MenuSearchA-ZSeven Schools One University

Menu

Close Menu
Info For
Resources
Seven Schools One University

A–Z

Close Menu

Employee Resource Groups

Building Community Through Employee Resource Groups at UMB

At the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), we genuinely care about our employees’ well-being and cultivating a workplace culture grounded in our Core Values. The University itself develops and sponsors a wide range of programming and professional development opportunities that support institutional effectiveness and engagement in pursuit of UMB’s mission and strategic plan. To further support our inclusive, innovative, and engaged workforce, and subject to the conditions described below, the University will also formally sanction employee-led Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that engage employees across the university who share common personal or professional interests, backgrounds, or experiences. ERGs offer an opportunity for employees to connect with each other to develop community and mutual support. ERGs are not established or sponsored by the University itself but receive official permission to operate pursuant to the guidelines and expectations for ERGs set forth below.

  • UMB-sanctioned ERGs are only open to current employees (faculty or staff). Only current employees can start and/or participate in an ERG.
    • ERGs must be employee led. Consistent with that expectation, members of university leadership generally should not be officers or founders of an ERG. In the context of these guidelines, university leadership means the president, vice presidents, deans, associate and assistant vice presidents, associate and assistant deans, department chairs, and equivalent leadership roles as determined by the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Institutional Effectiveness.
    • Employees whose specific job duties require them to maintain neutrality and/or lack of bias may be prohibited from participating in certain ERGs that may call into question their ability to perform their duties in an object manner free of personal biases and preferences. For example, the Title IX Coordinator may not participate as an officer or member of an employee-led ERG focused on the experiences of women or men in the workplace, but the Title IX Coordinator could be invited to attend a meeting to discuss various institutional programming aimed at prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex. Employees in roles such as this should speak to their supervisors if they have questions.
    • ERGs should not be chapters of external organizations, but rather are intended to be groups to foster a sense of belonging by UMB employees at UMB. ERGs are free to collaborate with external organizations.
  • ERGs may be organized around personal or professional interests, backgrounds, or experiences. They do not need to be tied to the workplace, but as more fully set forth below, all employee conduct, as part of a UMB sanctioned ERG, including the formation and activities of the ERG, must be consistent with all applicable laws and policies.
  • Participation and membership in a UMB-sanctioned ERGs must be open to UMB employees regardless of protected classification or viewpoint. UMB sanctioned ERGs must comply with the UMB Notice of Nondiscrimination.
    • Membership may be limited based on employee classification or other viewpoint neutral employment-based criteria (e.g., faculty or staff; employees with clinical research duties; administrative professionals; etc.)  
  • Employees participating in UMB sanctioned ERGs are subject to all applicable UMB and School policies, including the State Ethics Law which imposes limitations on fundraising and personal political advocacy while using state resources or worktime.

 

  • ERGs are not shared governance groups as defined by USM Policy on Shared Governance in the University System of Maryland, and are not recognized or authorized to represent groups or individual employees in governance or personnel matters.
  • ERGs are not recognized as advisory boards or committees as defined by USM Policy on Institutional Boards or Commissions.
  • Permission to use university resources including the space, work hours, email systems, and the University’s name for ERG purposes is limited and intended to be internally focused. ERGs are not permitted to use the University’s name, branding, or logo outside the confines of the ERG’s activities on campus. ERGs are not permitted to speak on behalf of the University, including on social media and are not authorized to set up social media accounts using the University’s name or logo.
    • A group may use “UMB” in its name for internal email announcements about meetings, but they are not authorized to create social media accounts using the University’s name because of the potential for this to create an inaccurate impression that the ERG is directly sponsored by UMB and because of the potential for brand confusion if UMB directly sponsors a similar activity. Branding, marketing, and institutional social media are within the exclusive purview of OCPA and equivalent offices within the Schools.
  • The University may suspend or terminate the sanctioning of ERGs generally, or a particular ERG, in its sole discretion, provided that it will not withdraw sanctioning of an individual ERG based only on the University’s disfavoring the viewpoint of the ERG.
    • The University will suspend the sanctioning of an ERG when it is inactive
      • If, over the course of a year an ERG does not hold any meetings, does not have any activity, does not have any leadership, or does not have requisite number of members, the group will be considered inactive.
    • The University may suspend the sanctioning of an ERG if it violates any university policies or these guidelines.
    • There is no formal grievance or review process, but if an ERG believes that its sanctioning was inappropriately terminated or denied, it may raise its concerns for consideration by the Office of Accountability and Compliance.

  • In order to constitute a UMB sanctioned ERG, a group must have a minimum of 10 employees.
  • To obtain status as a UMB-sanctioned ERG, employee organizers are not required to create bylaws or official governance documents, but must, at a minimum, submit a written request to the OIEIE requesting to become a UMB sanctioned ERG. This request should include details about the purpose or objective of the ERG, the names of employees who are interested in leading the ERG, the names of employees who are interested in becoming members of the ERG, and the target audience for the ERG if not obvious within the purpose or objective of the ERG.
    • For groups seeking a more formal structure due to the nature of the group, the OIEIE will provide a template set of bylaws that can be adapted for use by the ERG. For example, an ERG which serves as an informal support group for employees coping with grief or an ERG which operates akin to a book club may not want or need formality of bylaws, whereas an ERG that intends to focus on a particular viewpoint may prefer to have a more formal set of bylaws describing the group’s purpose and structure.
  • Employees’ primary responsibilities at the University are the operational needs of the institution. Activities by ERG leadership or members should not be so demanding or time consuming that they interfere with an employee’s ability to complete their job duties.
    • ERG leadership and members should make efforts to schedule meetings and events during common work breaks, such as lunch hours, so as to minimize the impact on University operations.
    • Supervisor approval is not required before joining an ERG, but employees should obtain supervisor approval prior to participating in ERG activities during work hours or they should plan to only participate on their own time.

