How Comcast’s Black Employee Network Is Building Tomorrow’s Leaders Today

Employee resource groups provide a platform where employees from similar backgrounds convene for networking, support, and career development. There are eight Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at Comcast, including the Black Employee Network (BEN). BEN regularly hosts events for its members and also supports the business in various ways such as recently lending a hand in curating February’s Black History Month offerings on XFINITY.

A key function of our ERGs is to develop employees through special trainings and community service opportunities, something that is of the utmost importance to BEN. We asked members of BEN to share how they are supporting and building the next generation of leaders:

1.    An Inclusive—Not Exclusive – Network
“BEN is not a group that’s just for black people; it’s for everyone who wants to be intentional about coming together to advance the careers of African American professionals across Comcast and connect with this community. Because of that aligned focus, our meetings are open to all employees interested in coming together to build this community toward furthering our goal of developing leaders.” – Deborah Wilson Thomas, VP of Talent

2.    The ERG Mentorship Program
“The year-long ERG mentorship program pairs members of each resource group with mentors in senior leadership roles. We have seen tremendous growth within our BEN members who have participated in this program. Participants are building their skills and getting promoted. It’s been tremendous.” – Naomi Williams, Assurance & Advisory Consultant

3.    An Enhanced Employee Experience
“BEN is providing rich and meaningful programming to better position its membership to grow, learn the business, and develop themselves professionally. Career advancement through workshops and training seminars is a big part of the professional development programming of BEN, but positively impacting the overall employee experience is an equally important focus for us!”– Micaelle Alexis, Director of HR

4.    Leadership Experience Through Community Service
“BEN has provided me with a platform to support others and help them with their growth for professional development. In addition, BEN has granted me the opportunity to lead a very important organization within our company and it has also afforded me the chance to advance my leadership skills by leading countless projects and serving our customer communities through our work with Internet Essentials and Comcast Cares Day.” – Christopher Polnitz, Government Affairs Specialist

5.    Networking to Increase Your Net Worth
“One of the greatest benefits of our ERGs is the instant network that you can tap into upon joining. It makes our large company more intimate when you can have connections that span the entire organization.” – Jamar Johnson, HR Systems & Compliance
If you are interested in learning more about developing leadership qualities in yourself and others, join this Wednesday’s #MakingHistoryToday Twitter chat hosted by @ComcastCareers and Comcast’s Black Employee Network.

http://my.xfinity.com/blogs/news/2016/02/19/how-comcast%e2%80%99s-black-employee-network-is-building-tomorrow%e2%80%99s-leaders-today/