What are affinity groups?

What are affinity groups?

An affinity group is defined in Merriam Webster as “a group of people having a common interest or goal or acting together for a specific purpose.” In the workplace, you may also refer to it by its more common corporate synonym, “employee resource group.”

What are examples of affinity groups?

Examples of affinity groups include women in the workplace, working parents, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) matters, and any other group based on a common set of interests. Private employers are not required by federal law to have workplace affinity groups.

How are affinity groups formed?

You can start an affinity group in your workplace, as long as you have an interested group of people, a clear goal and enthusiastic support.

1. Set a clear goal.
2. Identify your supporters.
3. Pitch your group.
4. Use your resources to your advantage.
5. Structure your meetings.
6. Decide who will do what.

Why do we have affinity groups?

Affinity groups are intended to bring people together over a commonality. We all benefit from interactions with people who share common identities or experiences. When you are in the numerical minority of a community, these bonding interactions may only occur during an affinity group.

What are affinity groups in schools?

Affinity groups are created to meet a particular identity development need in a school. These are places where students and adults can develop a better understanding of how their own identity shapes their experiences.

What is another name for affinity groups?

In this page you can discover 6 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for affinity group, like: pac, political action committee, pressure-group, single-issue group, special-interest-group and special interests.

What is the difference between an affinity group and an erg?

Affinity groups were often informal groups of self-appointed employees. ERGs are affinity groups grown up. They have the blessing of Human Resources (HR) and the executive team.

Are affinity groups discriminatory?

Because affinity groups are often based on protected characteris- tics such as race, sex, age, or disability, employers must proceed with caution. Dealing with affinity groups brings an inherent risk of violat- ing laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of protected charac- teristics.

Are affinity groups Good?

Affinity groups can help employers attract more diverse candidates, reduce turnover and increase employee morale. Moreover, multiple studies have found that companies are likely to have above-average financial returns if they fall among the top quartile of their peers for diversity by race, ethnicity and gender.

How do you start affinity group at school?

Procedure

1. Identify key issues.
2. Get an administrator on board.
3. Explain the purpose to students, parents and staff.
4. Find a facilitator.
5. Recruit members.
6. Follow students’ lead in determining the group’s focus and activities.
7. “Affinity and Inclusion”—Westminster School.
8. Affinity Group Resource Page—Seattle Girls’ School.

Are ERGs illegal?

ERGs are internal organizations that serve to connect and support workers with shared identities and backgrounds. Under pressure from organized labor, Congress banned these so-called “company unions” when it passed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in 1935.

Why affinity groups are important in schools?

These kinds of groups offer a time and space for empowerment of the individual and of the group within the greater community. Research in schools has shown that affinity groups increase a student’s sense of belonging which has a positive impact on academic achievement.