The Women of HPNE Group Celebrates Women’s History Month
This March, HPNE hosted a guest speaker panel featuring both internal and external industry professionals to speak to our employees surrounding the topic “Managing Change”.
Benefits of Having an ERG at Your Organization
Women employee resource groups (also referred to as ERG’s) have recently been growing in popularity, with around 90% of companies in the Fortune 500 reporting that they have an ERG. These groups have been proven to reduce employee turnover and feelings of loneliness experienced in the office. Also, they provide a space for individuals to network and communicate common struggles, with a 2019 survey of an online women’s career community finding that 70% of respondents participated in an ERG that was responsible for driving policy changes at their organization.
In addition to implementing these groups, it is important that companies take time to truly consider how they will be set up as an effective resource for employees. The effectiveness of an ERG can make a major impact in perceived inclusion amongst employees. One study found that companies with effective ERG’s reported 83% positive inclusion scores, while ineffective groups brought that rating down to 59%.
What is the Women of HPNE Group?
At HPNE, we strongly believe in consistently finding new ways to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our organization. Our women's ERG is the first, of hopefully many, groups at High Purity New England that individuals can join to feel supported and discover new networking opportunities. The mission statement for the Women of HPNE group is “The Women of HPNE is a group led by women whose mission is to build an inclusive community that empowers employees in our workplace and offers development, resources, networking and mentoring opportunities.”
Since the group's official founding in 2023, we have held multiple events to promote internal networking and communication, especially across departments that would not have otherwise had a chance to interact.
Our Most Recent Event
During March, in honor of Women’s History Month, the Women of HPNE Committee put together a guest speaker panel event. We were able to welcome Linda Linphanit, Director of Quality at AstroNova, and Kris Hosford, Technical Operations Sr. Manager at TPI, who were joined by members of #TeamHPNE Emily Kennedy and Katie Lyons to speak to our employees regarding the topic “Managing Change”.
The discussion touched on major and minor changes each panelist experienced in their lifetime, like the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on their career, ways to manage change in a leadership position, career shifts, and more. Audience members were encouraged to provide their own questions or insights throughout the discussion. At the end of the event, time was also provided for networking with our guest panelists.
Starting an ERG at Your Own Organization
Although starting an ERG at your company can seem like a daunting task, there are multiple helpful resources available to help you create, pitch, and develop a new group. The Human Rights Campaign has a helpful resource for Establishing an Employee Resource Group, and Forbes provides a step-by-step guide to starting a new group. Additionally, Verbate offers an “Ultimate Guide to a Successful ERG Program”.
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About HPNE
As the industry needs grow, High Purity New England, Inc. continues to supply the biopharmaceutical industry with a range of innovative products, from drug discovery and development to fill-finish, including their flagship product, custom single-use assemblies, as well as pumps, sensors, bioreactor systems, storage and handling solutions and other single-use solutions. Along with their own manufactured products for the global market, they are also a distributor for more than 18 brands in North America.
