Businesses must shift from intent to action on diversity

There are a number of steps utilities companies could be taking to attract and retain diverse candidates. Latisha McKenzie, chair of National Grid’s ethnic minority employee resource group, writes for Utility Week as part of Black History Month to give her tips on long-term steps towards diversity.

A Business in the Community report in 2020, Race at the Top: Revisited, found just 54,900 of the 3.9 million managers, directors and senior officials in the UK are black. While there has been some progress in many businesses to improve ethnic minority representation in recent years, there is still much more to be done across all levels.

This month is Black History Month, which is an opportunity to profile inspiring black individuals and raise awareness of their lived experiences to drive real change in businesses.  It’s also an important moment in the year to inspire the next generation of black talent to join the energy sector. The lived experiences of young black people will be invaluable as organisations look to overcome the challenges ahead; the sector must represent the communities it serves as it drives forward the energy transition.

For businesses to attract and retain diverse candidates, there are a few key steps that can be taken. These include bolstering internal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) teams to drive action; tracking metrics to ensure progress is tangible; creating a culture that encourages open and honest conversation; and leveraging Employee Resource Groups (ERGs – voluntary groups that focus on DEI).

DEI teams

A DEI team that advocates for increased representation, while measuring and tracking progress and actively challenges leaders, is key to driving change. This team can hold the business to account and call for action from a central point in the organisation.

They can also be a helpful sounding board and partner for ERGs. They can advise on delivering initiatives, guide them on external partnerships and they can influence internal employee policies that relate to ERG communities.

Track metrics

If you can’t interrogate diversity data, you can’t achieve long-term change. The data will show how impactful initiatives to improve black and ethnic minority representation are, areas of the business that are showing progress, and encourage leaders to take responsibility.

At National Grid for example, we monitor our ethnicity pay gap and ethnic diversity for hires, promotions, and leavers, and publish annual figures in our yearly Responsible Business Report. Having a regular publication that shines a light on year to year changes keeps the focus on making real progress.

Foster an open and honest culture

Creating a culture where everyone is open to conversations that drive real action is a huge part of fostering a diverse and inclusive culture. It’s important that black and ethnic minority communities are able to speak up, with DEI teams and Employee Resource Groups providing important platforms for doing this. At the same time, it’s vital that all colleagues feel able to ask their peers questions so that they can better understand different communities within the organisation.

Employee-led groups 

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are a critical voice for employees and play a key role in amplifying the voices of diverse colleagues. As ERGs have become more established, their reach and engagement has expanded. At National Grid for example, our ERGs influence charity partnerships and internal and external collaborations as well as providing support and community.

Although ERGs can sometimes work in silo to deliver on their strategies, there’s a lot of crossover with other employee-led groups. For example, as a black female I cross the boundaries of National Grid’s race and ethnicity group ONE and Women In National Grid (WiNG). There are conversations that can be shared across these groups, with opportunities to collaborate on events and raise greater awareness to drive change on certain issues.

Achieving long-term change

Many organisations are committed to diversity & inclusion, and see the benefits in terms of strengthening their ability to deliver on priorities in the years ahead. However, there’s an opportunity to turn this intent and commitment into meaningful, long-term change which is embedded in the culture of the business. By working with their ERGs and DEI teams to scrutinise the data, understand the challenges and find the opportunities to be proactive, leaders can identify steps that will shift the dial and see the whole workforce taking action.

Latisha McKenzie is contract officer in asset operation, electricity transmission at National Grid and chair of the company’s ethnic minority Employee Resource Group