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An Affinity Group Start-Up
by Kim Morrise, The Weather Channel
October 30, 2008
I
have a sign propped up behind me in my work space. The top of the sign has a nifty
logo for a group called, WOWNet. WOWNet stands for Women of Weather Network and is The
Weather Channel's women's affinity group, or resource group, as we call it. The large sign is
an advertisement for a kickoff party, to be held on December 3, 2007.
I can't believe it's
been almost a year since we launched this group.
The Weather Channel started launching resource groups last summer. The company
announced then that it will start three groups. They included a women-targeted group, an
Indian-Asian group, and an African-American group. In an open forum a few months later, they
still hadn't found someone to start the women's group. I volunteered my services,
honestly not knowing what I was supposed to do.
Was this a social group where I was going to have coffee with other women and network?
Were we setting policy like politicians in Washington? Did we have specific
responsibilities like making sure the lactation room was clean?
Our kick-off event started out with a little video montage I put together of some of the best
movie moments portraying women in the workforce. After the laughter subsided, the mood
changed and the room turned into something resembling the Stock Exchange floor. Women and men
were raising their hands, asking for additions to the building, like a gym or daycare, for more
flex hours, and for a change in benefits. I'm sure it wasn't this dramatic, but that's how I
remember it. I, along side the woman who volunteered to codirect this group with me, took
requests like waitresses taking orders and promised to return with an answer to all their concerns.
Then we had our first official group meeting. Reality hit hard and fast. We found
out we were not a forum for complaints. We were a resource group, literally. A number
of things fit this bill. Women could turn to us for benefits questions or to offer sound
business solutions to what they felt were lacking. The company could tap into us as a
resource for product testing or research.
A great example of how a resource group can benefit a company came out of the Indian-Asian
group. The Weather Channel needed to do market research in Asia. Several members of the
resource group were traveling to India to visit family. During their travels, they did the
needed research and came back with valuable information for the company.
Another great use for us is as an actual resource for employees. Our women's group,
WOWNet (Women of Weather Network), started holding Lunch and Learns this summer. We had one
where the CEO of TWCC, Debora Wilson, offered her time and gave women a real-life account of what
it is like to be a woman in leadership. We are currently in the middle of a series of Lunch
and Learns on money. We are trying to give the women in this company a direct pipeline
to financial experts who can help them through these turbulent times.
We are still trying to get our footing and become the group we should be. I think the
biggest obstacle we face is time. I know, shocker! Someone doesn't have enough time in
the day? My co-director and I have learned the lesson on delegation, but still members are
struggling to find enough time in the day as well.
So, we keep chugging along, trying to build this group into what we believe it can be.
The best ideas I get come from networking with other women's resource groups in Atlanta. The
best advice I can give is, when in doubt, turn to other women who've been there. I've
benefited greatly from doing so.
