How Employee Resource Groups Can Make a Difference for LGBTQ+ Professionals

A Q&A with leaders of BRG’s ThinkPride employee resource group

LGBTQ+ individuals make up an estimated 5.9 percent of the US workforce but remain underrepresented in managerial and leadership ranks. Despite some gains, professional service firms still have room for improvement when it comes to achieving better LGBTQ+ representation in these positions.

We sat down with BRG Associate Director Meredith Rarus and Senior Associate Darren Yu to talk about this issue, the importance of building an inclusive culture, and the obstacles in recruiting and retaining LGBTQ+ talent. Together, they lead BRG’s ThinkPride employee resource group (ERG), in which LGBTQ+ professionals and allies can cultivate allyship, share unique challenges, and push for organizational change.

How did you both come to lead ThinkPride?

Darren: I came into it after its previous director left BRG and asked if I was interested in leading the group. At the time, I felt unqualified to do so—I had been working at BRG for only a year and a half. But I was interested in creating a shared space for LGBTQ+ individuals and had created similar groups in college.

Meredith: Like Darren, I was asked to lead ThinkPride just as its previous director was leaving. We decided leading the group together would be an excellent collaborative opportunity. I had been at the firm for about eleven years, whereas Darren was relatively new. Despite that, I often look to him for guidance and mentorship. He’s quite wise when it comes to diversity and the mission of the group.

How does ThinkPride create a safe place for employees to learn and become allies?

Darren: We host biweekly meetings, and anyone can join. We start by talking about our major initiatives and then pivot toward important discussions, whether LGBTQ+-specific or work-related. Creating a space where people from across the firm can work together can be freeing. Employees from different departments may let their guard down and be more willing to put themselves out there. We try to provide room for vulnerability—if I’m tackling a personal problem, I’ll share that––and others can share their personal challenges as well, if they feel comfortable.

Meredith: Outside of our discussions, we often recruit people to lead the group’s initiatives. We also ask our members to take part in local volunteer opportunities, such as The Trevor Project––a nonprofit organization that focuses on suicide prevention efforts in the LGBTQ+ community. Both members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies play integral roles in ThinkPride’s initiatives and discussions.

Has ThinkPride—or the firm more broadly—launched any initiatives or programs for Pride Month and beyond?

Darren: The inspirational LGBTQ+ speaker, trainer, and activist Elena Joy Thurston will give a speech this year at the firm. She’ll be making the case that investing in LGBTQ+ employees is beneficial for not only their well-being, but also an organization’s ROI. Our hope is that, by making it open to the rest of firm, more people outside of ThinkPride will participate.

We’re also aiming to partner with law firms so that we can invite their workforces to participate in programs that demonstrate the importance of investing in LGBTQ+ employees.

We hope to schedule regular sessions where people can get together and watch a movie—whether it be didactic or entertaining. That way, people feel the group includes opportunities for bonding, rather than just discussion.

What does BRG do to ensure that members of the LGBTQ+ feel equally valued and welcome in the firm’s workplace culture?

Darren: We were instrumental in guiding BRG to include pronouns in the firm’s email signatures to prevent misgendering. And we have helped shape the recruiting process to make it more inclusive for the LGBTQ+ community.

We also recognize the importance of giving people access to a diverse professional network. We hope to invite our members to attend the Lavender Law Conference, put on by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, which is a “family reunion” for LGBTQ+ and ally legal professionals that helps shape the future of the legal profession.

Meredith: A couple of years ago, we broadened our healthcare coverage to include transgender and gender-affirming surgery, and that’s been one of our most important accomplishments so far. Some of our colleagues have children who identify as transgender, so they’ve finally been able to help their family members. The coverage can also be a key factor in recruiting nonbinary and trans professionals.

What advice would you give to LGBTQ+ employees who are just starting out at BRG?

Darren: When I first joined BRG, I didn’t know if anyone was queer. It was only through ThinkPride that I got to know other LGBTQ+ people here. Being visible makes a huge difference—it’s easy to enter an office and feel as if you can’t express yourself based on your ideas of what professional culture looks like.

Meredith: Stay true to yourself. Take baby steps toward figuring out what's best for you. There is not one “right way” to write your story at BRG. Also, don’t be afraid reach out to us or others in ThinkPride. Something as small as a Zoom call or a coffee break can be a big help.

With the Great Resignation in full swing, and diverse talent quitting their jobs at higher rates than their white male counterparts, what needs to change when it comes to recruitment and retention of LGBTQ+ professionals?

Darren: The Great Resignation has shown that the value in a career is not just in monetary compensation but feeling valued. How do others view you? Do you feel appreciated at work? Members of the LGBTQ+ community want to work at a place where they can be themselves.

Meredith: In the past, companies focused heavily on recruitment of diverse talent. However, they sometimes treated retention as an afterthought. ThinkPride, along with other ERGs, has been focusing on identifying talented, diverse people who support the culture and mission of BRG. Our goal is to pinpoint these people early on and work to ensure they are supported and see a long-term future for themselves at BRG. To be competitive in the marketplace and draw talent from our competitors, we need to make it known that diversity, equity, and inclusion is a priority of ours.

Anecdotally, individuals have told me that a draw to BRG from our competitors was the existence of the various ERGs demonstrating BRG's commitment to this mission.

Some industries have been quicker to adopt measures committed to supporting LGBTQ+ individuals within their organizations. What is the current state of the consulting landscape? Have you seen as much change as you would like?

Meredith: People in the consulting world are different. We work with experts who are very experienced but also tend to be much older. That creates a natural generational difference, a unique challenge that BRG is striving to overcome. That said, this is a problem that has affected almost every other company in this sector. The big differentiator is that, at BRG, we strive to provide a space where people of all generations are willing to learn and grow, especially when it comes to supporting a diverse workforce.

Darren: In the Bay Area—at least in the tech sector—LGBTQ+ workplace initiatives are quite progressive. Their ERGs are huge, and they have budgets to match their size. I think the consulting world is still trying to figure out to what extent firms should be involved in promoting these spaces.

Such measures need to go beyond simply changing a logo, for example. Firms in this space must address how people actually feel at work. How comfortable are they? Do they think they can bring their best each day? Ultimately, that starts with giving a little more power to their employees to create a more inclusive workplace.