How Arch’s affinity groups are fueling employee engagement and forging deeper connections

Every organization is a storytelling mine.

There are always precious, dazzling stories just beneath the surface, but what are the best ways to extract these gems?

Lanita Withers Goins, who handles employee comms for Arch, a Bermuda-based insurance company with 4,500 employees around the globe, shared with Ragan’s Communications Council how employee networks (ENs) can help shape more colorful corporate stories. Using real-life examples from her team’s recent efforts to promote DE&I efforts during Black History Month, she reveals how to go beyond shallow, surface-level content and pursue more meaningful messaging.

Forging more substantive connections

Goins says Arch launched several ENs in late 2020 and worked to get the groups established.

In advance on Black History Month this year, she found that the Black Professionals and Allies group’s goal was to “increase the visibility of employees of color in the company.” Like so many other companies, Arch has a dearth of diversity at the top—and executive-level messaging didn’t always offer a great view of representation. But what might be the most effective ways to address these deficiencies?