Affinity Groups and Networks at SitelogIQ

Challenge

We wanted to unite people to celebrate areas they have in common, invite allies to support those groups, as well as educate people who are not in the group through telling stories, development opportunities and engaging events. 

Actions

We created a DE&I Council with 25 members – these employees enthusiastically joined the Council.  Six of the DE&I Council members are focused on the leading the Affinity Group pillar.  We started by conducting research about Affinity Groups - talking to leaders in other companies to learn about their successes and lessons learned about starting this groups, reviewing information on the internet about best practices, and surveying our employees to understand who has had exposure to Affinity Groups. 

We established an overall statement to attract employees to join an Affinity Group at SitelogIQ:

  • SitelogIQ understands the importance of cultivating a culture where our valued employees don’t have to think twice about bringing their whole selves to work each day.

We established the following goals for Affinity Groups at SitelogIQ:

  • Support corporate DE&I initiatives to embrace the beauty and richness of our diversity and awaken one another to opportunities for equity.
  • Create safe spaces for networking, resources for mentorship and training for professional development.
  • Are an engaging and fun part of working at SitelogIQ.
Outcomes

We chose to pilot with two Affinity Groups – Women and Veterans.  We have people on the DE&I Council who are passionate about these areas and can lead the groups.  We put together a toolkit for Affinity Group leaders as part of an orientation and expectation setting model.  The toolkit includes a recommended cadence for meetings, a proposed structure with a Chair leading the group, examples of goals, and introduction of branding and communication opportunities.   We will be communicating the invitation to join the Women’s and Veteran’s groups in July.

 

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