Joining an ERG can reveal something personal, such as a disability, a faith, being a parent or being LGBTQIA+. Many people are comfortable with that. Others are not, or are open in some settings and not others. Respecting that is part of supporting ERGs. Supervisors should not ask who belongs to which group, should not comment on someone's participation to others and should not treat attendance as information about a person's identity. The fact that anyone can join, including allies, also means attendance says nothing certain about identity.
People also need realistic expectations about privacy. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, data collected, created, received or maintained by a government entity are presumed public unless a law classifies them otherwise. ERG emails, chat messages, shared files and meeting notes on state systems are likely government data. Some of that data may be classified as private, and some may be public. The practical lesson is simple: ERG spaces on state systems are not confidential in the way a conversation with a counselor is. Write minutes that capture decisions and themes, not who said what about their personal life. Keep sign-in and membership lists to what the group needs. Ask your agency's data practices contact if you are unsure how something is classified.
Group agreements help. Many ERGs open meetings with shared norms, such as: what is shared here stays here in spirit, speak from your own experience, and no one has to disclose anything. Those norms build trust, but they cannot override law or policy, so be honest about their limits. A good agreement says that members will not repeat personal stories outside the meeting, that notes will not identify individuals, and that the group cannot promise legal confidentiality.
Know where concerns go. If someone describes harassment or discrimination at an ERG meeting, the ERG is not the place to resolve it. Members can share the routes: supervisor, HR, the DHS Equal Opportunity and Access Division, union representative or the Employee Assistance Program. Supervisors who hear about protected-class harassment in any setting have a duty to refer it. Concerns about pay, workload or other terms and conditions of employment belong with the union and labor relations, not the ERG. Holding these boundaries keeps ERGs focused on what they do well.
