Wayside Affinity Groups

Wayside Affinity Groups

Wayside Affinity Groups (WAGs) provide a safe space for people of similar backgrounds and interests to come together, create understanding, support, share, receive validation, explore freely, socialize, and build relationships. WAGs are voluntary and can be structured with talking points, a mission, and by laws or they can be informal with shared ground rules. Groups can also have a purely social focus.

WAGs are fully supported by Wayside management, but are generated and led by staff. To form a recognized WAG a staff member or group of staff members must contact the Department of People and Culture and submit a WAG request.

WAG Requests include:

• If a formal group, clarified purpose of the group in the form of a defined mission. If an informal group, provide the group’s purpose or intent
• The location, time, and frequency of meetings
• A contact person to be listed in communications for new members to join
• A designated person to write up a summary of meeting topics and to distribute any shared resources or reading materials to other group members

Wayside will provide the WAG:

• Training on how to lead an affinity group with a healthy balance of process and content
• Logistical support in communications about the group to All Wayside staff (Communication support to see if other staff are interested, figure out what timing & location make sense, etc.)
• Starter guidelines for the group (how to form, basic group ground rules, etc.)
• A small food budget
• The group will be listed on the Wayside Employee Intranet page

Starter guidelines for your Wayside Affinity Group

First Meeting

Say your name and why you decided to take part in this affinity group.

To help the dialogue work well, we need to agree about how we are going to talk together. We can use the following list as a starting point to develop our own guidelines.

Suggested Guidelines

• Respect confidentiality, no attributions
• Be willing to “try stuff on”
• It’s okay to disagree; it’s not okay to blame, shame or attack (yourself or others)
• Ground events/communications in personal experience, using “I” statements
• Share the air time, actively listening to other participants
• Practice “both/and” thinking
• Be aware of intent vs. impact
• Pay attention to process and content
• Everyone helps the facilitator keep the discussion moving and on track. The whole group facilitates
• Say “ouch” or “oops” when something is said or done that is hurtful

Suggested Starter Topic Questions

1. Why is this issue or statement important to me?

2. How has my experience affected how I feel?

3. Is this issue a top priority for me?

4. Are any topics missing?

5. What was it like to take part in this conversation?

6. What did you hear that fit with your experience?

7. What did you hear that surprised you?

8. What are your hopes and concerns about working with other community members?

9. How would you describe your experience during these conversations?

Suggested Follow Up Actions

Keep a copy ofthe guidelines and the top three issues important to the group forthe following affinity group sessions. Email the group a summary of meeting topics and distribute any shared resources or reading materials. Thank people for coming. Encourage them to stay in touch and attend the next session. Please reach out to the Director of People & Culture for additional support along the way.