Employee Resource Groups

The Pride ERG does an excellent job in making RTI a safer, more inclusive environment for myself and other LGBTQIA+ staff members. Even outside of ERG specific activities, I have seen the names of many members advancing LGBTQIA+ equity into their work, which is more important than ever before. I am grateful for the outlet and the community that the Pride ERG brings to our workplace.

Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are a huge pillar within our organization and represent approximately 30% of RTI employees. Our ERGs truly advance employee’s inclusion and understanding by engaging with them based on their experiences and the identities of their diverse colleagues. This is so important to have, because it creates a strong sense of belonging in the organization which is ultimately what employees are looking for where they work. The creation of internally diverse organizations helps people feel more engaged and welcomed, which leads to higher levels of retention and career growth. As we take intentional steps to support and nurture our ERGs, RTI will continue to flourish and grow into the organization we want to become. 

ERGs offer staff a safe and nurturing place to develop and grow. The Black Employee Resource Group (BERG) is where I was afforded opportunities to develop as a leader based on my skills, abilities, and potential, rather than solely on past performance. BERG and other ERGs are where missteps and mistakes are viewed as a rite of passage on the journey of learning.  They are a place where RTI’s future leaders can experiment and learn, benefitting them as individuals, their colleagues, and RTI as a whole.

ERGs also provide members a sense of community where their uniqueness is shared, and challenges are understood. This allows them to have real, in-depth conversations about opportunities for the institute and the support to turn those ideas into reality. This is also why their perspectives are valued and sought on a variety of client projects, practice areas, and initiatives throughout the institute. 

A major accomplishment of our ERG that I would like to highlight is how we’ve been able to support our members’ and other colleagues’ well-being through our events.  We have hosted well-being experts like Monica Shephard from TRUE at our General Body meeting where our members were able toreceive and share guidance on well-being tips, practices, and resources. We have hosted numerous fun, community-building events like BERG Care Circles and on-campus lunches. We have been intentional about hearing from our members about their social and emotional well-being needs and how the BERG can support them on their well-being journey. We look forward to continuing the emphasis on collective and individual well-being in the new fiscal year as well.

So many people have helped me succeed at RTI with my dyslexia that I wanted to help others with their disability or help them have the same type of success. The most rewarding aspect is hearing that our work is making a difference. As you may know, the last President’s Forum was the first one to have live captioning or CART. Shortly after the forum, a co-worker reached out to me and said that this was the first time they felt they could fully participate and that meant a lot to them. Something small that went unnoticed for probably 99% of us made all the difference for this person being able to take part in an all-staff event.

Through a clear definition, we will have a shared understanding of what accessibility means and a criterion to measure our actions against. Through building respect, we will have the support we need to advocate for ourselves and others, and through empowerment, employees will have the resources and knowledge we need to bring accessibility to all areas of RTI and our clients’ work.