Tensions are high in American workplaces. Employers are struggling to navigate and understand an increasingly complex and diverse labor market, and workers are rethinking their relationship with employers. As workers advocate better working conditions and a greater voice in their organizations, labor-union organizing has surged, and the fights have become very ugly, and very public.

Employee resource groups (ERGs) have been around for decades and offer a potential opportunities to bridge the employee-employer divide. However, backlash against DEI in recent years has led to a decline in ERG investments within companies across the country. As a result, we are missing an opportunity to rebuild trust in the workplace.

In this episode, I chat with Joe Santana, Chairman of the CDO PowerCircle, to discuss this critical issue and offer guidance to ERG leaders, participants, and corporate executives for how to navigate these challenging times.

To dive deeper into this issue, you can check out the paper I published with AEI in December 2023 titled "Building High-Trust Workplaces: The Role of Employee Resource Groups in Building Stronger Employee-Employer Relationships" which you can read here.