  • ERGs are not University-sponsored and are expected to be organized and led by employees. However, the OIEIE will provide guidance on the rules surrounding the formation and maintenance of UMB sanctioned ERGs, the process for requesting space, and other limited administrative support.
    • Access to Space
      • ERGs are classified as “other groups” within the meaning of the UMB Policy on the Use of Physical Facilities of the University System for Public Meetings. This means ERGs may request access to certain university meeting rooms and spaces for group activities, but campus groups as defined by Policy (e.g. UMB Schools, administrative units and official shared governance organizations i.e., UMB faculty, staff, and student senates) and affiliated organizations (e.g., UMBF, UMMC, FPI, and faculty practice organizations) have priority for space use requests. Reservation requests should be submitted through the university’s space reservation system(s) and are subject to availability and the conditions applicable to use of the particular space as established by the Dean or Vice President responsible for the space.
      • ERGs must comply with University Building and Space Access Rules.
      • A TEAMS site may be created for the group as the official repository for any ERG related document to preserve historical group information if/when leadership changes or leaves the university. All members of the ERG must have access to the TEAMS site. The University maintains the right to take down TEAMS sites that contain or promote information that is noncompliant with UMB’s policies and procedures, ERG guidelines, exposes the university to risk and liability, or are inconsistent with UMB’s Core Values.
      • ERGs may request a university email address for the group to facilitate communication among members and with the broader university community. Use of any university email address must comply with university policies regarding appropriate use of technology and communication standards.
        • If a need arises, the OIEIE may request or require ERGs to include a disclaimer on email communications to make clear the substance of the ERG’s communication has not been reviewed or condoned by the University.
      • Outreach
        • A list of UMB-sanctioned ERGs will be maintained by OIEIE to be shared with employees interested in joining ERGs.
        • Subject to editorial standards, deadlines, and operational limitations to be defined by the Office of Communication and Public Affairs (OCPA), ERGs may offer submissions to be included in the Elm to advertise programming or promote awareness of their group as an ERG.
        • The OIEIE will maintain a calendar of all scheduled ERG meetings that are submitted for inclusion on the calendar to be shared with employees interested in participating in ERGs.
      • Financial Resources
        • Each year, the OIEIE will evaluate availability of its funding to support ERG activities. If funds are budgeted and available for this use, they will be allocated based on objective criteria which are determined each year and published in advance to ensure transparency.
        • All purchasing using university resources must be done by the University directly and must comply with any requirements or limitations of applicable finance and procurement policies.
        • The OIEIE will be responsible for all recordkeeping and compliance associated with expenditure of these funds. 

  • ERGs are not shared governance groups as defined by USM Policy on Shared Governance in the University System of Maryland, and are not recognized or authorized to represent groups or individual employees in governance or personnel matters.  
  • ERGs are not recognized as advisory boards or committees as defined by USM Policy on Institutional Boards or Commissions.  
  • Permission to use university resources including the space, work hours, email systems, and the University’s name for ERG purposes is limited and intended to be internally focused. ERGs are not permitted to use the University’s name, branding, or logo outside the confines of the ERG’s activities on campus. ERGs are not permitted to speak on behalf of the University, including on social media and are not authorized to set up social media accounts using the University’s name or logo. 
    • A group may use “UMB” in its name for internal email announcements about meetings, but they are not authorized to create social media accounts using the University’s name because of the potential for this to create an inaccurate impression that the ERG is directly sponsored by UMB and because of the potential for brand confusion if UMB directly sponsors a similar activity. Branding, marketing, and institutional social media are within the exclusive purview of OCPA and equivalent offices within the Schools.
  • The University may suspend or terminate the sanctioning of ERGs generally, or a particular ERG, in its sole discretion, provided that it will not withdraw sanctioning of an individual ERG based only on the University’s disfavoring the viewpoint of the ERG.   
    • The University will suspend the sanctioning of an ERG when it is inactive
      • If, over the course of a year an ERG does not hold any meetings, does not have any activity, does not have any leadership, or does not have requisite number of members, the group will be considered inactive. The University may suspend the sanctioning of an ERG if it violates any university policies or these guidelines. 
    • There is no formal grievance or review process, but if an ERG believes that its sanctioning was inappropriately terminated or denied, it may raise its concerns for consideration by the Office of Accountability and Compliance. 
  •  
  •  

New ERG Request

If you are interested in starting an ERG, we invite you to complete the New ERG Request form below.

For more information or assistance, please contact:

Reetta Gach, Director of Inclusive Excellence and Institutional Effectiveness Programs
reetta.gach@umaryland.edu

Contact

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

220 Arch Street
14th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201

diversity@umaryland.edu

The University of Maryland, Baltimore is the founding campus of the University System of Maryland.

620 W. Lexington St., Baltimore, MD
21201 | 410-706-3100

The University of Maryland, Baltimore prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to the Title IX Coordinator. Read the UMB Notice of Non-Discrimination.
© 2025-2026 University of Maryland, Baltimore. All rights reserved.