For years, PEAC Solutions leaned on familiar, lower-lift ways of signaling inclusion — LinkedIn spotlights, sourcing lunches from Black-owned businesses, the kind of gestures many companies make. But in 2026, the healthcare-focused sales organization decided those efforts, while well-intentioned, weren’t enough on their own.

“PEAC has always valued inclusion, but we’re taking a more intentional approach to expanding our efforts,” says Jim Wall, director of sales for the healthcare vertical at PEAC Solutions. That more intentional approach centers on the company’s Culture Club, a group focused on building a high-trust, people-centered workplace through consistent communication, recognition and community building. This year, that work culminated in the launch of five employee resource groups, or ERGs — a move Wall says reflects both a values shift and a practical one.

“There are countless studies showing that a sense of belonging boosts employee performance, improves mental health and strengthens retention,” Wall says. He also points to workforce demographics as a driver: as PEAC looks to attract the next generation of talent, representation isn’t optional. “They tend to prioritize purpose over paycheck. Inclusion is a non-negotiable item for them,” he said of Gen Z professionals entering the workforce.

“When we started the PEAC Culture Club, the goal was to create a meaningful way for team members to have a voice in our culture, not just talk about it but actively help shape it,” says Catherine Podlesny, vice president of human resources at PEAC. “Over the years, the group has helped lead our quarterly PRAISE Values Awards program, supported our Great Place to Work and quarterly engagement survey efforts and turned team member feedback into action. Launching ERGs felt like a natural next step in that work, creating even more opportunities for people to connect, share their perspectives and help us continue building a workplace where everyone feels valued and included.”

A CRAWL, WALK, RUN PHILOSOPHY

Rather than rushing to launch ERGs, PEAC took a deliberately staged approach — what Wall calls a “crawl, walk, run” philosophy, designed in part to protect the company’s Great Place to Work certification.

The process started with a survey asking employees whether ERGs would be valuable and, if so, which groups would interest them. Options ranged from traditional offerings — a women’s group, a multicultural group, an LGBTQIA+ group — to less conventional ones geared toward remote employees, Gen Z staff, new parents and veterans. The five groups with the highest interest became PEAC’s inaugural cohort: the Women’s Professional Network, LGBTQIA+ Alliance, Remote Team Member Network, Mental Health and Wellness Group and Young Professionals Network.

Each group’s volunteer chairs met for a kickoff session to shape their agendas, with an eye toward balance. “If it’s only social … the movement fades. If it’s only career-focused, it feels transactional,” Wall says. The groups held their first meetings in May, and PEAC plans to track attendance and run pulse surveys before deciding when — and how — to expand.

Wall is candid about one gap: a multicultural ERG didn’t generate enough initial interest to make the first cohort. “I would have liked to have seen enough interest in a multicultural monitordaily.com group to be in the inaugural class,” he says. Going forward, he believes the group deserves a spot regardless of early turnout. “Sometimes just having the availability of an option creates activity and action,” he says, adding that as the other ERGs prove their value, messaging around representation — and one-on-one conversations with employees — should help build the case for a multicultural group in future rounds.

MENTAL HEALTH RISES TO THE TOP

Of the five ERGs, the Mental Health and Wellness Group drew the most interest in PEAC’s initial survey — a result that Wall says speaks to what employees are actually looking for. The group’s stated purpose is to promote a culture that supports mental health resilience and well-being through education, resources and community, enabling employees “to perform sustainably and to thrive at work.”

Wall connects the theme directly to burnout. “We all know someone — maybe it’s ourselves — who works through lunch every day,” he says. “You need to take breaks to show up 100% as your best self.” He adds that managers need to model that behavior themselves, and that leadership should set a tone that makes it acceptable to prioritize life outside of work.

