When a crisis disproportionately strikes select communities in the workplace and employers find themselves at a loss for how to respond, where should they turn?
The solution may be right in front of them — employee resource groups can be a point of guidance and an informative platform when navigating
"We partner with an ERG because that's oftentimes a great way to get information out to a subset of the population," says Colin Quinn, president of communities at healthcare navigation company Included Health. "Monkeypox has disproportionately impacted the LGBTQ community, so it's been a great opportunity for us to partner with our clients' Pride ERGs."
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When the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global health emergency, questions, anxieties and parallels to COVID were sparked — and once again, many employers were uncertain how to react. Through ERGs, Included Health was able to host webinars and informational sessions on monkeypox, and develop explainers on prevention tactics, symptoms and vaccine access.
Cortland Russell, the U.S. pride ERG co-lead at technology services company Accenture, worked with Included Health to educate his community.
"At first, the information about monkeypox was a bit confusing and it seemed like every external source had their own ideas on what to do," says Russell. "We wanted to get our people the latest information, affirm that Accenture would stand by them through this emergency and share how they could protect themselves and their loved ones."
Misinformation regarding who can be infected with monkeypox (a virus that is not limited to groups based on sexual orientation) and how the virus is spread left many Americans with an unclear idea about the risks at best. Quinn notes that just finding a provider who is offering vaccines or testing could prove challenging for workers, but ERGs at least made it easier to share information.
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"We have to be thoughtful and ensure we're not stigmatizing a community or individual," says Quinn. "Monkeypox does not discriminate. So it's important employers partner with ERGs to get the right messaging across."
Alongside education, ERGs can also serve as a way to centralize discussions surrounding relevant policy adjustments around sick leave and PTO.
"This was an opportunity to remind employers to reassess their policies around sick leave," says Quinn. "If an individual does contract monkeypox and has to quarantine for two to four weeks, remote schedules and leave need to be available or extended."
Notably, monkeypox cases dropped by 50% in the last month, which may mean the worst has passed. Still, some may still be at risk. With 25,000 cases nationwide, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health declared the first death from monkeypox in the U.S. on Sept. 12. The person was severely immunocompromised. Black and Hispanic men make up two-thirds of the infected population, but only a quarter of those vaccinated, highlighting increased risk in this demographic.
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Quinn advises employers and ERGs to keep their eyes on monkeypox and make sure resources are accessible — but ERGs cannot protect employees on their own or make an impact in a vacuum. Both Quinn and Russell note that company leaders also play a role in addressing these health concerns.
"We are thankful to our senior leadership for initiating the conversation about monkeypox with us and already having plans in the works," says Russell. "Their proactivity helped put us in a better position and allowed us to be more responsive to our membership."
Quinn, who is a member of the LGBTQ community, points out that oftentimes queer communities have to advocate for themselves to get the ball rolling. But ultimately a successful ERG depends on the willingness of leaders and even other ERGs within the company to listen and take action before it's too late.
"It's been great to see communities coming together and support one another," he says. "They're sharing information ERG to ERG and across companies in the face of a new virus."
