Supervisors are the everyday gatekeepers of ERG participation, even though they do not run ERGs. The enterprise bylaws say employees may use paid work time to attend ERG meetings and ERG-sponsored events that achieve the group's purpose during their normal work schedule. They also say managers and supervisors always keep the discretion to limit participation during the workday because of workload. Employees who take on leadership roles such as champion, chair, co-chair or secretary must get supervisor approval. MMB's join page adds that employees should consult their supervisor about participating, and it explains that activities outside normal hours are generally unpaid unless a non-exempt employee is assigned to attend by their manager. Pay questions about specific situations go to HR.
Discretion is where fairness can slip. If one supervisor approves attendance freely and another rarely does, or if one group's events are treated as professional and another's as optional socializing, participation becomes uneven in ways that may track identity. Apply the same standard to every ERG and every employee: is the activity within the ERG's purpose, and can the workload be covered? When you do need to say not this time, give the reason, suggest another option and follow up.
Coverage is usually the real barrier. Treat regular ERG meetings like other recurring commitments: put them on the team calendar, plan who covers time-sensitive work and avoid scheduling important team meetings against them when possible. For staff in client-facing or deadline-heavy roles, it may take more planning, not a different answer.
Recognition matters as much as time. Leading an ERG builds real skills: facilitation, planning, budgeting, cross-agency collaboration and working with senior sponsors. With the employee's agreement, those can be named in an individual development plan and in performance conversations. That is a choice for the employee, not a requirement. Some people prefer to keep their ERG involvement separate from their work record, and that preference should be respected. Never use ERG participation or non-participation as a factor in evaluating someone's commitment, and never ask staff which groups they belong to.
