Inclusion and diversity

Why is inclusion and diversity so important?

Everyone wants to feel welcome at work and to feel as if they can be themselves. The best way to achieve this is through fostering an inclusive workplace, where diversity is embraced. We're committed to creating a work environment where people are treated fairly and where everyone feels respected, valued and empowered to reach their full potential. Our mission is to build a business that represents, reflects and celebrates the cultures and communities we serve.

Achieving this is everyone’s responsibility. We all need to be honest and open in the way we communicate and work together to ensure everyone is accepted, supported and given the chance to succeed. A welcoming environment where all our people can share their diverse skills, cultures, backgrounds, expertise and insights is the key to a united team and a successful business.

“I fundamentally believe that it's our people that make National Grid such a great place to work, and ensuring that we create the right environment to allow everyone to be themselves and to thrive is essential.” John Pettigrew, CEO, National Grid

Our values

At National Grid what we deliver is important, but how we deliver it is just as important. Our core values are Do the Right Thing and Find a Better Way and this extends to our colleagues, customers and the community. We're passionate about living our values and for us doing the right thing is ensuring everyone is respected and can bring their whole, authentic self to work. This enables us all to fulfil our potential and find better ways to work together and deliver on our ambitions as a business.

Working together to reach our goals

Our mission is to build an inclusive and diverse workforce, which genuinely reflects the communities we serve.

How will we do this?

• Building on our success: We want to let everyone know they are welcome by showing how diverse our workforce already is.
   
• Attracting diverse talent: We are dedicated to finding innovative ways to source and attract talent that genuinely reflects the communities we serve.
   
• Offering equal opportunities: We are committed to providing the same opportunities for development and progression for everybody who works with us.
   
• Ensuring inclusive leadership: Our leadership style is inspiring and inclusive, helping everyone who works with us to realise their full potential.

How are we doing today?

We know there is always more we can do to improve inclusion and diversity, but we've made great progress so far. The infographic below highlights some of the progress we've made to date.
 

^{Figures correct as of February 2020}

Awards and recognition

We're recognised as a good employer who takes our responsibilities to make everyone welcome at work seriously. We continue to strive to drive progress and we are proud that our efforts have been rewarded across the globe.

Championing diversity – employees lead the way

Diversity is championed and led by our own people. We have 17 highly active, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which are voluntary and employee-led.

ERGs provide a crucial support network for everyone who works at National Grid, helping to raise awareness of all the diverse types of people who work within our organisation in the US and the UK. They champion and support the needs of many areas including LGBTQ+, disability and gender, veterans and new starters, through events and campaigns held throughout the year.
 

Pride in our work

National Grid was highly active at New York Pride in 2019, raising awareness of the importance of ensuring our employees can bring their whole selves to work and represent the diversity of the communities we serve.

Remarkable people

To celebrate the many different people working across our business we have created Remarkable, which collects real life stories about inclusion, working smarter, personal development, giving back and determination to succeed.