ERGs Engage Employees & Drive Better Business in the Triangle

Since being introduced in the early 1970s, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have played a pivotal role in creating positive change within businesses large and small — and some in between.

These voluntary, employee-led groups foster diverse, inclusive workplaces aligned with organizational missions, values, goals, business practices, and objectives.

ERGs aid in the development of future business leaders, increase employee engagement, and expand marketplace understanding and know how.

These important groups also allow employees to be heard, to be valued, and to be engaged within their companies. And this leads to better employee retention, recruitment, and business innovation.

Roughly 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies have ERG programs, as do an increasing number of mid-sized and small companies. On average, about 8 percent of employees at these Fortune 500 companies participate in an ERG, and this figure also is on the rise.

As business leaders here in the Triangle, our promise to our customers, industry, society, and each other is to deliver our best every day. We can only do that by being open to the full range of experiences and perspectives our differences provide.

ERGs help fuel diversity and inclusion for companies in the Triangle by fostering an environment that allows for and rewards creativity, openness, responsibility, and entrepreneurial spirit.

BASF has championed ERGs as part of our Diversity + Inclusion programs, to help foster a work environment that thrives on employee engagement and helps us deliver on our goal to be a leader in agriculture for our customers and employees.

Within our ERGs, BASF team members network with coworkers who have similar interests and backgrounds, build knowledge and skills, and learn about markets and customers. 

Our ERGs foster a sense of community and belonging, and help employees develop personally and professionally while driving business success. Our 10 ERGs include:

• African American Employee Group (AAEG)
• ALLchemie (BASF’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Friends) Group
• Asian Business Community (ABC)
• Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities (AViD)
• Emerging Professionals & Friends Employee Group
• Latin American Employee Group (LAEG)
• Veterans Employee Team (VETS)
• Remote Employee Community
• Parents at BASF
• Women at BASF (WIB)

BASF’s Diversity + Inclusion initiatives, including our ERGs, are championed by our Diversity and inclusion Council, an inclusion steering committee for our North American leadership team.

Our team understands an inclusive work environment that values diversity of employees’ talents, experiences, thoughts and ideas, leads to innovation and better performance. Our focus on people has established a culture that continues to attract, develop, and retain diverse talent.

ERGs represent the strength of BASF and provide employees a convenient way to network. About 8,000 employees, or 40% of our workforce in North America participate in ERGs that celebrate and promote diversity, helping to make inclusion a hallmark at BASF.

As they have since the early 1970s, ERGs will continue to evolve as the business environment continues to be more challenging and complex.

Something that won’t change, however, is the role of ERGs in delivering a competitive edge for businesses here in the Triangle while creating personal advantages for employees.

(Stephanie Jensen is Director of BASF’s Agricultural Solutions Professional & Specialty Solutions North America division. With more than 20 years of experience, her non-traditional path has led to roles of increasing responsibility within the agriculture industry and at BASF, specifically. Jensen is executive sponsor of BASF’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, providing oversight and direction for the company’s ERGs.)