Supporting employee resource groups (ERGs) is crucial for companies as they promote diversity and inclusion, provide opportunities for personal and professional growth, and create a sense of community within the organization. ERGs can also serve as a valuable resource for the company as they offer insights into diverse perspectives and provide feedback on its initiatives and policies.
The opportunity:
Zynga wanted to provide hosted learning experiences to members of their ZERGs (Zynga employee resource groups). Each ZERG has its mission statement, with themes that include fostering belonging and providing a community to collaborate and learn alongside one another. Zynga wanted each ZERG to be able to choose its own learning experiences with possible objectives, including remote team building, career development, manager training and the celebration of DEI holidays.
The solution:
Empowering ZERG leaders with curated class choices and learning nudges.
Zynga partnered with Electives to empower ZERG leaders with Electives class “credits” to use on the Electives platform to book classes. The recommendation engine within the Electives platform helped them curate their choices and make their decisions. After each class, ZERG participants received learning nudges to reinforce the content.
During a series of classes, participants learned various valuable skills and knowledge.
Together, participants:
- Explored the impact of hidden barriers and lagging confidence and learned about remedies to overcome these challenges.
- Gained a deeper awareness of what it means to be free in the United States while learning about Juneteenth, a significant piece of U.S. history.
- Discovered the fundamental differences between change and transition and explored their fears, goals, and hopes around change.
Participants also learned about workplace burnout and the risk factors that can cause it. They acquired knowledge and tools to prevent or manage burnout for themselves and their colleagues. Additionally, they learned the following:
- How to adapt their mindsets and understand the perspectives of clients.
- How to apply the neuroscience of decision-making in a crisis.
- How to listen deeply in a virtual world.
Participants also learned techniques to get to desired outcomes without getting attached, such as asking more powerful questions and showing empathy. Throughout the Electives classes, participants had opportunities to share and grow.
The results:
ZERG participants expressed appreciation and desire for more Electives classes in the future.
ZERG participants expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the valuable experiences provided. One employee commented that it was one of the most useful and well-handled sessions they had ever participated in at work, while another simply said, "We appreciated it." They thanked Zynga for sponsoring the series and noted that it was successfully interactive. Participants also appreciated the knowledge and engaging presentation styles of the Electives instructors, with one saying it felt like an actual workshop even though it was held via Zoom. Overall, participants expressed their desire for more interactive sessions like this one in the future.
Participant comments included:
- “Thank you to Zynga for sponsoring this!”
- “Very successfully interactive!”
- “I would love to have more interactive sessions like this.”