Diversity matters: breaking the mould
Blog
Rob Salter-Church
Publication date
Old. White. Male.
Is that the first image that comes to mind when you think about the energy sector?
Sadly, I suspect for many people this is what comes to mind when they think about our sector and quite frankly it’s probably a bit of a turn-off for a lot of people. And even more sadly, we have a long way to go to make the energy sector a more diverse and inclusive environment: for women, for people from the BAME community, for LGBT+ people, for people of all ages and more generally for having a diverse range of skills and experience. We lag behind other sectors of the economy.
But why do I care about Ofgem and the wider energy sector being a more diverse and inclusive? Put simply, if we are, then we can better serve consumers.
Diversity and inclusion is not just a “nice to have”, it’s an essential for Ofgem and every organisation in the sector to think about:
- Our people are our biggest asset, but we are competing with hundreds of other sectors to attract and retain the brightest and the best. In today’s job market, people are choosing their employers based on their ethics and values: if we don’t embrace diversity and openness then we could be passing up tomorrow’s leaders.
- Our sector needs to understand consumers and build their trust. Trust is a bigger issue than diversity, but I think it is hard to argue that where organisations are representative of the people they serve, it can be the basis for a trusting and ongoing relationship. There is no one type of consumer and having a workforce with a range of life experiences will improve understanding of consumer issues.
- Our sector is undergoing massive change driven by technology. It will be those organisations with diverse teams of people from a range of different backgrounds, who all think differently, who all approach problems differently, that will be able to innovate and flourish in the new smarter energy market of the future.
If we want people to realise their maximum potential, we need workplaces where people can be their whole “true” selves. It’s been a long time since I came out but I can still remember the pressure of the friendly Monday morning “what did you do at the weekend?” question and knowing I would have to give some kind of half-truth or keep referring to my partner always as “they” but never “he”. It is genuinely tiring holding things back and pretending you are something which you aren’t. You just can’t be your best.
The tide is starting to turn and I am hopeful about the outlook for our sector. Several organisations in the sector have woken up the benefits and have put in place strategies in place to realise them. Here in Ofgem too, we want to do more to be more inclusive and representative. And when we engage with those we regulate, we want to know what they are doing about diversity and inclusion – because ultimately, I think it will make a difference for consumers.
And from a very personal perspective, I’m glad to see the launch last week of a LGBT pan-industry network in the form of “Pride in Energy”, complementing the existing POWERful women network. Visible demonstrations of the sector’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, to being outwardly facing and thinking about how we can make old, white and male just a stereotype of the past.