We recognized the need to foster a greater sense of community and cultural awareness in the firm. 

Our employee network groups (ENG) are open to all Edelman employees and serve as vehicles to build internal communities in which employees can share, learn and grow-professionally and personally.

In 2011, Edelman developed the Global Women's Executive Network (GWEN) focused on increasing the number of women in senior leadership. In the last two years, we've launched four additional networks: Edelman Equal, focused on the LGBTQ community; Edelman Griot, focused on the Black community; Edelman Inclusivo, our Latino network; and our Veterans network, Edelman Forward.

Objectives include: 

1) Foster the retention and success of employees;
2) Understand emerging cultural and audience trends;
3) Act as a resource for employees to create a supportive network;
4) Provide opportunities for professional development; and
5) Offer insights to drive and direct our competitive advantage.

Our ENGs have been tremendously effective. A few outcomes include:

• Each ENG hosts regular educational activities related to multicultural media, cultural milestones and other issues creating greater awareness.
• The groups have provided a sense of community and support surrounding challenging social events. Edelman Equal championed internal and external initiatives following the Orlando Pulse shooting. After police-related shooting deaths of several black men last summer, Edelman Griot hosted a national dialogue. With more than 600 employees, the event provided a space for colleagues to acknowledge the tragedies and foster dialogue about racial tensions and concerns.
• Edelman Equal helped to revise and adopt a variety of company policies to ensure LGBT employees have equal benefits and protection.

Trisch Smith