Evolving our ERG for Black Employees
By Cameka Jackman and Meredith Walker
Believe.
For black employees at Clorox, that word brings to mind a powerful sense of possibility. It means reimagining the way we work and choosing to be bold and forward-thinking in innovative ways. It means inclusion, empowerment and so much more. That’s why we’ve rebranded the African-American Building Leadership Excellence (ABLE) employee resource group to Black Employees Leading in Inclusion, Excellence, Vision and Education (BELIEVE).
For more than a decade, ABLE has brought together employees with a shared identity to foster learning and development, create networking opportunities, support our Clorox businesses, and positively impact our surrounding communities.
While the ABLE brand served us well, a group of engaged employees wanted a name and logo that created an even stronger sense of pride and connection. One of the principles that anchored our team was the idea of inclusiveness, making sure people feel included and comfortable.
And that’s one reason we’ve chosen to use the word “black” in our new name.
Our employee resource group members are a diverse bunch, but most of us prefer to self-identify as “black” instead of “African-American.” And while we refer to ourselves as black in our family and social networks, “African-American” dominates in the corporate environment.
By changing our employee resource group (ERG) name to include the word “black,” we’re bringing our private and work selves into harmony.
We know some people may feel uncomfortable using the word “black” to describe race, so we introduced our new ERG brand to the broader Clorox enterprise with an open house where everyone was invited to engage in candid and casual conversation about why BELIEVE is the right brand for us now.
We believe this evolution of our active, committed ERG will lead to even deeper engagement among Clorox employees as we embark on the IGNITE Strategy.