Inclusion and diversity timeline
In 2021, our Inclusion and Diversity Strategy was launched, building on inclusion and diversity initiatives that were already in place.
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
- 2016
- We started reporting UK gender pay gap two years before the legislation
- Flexible working, and inclusion and diversity working groups were introduced in our businesses
- 2017
- We enhanced our maternity, paternity and adoption leave with a gradual return offering for maternity and adoption leave, which provides 100% pay for 80% working hours for 6 months when returning to work
- 2018
- Our senior leader gender ambitions were set
- 2019
- We became a member of POWERful Women
- We signed the Armed Forces Covenant
- We joined the EU Skills Inclusion and Diversity Forum
- We became a signatory to the Equal by 30 Campaign
- We signed up for the Social Mobility Pledge
- We joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) UK network
- 2020
- Launch of our STEM Returners Programme
- Publication of our Social Mobility Report
- We extended flexible working and carer support
- Received the Armed Forces Covenant Bronze Award
- Publication of our first Just Transition Report
- 2021
- We became a signatory to the Business in The Community (BiTC) Workplace Inclusion Pledge; Elevate
- Received the Armed Forces Covenant Silver Award
- We signed up for the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles
- We signed the Change the Race Ratio and BiTC Race at Work Charter
- We reported our Ireland gender pay gap, a year before the legislation was announced
- 2022
- Launched our belonging communities: Menopause, LGBTQIA+, Ethnicity & Culture, Working Families, Gender Balance, Health & Wellbeing, Disability, Neurodiversity, Chronic Health and Armed Forces
- Publication of our first Inclusion and Diversity Report
- Doubled our paid reservist leave to 10 days
- We joined the ENA and Ofgem TIDE taskforce (Tackling Inclusion and Diversity in Energy)
- Sponsorship of Perthshire Pride and Shetland Pride
- New enhanced family leave policies, including partner leave, pregnancy loss leave, leave for fertility treatment and extended our gradual return offer to all new parents
- 2023
- Launched our menopause toolkits, mental health toolkit and health hub, and Cancer Support Cafes
- Sponsored The Rainbow Projects’ new Migrant and Ethnic Minorities Officer to offer additional support services for the LGBTQIA+ community in Northern Ireland
- Launched our Transition Support Guide
- We sponsored Reading Pride for the first time
- Launched a partnership with the Lighthouse Construction Industry charity
- We signed up for the Energy Leaders Commitment for Tackling Inclusion and Diversity in Energy (TIDE)
- Reconfirmed our membership of the Social Mobility Pledge
- 2024
- Our Chief Executive became Chair of POWERful Women’s Energy Leaders Coalition
- Expanded our senior leadership ethnic minority targets in line with the Parker Review reforms, and voluntarily released our first UK ethnicity pay gap
- Supplier Diversity Strategy developed and launched
- Launched our internal global inclusion and cultural awareness hub
- Launched our employee recognition platform Spotlight with a unique feature to recognise colleagues who role-model inclusive behaviours
- We entered a 3-year partnership with Reading and Glasgow Pride
- 2025
- We refreshed our 2025-2027 inclusion and diversity strategy activities, with a focus on continued and sustained momentum to attract, progress and retain colleagues from all backgrounds, with intersectional experiences in mind
- Piloted our Individual Support Plan for neurodiverse colleagues within its SSEN-Transmission business
- We built an accessibility hub which offers support to colleagues on assistive technology, supported programmes and directives on inclusive and accessible communications
