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Here’s the great news.
You’re not alone. There are individuals like you who are
active at work in what many companies call employee resource
groups (ERGs), designed to help you connect with, and learn
from, others who are going through a similar experience.
They focused on Latinos or Asians or Women, or Gen Y or Gen
X or Baby Boomers, or Gay/Lesbian, and many others. You are
in good company.
What’s an ERG, you ask? It is a company-supported and
employee-managed team comprised of employees who share an
affinity, a common background, or a similar set of
experiences who work together to promote each other's
development while identifying opportunities that support a
company’s goals. These groups serve their members by
providing a forum to network, develop personally and
professionally, identify issues of concern and ways to solve
them, and provide mutual support.
Does this promote segregation among different groups, you
ask? It most certainly does not, as long as membership
remains open to all employees, regardless of the employees'
backgrounds. This means, for example, that an employee
doesn't have to be Latino to join the Latino group. Thus,
ERGs also offer an opportunity for employees to learn and
better appreciate the background of employees who may be
different than their own.
ERGs are increasingly being used to strategically advance
business goals by using members' ideas for marketing
campaigns, targeting fast-growing markets, and as a means of
strengthening the company's ability to attract, develop, and
retain the best talent. Because they often work with the
local communities, they also help to enhance the company's
brand image.
Want to join an ERG? There is very good chance that there
are a number of them to choose from in your office. Join one
of them. If none exists that meets your needs, ask around.
You may be able to start one yourself, and in the process
you will meet new, talented people while demonstrating your
leadership skills to everyone around you.
View all of
Raymond's Blogs
Raymond's Bio
Raymond Arroyo is the Chief
Diversity Officer at Aetna, one of the nation's
leading diversified health care benefits companies
in the U.S. In this role, Raymond develops leads,
influences, and implements diversity-related policy
across the entire business enterprise of more than
30,000 employees. He also works closely with the
senior management of the company to integrate the
diversity strategy into the business processes which
have contributed to successfully differentiating
Aetna in the marketplace and to positioning it as
the industry leader in fostering an inclusive and
productive work environment.
Prior to joining Aetna, Raymond was a Human
Resources and Diversity executive at Altria Group
Inc., the parent company of Kraft Foods Global, Inc.
Philip Morris Capital Corp., Philip Morris
International and Philip Morris USA. While at Altria,
he developed and implemented diversity, work/life
and affirmative action strategies and initiatives
that helped position Altria as an employer of choice
and a recognized and respected best company for
diversity.
As an HR Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Raymond
developed work/life balance, diversity, and
recruiting strategies that resulted in the building
of a diverse and high-performing culture and
strengthening of the relationships with national
minority organizations. These organizations
supported and contributed to reaching PwC business
and community-related goals.
Raymond is co-founder and immediate past president
of the Puerto Ricans in Management and Executive
Roles (PRIMER), a member of the Corporate Advisory
Board of the Association of Latino Professionals in
Finance and Accounting (ALPFA), and a member of the
Corporate and Philanthropic Council of the Hispanic
Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). He
has served on several boards and has built strong
relationships with many national professional
organizations, including the National Association of
Black Accountants, the National Society of Hispanic
MBAs (NSHMBA), and the National Black MBA
Association. Raymond is a former chairman and
charter member of NSHMBAs’ Corporate
Advisory Board. He is a frequent guest speaker at
events focusing on building strong
relationship-based networks and diversity-related
best practices.
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