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1. What are Employee Affinity Groups (EAGs)?

Employee Affinity Groups (EAG) are employer-recognized workplace groups voluntarily led by employees. These groups allow employees with commonalities to meet, support each other, and create a sense of belonging among their colleagues.

2. Do other municipalities have an EAG program?

Yes, other cities have created EAGs and have found the establishment of these groups to be very helpful toward employee retention and mentorship. Below, you can find a list of cities that have established EAG programs:

• City of Dallas
• City of Boston
• City of Philadelphia
• City of Milwaukee Policy
• City of Milwaukee
• Town of Chapel Hill 

3. How did the department come up with the particular EAGs to be established?

These groups were created from benchmarking other municipalities and feedback given from the Equity Core Team. However, if there is a group an employee would like to start, they can reach out to Shane Taylor (shanet@cityofws.org) about the process of creating and approving a group sponsored by the City of Winston-Salem Human Relations/DEI Department.

4. Do EAGs violate the City of Winston-Salem Non-Discrimination Policy?

No, each group is designed to support different identities in the City of Winston-Salem. Each group has adopted the City of Winston-Salem non-discrimination-policy and will work with Human Relations/ DEI Department to ensure discrimination does not occur. 

5. Why should I join an EAG?

Individuals who have joined EAGs at other companies have said that “being part of an EAG gave me the ability to share knowledge, raise cultural awareness, and act as a bridge across cultural issues – improving my company’s cultural competence”. Others have appreciated a space to network and build mentorship opportunities with other employees of similar backgrounds. 

6. How do I join or get involved?

• Once you fill out the interest form (find here), your assigned ERG Leader will reach out about the next activities the group will host.

7. What type of activities will the EAG host?

The various types of EAG activities will be decided by the EAG leadership that has been chosen from the pool of members from the Equity Core Team. However, some events that could occur throughout the year are forums, outings at a particular location, socials, workshops, mentorship opportunities, etc.