Flywire Inclusion & Diversity

What are the keys required to establish a successful ERG program? 

The key is to find a purpose and mission statement that’s close to employees and aligned with the business. One of our ERGs, “Flywire Globals,” was created because of the universal theme that brings our business and employees, or “FlyMates,” together: being a part of a global ecosystem, supporting global citizens and being a global citizen ourselves.

We work daily with clients, customers, partners and colleagues from all over the globe who speak different languages, live in different time zones and countries and have different cultural backgrounds and experiences. This can often bring challenges yet also a lot of commonalities. The goal of Flywire Globals is to bring people together to talk about both challenging and enriching cultural experiences so we feel like we’re a part of a community and can support and learn from each other.

What are some common mistakes companies make when doing this, and how can ERG leaders avoid these pitfalls?

Leaders should encourage employees to participate in ERGs and make them feel good about participating in events and meetings while getting actively involved themselves. At Flywire, all ERGs have executive sponsorship, which goes a long way to validate and send that message. 

Just because you have an ERG with a cool purpose and mission statement doesn’t mean people will naturally participate. You need to water the seed to make it grow. You need to create content and events that matter to your members and also appeal to other FlyMates. Share these events outside of the ERG group, and make sure the whole company is aware. 

We also find success in collaborating with other ERGs. There are often overlapping topics that produce more interesting conversations with a broader audience. Lastly, make sure new employees know about ERGs as a part of your onboarding process.

How do you maintain an ERG program and adapt it to meet the needs of employees while keeping engagement levels high?

We try to create events and initiatives with content and topics that matter and resonate with our FlyMates. Most importantly, we try to allow for active participation from everyone and give them a chance to share their stories. 

ERGs shouldn’t be about having one-way speeches in which leaders talk to members. It has to be a conversation, and members or not should be welcome to stand up and speak and share their voices and experiences. When leaders join the conversation, make sure it’s less business-centric and more personal.