SSE's Inclusion and Diversity Strategy
Our Inclusion and Diversity Strategy, 'in, on and up', aims to make lasting changes by bringing diversity into SSE, creating an environment where everyone wants to stay on at SSE, and providing equal opportunities to progress upwards in the business.
SSE's four inclusion and diversity strategy pillars
Ambition: setting measurable inclusion and diversity goals
We set stretching diversity ambitions that align with best practice. We measure progress against these ambitions through tracking and monitoring a wide range of diversity and workforce metrics and provide an annual update on progress within our Annual Report, Sustainability Report, and Inclusion and Diversity Report.
SSE's workforce diversity ambitions
Key metrics tracked include diversity within senior leadership and workforce diversity across gender, sexual orientation, disability, and social mobility.
SSE's leadership diversity ambitions
Our 2030 senior leadership gender diversity ambitions have been developed in alignment with the FTSE Women Leaders Review and The Parker Review.
SSE’s pay gaps
We are committed to providing open and detailed information about our diversity pay gaps. In 2016, we became the first FTSE company to publicly disclose its gender pay gap information. In 2021, we voluntarily disclosed our Ireland gender pay gap, and in 2024 voluntarily disclosed our UK ethnicity pay gap.
Collaborating with inclusion and diversity change partners
We work with key inclusion and diversity partners to help us continuously improve and make progress that could not be done alone. In addition, making pledges and being signatories of key change initiatives enable us to take public accountability for powering inclusion for our colleagues, communities, and customers.
Creating an inclusive culture through employee education
We have several educational programmes to develop colleagues’ awareness and understanding of inclusion and diversity at SSE, what it means for them, and how they can get support. These programmes focus on elevating the importance of an inclusive workforce, educating about other perspectives, encouraging inclusive habits and behaviours, and ensuring everyone knows how to report un-inclusive behaviour.
Mandatory inclusion and diversity e-learning
All employees are required to complete this training annually, which aligns with core topics of our Igniting Inclusion programme.
Reverse mentoring
Reverse mentoring was established through our partnership with the School for CEOs. It is a key enabler for senior leaders to build their fluency with inclusion and diversity topics and encourages new ways of strategic thinking to help build inclusive and empowered teams.
Focused toolkits
Through partnership with our eight belonging communities and external research, a suite of inclusion learning has been developed including allyship, gender identity and menopause awareness.
Encouraging diversity in the future energy workforce
We recognise the need to engage early with children and young adults to increase the diversity of the future utilities sector and ensure the industry has skilled workers to deliver net zero. We are committed to ensuring that young people from all backgrounds understand how STEM subjects can lead to an exciting and rewarding career.
Inclusive processes
Developing robust policies and processes to embed inclusion and diversity ensures that we create a workplace that supports current and future employees.
Driving inclusive recruitment
We are focused on improving recruitment practices to ensure a wider range of people are aware of our opportunities and can join SSE. This is delivered through a three-pillared approach: providing inclusive job adverts, using specialist recruitment platforms, and developing inclusive hiring managers to ensure candidates are supported inclusively throughout the entire recruitment process.
Recruitment practices are monitored and reviewed to identify barriers people may face when joining SSE and throughout the recruitment process.
Removing internal barriers
We have policies in place to make work-life balance easier for everyone, and especially those with caring responsibilities. This includes promoting informal flexible working, providing enhanced family leave, and providing support for those returning from family leave.
Supporting inclusion and diversity within the community
We support inclusion and diversity within the community through our community investment programmes. Information on specific investments relating to inclusion and diversity can be found on our latest Inclusion and Diversity Report.
Encouraging diversity in SSE’s supply chain
We are committed to promoting inclusion and diversity throughout our supply chain, supporting businesses and people in the areas we operate by ensuring inclusion and diversity are part of the supplier selection process. Our Supplier Diversity Strategy, underpinned by the Sustainable Procurement Code, includes expectations that suppliers will promote greater inclusion and diversity.
Employee voice
Listening to our employees enables us to focus on business priorities and improve initiatives. It builds trust, helps employees feel valued, and increases development opportunities, resulting in better job satisfaction and higher employee engagement.
We gain insight on employee voice through our 'Belonging in SSE' communities, launched in September 2020, which aim to bring people together across the organisation. They encourage open and constructive employee-led discussion, promote the latest thinking by employees, offer peer support, and drive education.