We want this to be a workplace where everyone can thrive and feel empowered to be the best they can be.
In 2019 our people had a chance to share their thoughts and feelings about working here as we got involved in the Great Place to Work employee survey for the first time.
This took place at a time of much change and transition in the business with the embedding of new working practices and technology. Of the 84% of employees who took part, 72% of people said they feel proud to work here.
We followed this up asking the Great Place to Work Institute to undertake a Best Workplaces comprehensive culture audit of the business. We wanted to explore what we can do to build on this result and to ensure this is a great place to work.
Their conclusions were “It is evident that NWG is an employee, customer and environmentally centric employer.”
Two areas identified as being a particular strength when compared with other companies of our size included how we recruit and welcome new people into the business and the way we listen and collaborate. The audit has given us what we wanted, areas to focus on and different ideas to consider.
Research tells us that not enough girls are studying science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects at school.
So, through our NWG Academy we are taking a structured approach to encourage and influence young people to consider the water industry as a career option.
Working with the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Campaign we have trained a number of our employees to deliver their My Skills My Life programme to schools, to inspire girls and young women aged 11-19 to consider rewarding careers in STEM subjects. A number of our female employees are involved in the Mentors for Girls network and work in partnership with some of our key suppliers to give undergraduates experience of working both at Northumbrian Water and with a contractor.
At our Innovation Festival we aimed to inspire young people to consider a career in science, technology, engineering and maths.
Specifically we:
- ran STEM workshops for boys and girls involving female facilitators and female engineers
- gave young people the opportunity to meet real people using STEM skills in their roles and introduced them to as many females as possible undertaking roles they might not expect;
- ran a mothers and daughters ‘My Skills My Life’ workshop to open mothers’ and young girls’ eyes to a range of potential STEM careers.
- offered a range of work experience opportunities and had a good gender balance, with 15 female students and 16 male students.
- For students not so motivated by academic studies we worked with Fix-it Café and Gateshead College to create three days of learning practical skills to fix a range of items from clothes to electronics and to get an introduction to enterprise, including meeting three ex-Gateshead College students who have set up their own businesses.
We have continued to foster strong relationships with external partners over the past year such as the WISE campaign and Energy and Utility Skills Partnership. We’re proud to be signatories of the WISE 10-steps and the Tech Talent Charter which supports females in the technology sector.