Visible Isn't the Same as Valuable
If you've followed recent headlines, you could reasonably conclude that Employee Resource Groups are disappearing.
The newly released 2026 Fortune ERG Report from The ERG Movement™ tells a more nuanced story.
After analyzing all 1,000 Fortune-ranked companies, the report found that 709 publicly document Employee Resource Groups. Within the Fortune 500, 85% of companies publicly document ERGs, up from 79.4% in 2022. At the same time, nearly every traditional ERG category appears less frequently on public-facing websites than it did four years ago.
The report suggests that many organizations have not eliminated their ERGs. Instead, some have moved information behind employee portals, consolidated groups, or reduced their public visibility.
That distinction is worth considering.
Visibility and value are not the same thing.
For ERG leaders, much of the work has always happened away from public view. Relationships are built through conversations. Trust develops over time. Leaders learn by navigating difficult discussions, responding to changing needs, and creating experiences that encourage people to return.
None of that appears on a company website.
What the report does highlight is that ERGs continue to evolve alongside the organizations they serve. As companies rethink how they communicate about these groups externally, the internal experience becomes even more important.
That experience is shaped by the same questions we explored throughout the Four Cs series.
Do members experience a culture where participation feels worthwhile?
Is communication clear enough that people understand why the ERG exists and how they can engage?
Are relationships being built across the organization in ways that strengthen both the employee experience and the business?
Are members developing skills and opportunities that extend beyond their formal roles?
Those questions matter whether an organization publicly lists ten ERGs, one ERG, or none at all.
One observation from the report stood out to me in particular:
"There is no right number of ERGs — a program of 3 focused groups can outperform a program of 12 thin ones."
It's easy to compare the size of an ERG program with another organization. It's much harder (and ultimately more useful) to ask whether the existing groups are creating meaningful experiences for the people they serve.
The report offers encouraging evidence that ERGs remain an important part of many organizations. It also suggests that the conversation is shifting from visibility to effectiveness.
For ERG leaders, that may be the more important conversation anyway.
A small next step
If someone new joined your organization tomorrow, how would they discover the purpose and value of your ERG?
Would that answer be the same if they never visited your company's website?