The Family Network EBRG Helps Caregivers Excel at Work and at Home
FirstEnergy’s employee business resource groups (EBRGs) play an instrumental role in helping the company foster an inclusive environment of respect, appreciation and belonging, empowering employees to grow, develop and contribute to the company's success. Launched during the fall of 2020, the newest of FirstEnergy’s EBRGs is the Family Network.
Established around a common dimension of diversity, EBRGs provide employees and their allies with networking, mentoring, coaching, recruiting, individual development and community outreach opportunities. And, because EBRGs are entirely employee driven, they truly address what is important to individuals across the company by providing a structure for connection.
The Balance Between Work and Family
In late 2019, a group of employees trying to juggle parenthood and a career started to realize how widespread their concerns were across FirstEnergy. This delicate balance is an issue facing working parents everywhere – nearly half of all working parents with children under the age of 18 feel that they can’t give 100 percent at work.
From easily finding information about benefits for new parents to simply getting tips on how to manage unique home situations, there was an opportunity to formalize this community of employees.
As the idea of creating an EBRG dedicated to working parents started to take shape, employees spearheading the effort quickly learned that caregiving encompasses far more than parenting – it also includes taking care of an ill or elderly family member, caring for an adult child with special needs and more. That’s how the group landed on the Family Network.
Fulfilling a Need for Caregivers
The mission of the Family Network is to create awareness of issues and concerns working caregivers face daily. The Family Network strives to provide workplace support to create balance between career and family while taking steps to positively change the culture around caregiving.
The business case is clear: The more supported employees feel in their personal lives, the more present they’ll be at work, allowing them to work safely and better serve customers.
“If you are struggling in your home life, it’s difficult to be a productive employee,” said Meghan Jurica, manager, Load Forecasting, and chair of the Family Network. “The Family Network provides an outlet where it’s okay to discuss challenges you might be facing at work or at home. The better we understand these challenges, the more we can do to normalize caregiving.”
Though the Family Network is still fairly new, 130 men and women have already become members and are taking advantage of the resources and camaraderie. With most employees working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Family Network has been offering virtual activities that touch on timely topics for caregivers, including a webinar given by Beacon Health on parenting during the pandemic, as well as a webinar on food allergies. The group also hosted a virtual “self-care lunch” where employees gathered informally to share tips and tricks for staying connected and managing through the pandemic.
When employees are able to safely return to the office, the group plans to develop in-person programming that addresses a variety of caregiving situations, as well as work together on ways to influence company policies to ensure employees have the resources they need should their family obligations change at any time.
“We want to find ways to truly make employees’ lives better. I’m excited to see where we’ll be in three to five years,” said Jurica.
Support for Caregivers Starts at the Top
While EBRGs are employee-driven, the support for employees establishing and participating in EBRGs starts with FirstEnergy’s top leaders. EBRGs receive funding to help make their mission come to life, and employees can use company time to participate in an EBRG or other diversity and inclusion initiatives.
“I know from personal experience that becoming a parent or caring for a family member while balancing a career can be a complex situation to navigate. I never want an employee to feel like they have to choose between work and family,” said Sam Belcher, senior vice president of FirstEnergy and president of FirstEnergy Utilities. “The Family Network and all of our EBRGs address real needs for our employees: if you are facing a challenge at home and need advice, want coaching or any other resource, there is someone who can relate and can help.”
Belcher, the executive sponsor of both the Family Network and Veterans & Allies EBRGs, says the company’s EBRGs give employees a sense of belonging and the opportunity to promote change through their own perspectives.
“All of our EBRGs have an affinity for a particular group of people, but it’s much bigger than that. It’s absolutely necessary for FirstEnergy to become a fully inclusive company that empowers everyone to be the best they can be, and our EBRGs are at the heart of this effort,” Belcher said.
To learn more about FirstEnergy’s EBRGs and diversity and inclusions initiatives, visit www.firstenergycorp.com/diversity.
CONTACT: Christy Hajoway, 330-374-6544