ERGs have always fascinated me. They’re one of the few places inside companies where employees can connect honestly about identity, belonging, and equity. At Forté, we see the same dynamics play out across organizations — networks fueling growth and resilience. But in 2025, those havens look different.
Back in 2022, identity-based networks were gaining momentum. Forté was working closely with women’s ERGs at member companies, learning what made them tick. Then McKinsey put out Effective employee resource groups are key to inclusion at work, and their four best practices became the baseline:
- Make sure ERGs know exactly why they exist and how they connect to company goals
- Be honest about what ERGs can do — and what they can’t
- Give ERGs consistent resources and executive engagement
- Support ERG leaders so they’re not doing everything alone
Fast forward to 2025: political polarization, legal guardrails, budget scrutiny, and layoff anxiety have knocked that post-pandemic momentum off balance. Still, I can’t shake the conviction that ERGs remain one of the most powerful levers for inclusion and belonging in this volatile DEI landscape.
So I reached out to ERG leaders at member companies and talked to MBA alumni in our network. It’s not a statistically significant sample — no glossy framework — just my early hunches on what’s shifting:
- Names are shifting, not missions. “Equity” may be rebranded as “Belonging,” but the goals of connection and advocacy remain intact.
- Participation is cooling. With legal caution and layoff anxiety in the air, employees weigh the risks before raising their hands.
- Programming is lighter. Deep-dive workshops are giving way to flexible, drop-in formats that feel safer for wider audiences.
- Language is under review. Terms like “equity” or “allyship” trigger scrutiny, while “culture” and “community” slip more easily through.
What do you think? Are you seeing the same shifts? I’m collecting your observations to see if we can piece together an honest, no-fluff picture of what ERGs need most in 2025. Contact me at amy@Fortefoundation.org with your observations.
