Ciara Palfreyman
Your business has tapped into your colleagues’ appetite to drive employee-led initiatives and DEI efforts – but how are you sustaining momentum and long-term impact?
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are employee-led, voluntary networks that bring colleagues together around shared identities or experiences, playing a key role in shaping culture, belonging and inclusive business practices.
The success of these networks can be measured from boosting employee engagement, driving diversity and inclusion initiatives, strengthening workplace belonging and directly influencing company retention and productivity.
A survey conducted by Radius in its Global ERG Impact Report (2025) found that 94% of respondents believe employee networks influence change, and 93% say ERGs contribute to their sense of belonging.
Still, despite being a key driver of global and diverse workforces, employee networks are often still often overlooked in HR strategies. In its ERG case study, Great Place to Work reported that 44% of survey comments implied work goes unrecognised and lacks support and engagement from company leaders.
Whilst ERGs might be well-intentioned, embedding them into your workplace culture is fundamental in complex, fast-moving organisations - not as a cultural add-on, but as a core part of how businesses listen, learn and lead.
Employee networks have long been a core part of THG’s culture. Since the launch of our first network, Women in Tech, in 2018, colleague passion and shared experience have continued to inspire new groups. Over the years, this sparked networks to form from Accessibility Champions, Black Community, Parents, Women in Business and the Pride Collective - all created and led by our people.
Last year, THG PLC relaunched six networks - giving us the chance to step back and ask: what does success really look like for employee networks, and how do we help them thrive?
Culture doesn’t grow by accident
As organisations scale, complexity naturally increases - from decision-making to ensuring lived experience is reflected across the business.
At that point, culture can easily become something that is communicated rather than experienced.
This is where many organisations struggle. They rely on surveys, statements and policies to understand how people feel - but miss the nuance of what people actually need to thrive, feel heard and make an impact.
Employee networks help bridge that gap. They create structured, purposed-led channels for insight, feedback and community - especially in organisations operating at pace and scale.
From listening to action
At THG, the relaunch of our employee networks - driven by our internal belonging campaign 100% You, was grounded in one simple principle: you can’t build meaningful culture without listening first.
Before relaunching, we brought colleagues together through listening groups, interactive pulse surveys and suggestion boxes to understand:
- how our culture is experienced day to day
- what change people want to see across the business
- what they need to feel empowered to use their voices and build community
The feedback was clear. They want space, structure and belief - not just to be heard, but to make a difference.
That insight shaped the relaunch of our six employee networks - some build on the foundations of previous groups, while others have sparked entirely new communities:
- Health & Wellbeing
- Race & Ethnicity
- Parents
- Women in Business
- Young Professionals
- Multi-faith
Each network reflects different lived experiences, but they share the same purpose: creating connection, representation and impact - led by colleagues, supported by the business.
Why networks matter
One of the biggest misconceptions about employee networks is that they are primarily symbolic or even tokenistic. When embedded properly, they uphold the cultural integrity of an organisation’s vision and value.
They:
- provide an additional layer of insight leaders can’t access through data alone
- turn business values into lived behaviour
- create belonging across teams, strengthen representation, and drive meaningful change across the business
- enable people to contribute and develop professionally beyond their job title
For businesses operating at scale – especially ones that are large, complex and interconnected - ERGs shouldn’t be considered a nice to have; they’re a fundamental part of how we perform and deliver together.
Networks help ensure culture remains dynamic - shaped by people, not just process.
Inclusion and performance are not separate conversations
Too often, employee networks are positioned away from commercial priorities, as if inclusion and performance can’t exist together. The experience of high-performing organisations shows the opposite.
People who feel connected, represented and reflected at work are more likely to:
- stay and grow with the business
- voice their ideas
- collaborate more effectively
- take ownership and responsibility
For businesses, where outcomes depend on alignment and execution across large teams, this has a direct impact on performance.
Employee networks don’t dilute focus. They strengthen it.
The role of leadership
Employee networks do not replace leadership responsibility - they sharpen it.
Their effectiveness depends on leadership that:
- sponsors without controlling
- listens without defensiveness
- acts on insight, not just acknowledgement
When that partnership works, networks become a powerful contributor to better decision-making, stronger culture and more resilient organisations.
Alongside the relaunch of our ERGs, each network is assigned Senior Sponsors and welcomed new network leads. An additional layer of support was also introduced through Executive Advocates, who champion the value of employee networks and use their influence to help drive meaningful business change.
From exception to expectation
The shift required is not about adding more initiatives on top of what already exists. It’s about shifting the foundation of existing behaviours and culture by influencing policy and practice, while fostering advocacy.
Making employee networks the standard means:
- embedding them into how the organisation operates
- valuing lived experience alongside metrics
- investing trust, time and visibility - not just permission
As people expect more from their employers, organisations that rely solely on top-down communication risk falling behind. Those that build connection, representation and dialogue into their foundations will be better equipped to grow - sustainably and responsibly.
When properly supported, employee networks move from nice-to-have to a powerful driver of culture, performance, and belonging across the organisation.