyond HR into core business functions
- Think in terms of outcomes, not activities
The gap between ERGs that get attention and those that get investment often comes down to how their work is framed and executed. This conversation breaks down what that shift looks like in practice. If you want your work to be taken seriously as a business driver, this is an episode worth listening to.
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