The group’s flagship initiative borrows from a model Wall encountered through his role as this year’s chair of the ELFA Inclusion Subcommittee. After talking with a colleague at ELFA, Wall learned that group’s mental health ERG had participated in an online mental health first aid certification — developed by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and delivered by a company called Beneath the Brave. The course trains participants to recognize warning signs across a range of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, psychotic disorders, substance use disorders and self-injury, and to know who to call in a crisis. PEAC’s group plans to make the certification one of its first major initiatives.

“Our hope is that it reinforces a culture where we truly all are looking out for each other,” Wall says.

MAKING REMOTE EMPLOYEES FEEL INCLUDED, NOT JUST ACCOMMODATED

PEAC’s remote workforce inclusion strategy runs through both a dedicated ERG and the design of everyday company traditions. The Remote Team Member Network exists, in Wall’s words, “to enhance connection, inclusion and effectiveness of remote employees by addressing their unique challenges and ensuring equitable access to opportunities, communication and visibility.”

Without deliberate effort, Wall says, remote employees can end up feeling left out, struggle to build internal relationships and blur the line between work and life since they’re always connected to a laptop. PEAC has tried to counter that by extending in-person rituals to remote staff rather than creating separate, lesser versions of them. During the company’s “Walk It Out Wednesdays,” for instance, on-site employees stretch and mingle across departments — but remote employees join virtually and can submit photos for the company hub. Companywide trivia contests, which Wall hosts as PEAC’s resident quizmaster, serve a similar purpose, keeping both populations engaged around something lighthearted. “Everybody wants to be that person with the 15th correct answer,” he says.

LEADERSHIP BUY-IN, FROM THE TOP DOWN

Wall was direct about why executive support matters, particularly at a moment when some companies are scaling back DEI commitments despite research supporting its benefits. “Having support from the top down signals that you work in a safe place that allows you to show up as your true, whole self,” he says.

He credits Podlesny with founding the Culture Club and creating the company’s DEI calendar and says PEAC’s president, Eileen Schoonmaker, has been enthusiastic about these efforts. According to Wall, Schoonmaker has emphasized that while financial performance matters, so does making employees feel they belong — and that managers at every level play a role in reinforcing that culture, down to small gestures like greeting a stranger in the hallway.

“For me, it’s simple. People do their best work when they know they belong,” Schoonmaker says. “When schools and companies say ‘We are…,’ they are declaring they belong. Belonging is what unlocks the best ideas, stronger collaboration, better decisions and exceptional service to our customers. And every interaction is an opportunity to tell someone, through words and actions, ‘You matter here.’ That’s how we build a high-performing culture that lasts. We are … PEAC People!”

That top-down support was on display in January, when PEAC introduced the ERG initiative at its company kickoff. Wall says the room responded with smiles, nods and applause, and that several employees approached him afterward to say the effort felt “great and needed.” He credits part of that reception to being introduced by Podlesny.

REDEFINING WHAT INCLUSION LOOKS LIKE

Wall believes some of the stigma around DEI stems from people feeling it wasn’t meant for them. “Many people don’t realize that DEI includes supporting veterans or creating a place of belonging for remote employees or even the very basic concept of women lifting up other women,” he says. His approach, both at PEAC and through his ELFA subcommittee role, is to “make the inclusion tent as wide as possible.”

That philosophy extends beyond ERGs to small, recurring moments — like the soft pretzels PEAC serves on Tuesdays, a low-key ritual that pulls employees from different departments together for a few minutes.

Wall also credits his participation in STRIPES Leadership Program with shaping his approach, describing his own leadership stance as “transformative” and “empathetic,” and saying the program encouraged him to take the risk of championing ERGs in the first place.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Looking ahead, Wall says PEAC will measure success through pulse surveys and its annual Great Place to Work results, sustained or growing ERG participation and an expanded slate of groups in 2027 based on what the first cohort shows.

His broader message to other companies watching from the sidelines: it’s not too late to start. “Companies that chose to scale back on DEI efforts … have faced significant reputational damage and decreased employee morale,” he says. “It’s never too late to start, even slowly, fostering an environment of belonging at your organization.”

Rita E. Garwood is editor in chief of Monitor.