Diversity, Inclusion and Equity

Creating an inclusive place to work for all of our colleagues is extremely important to us at Northumbrian Water Group and is at the core of Our Purpose and Values.

In 2022 we launched our first ever Together for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (TIDE) Strategy, which outlined our commitment to having a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the different cultures, backgrounds and experiences of the communities we serve.

Achieving our ambitions means that we can ensure that we have a different mix of skills in our organisation. This helps us to make better decisions, create innovative solutions to our challenges, and provide the best possible service to all of our customers in our operating regions.

We’re delighted to continue this work and take the next step in our TIDE journey with the launch of the

TIDE Strategy 2026-30. This builds on the significant progress made during the first, scales up what worked well,

and explores areas where we want to go even further.

Awareness

We believe meaningful progress starts with raising awareness and sharing knowledge, so that difference, challenge and discomfort are not barriers to our success. By creating opportunities to learn and reflect, we help colleagues build understanding and confidence when engaging with diverse perspectives.

Our colleagues continue to take part in internal awareness sessions which create space to learn from a wide range of lived experiences. These sessions feature guest speakers, who bring insight into focus areas including ethnicity, disability, neurodiversity, gender and LGBTQ+ communities.

We also extend this learning through our internally published TIDE Podcast, which brings together colleagues and external guests to share personal perspectives and shine a light on global awareness campaigns, including Neurodiversity Celebration Week and Black History Month.

Raising awareness of equity, diversity and inclusion is particularly important for our people managers. Through our internally developed Inclusive Behaviours sessions and wider inclusion awareness training, managers develop the skills and insight needed to navigate difficult conversations, support colleagues effectively, and create inclusive working environments. This learning will continue to expand across our organisation as we build capability and confidence at every level.

Dialogue and Insight

A key part of our TIDE strategy is creating space to learn from a wide range of experiences and fostering an environment where colleagues feel confident to participate in, and lead, conversations about inclusion.

We continue to invest in our colleague network groups, which play a vital role in creating psychologically safe spaces. These groups provide supportive environments for colleagues from under-represented communities to connect, while also giving others the opportunity to engage, listen and learn in a respectful way. Open to everyone from the very start of their career at NWG, our networks help build understanding, allyship and a stronger sense of belonging across our organisation.

Alongside this, we create opportunities for open dialogue and insight, encouraging colleagues to learn from different perspectives and contribute to how we improve both within our business and beyond. Through initiatives such as our ‘Let’s Talk About’ series, internal blogs, articles and podcasts, we continue to promote learning and meaningful conversations. The contributions of our network members bring authenticity to this work, ensuring that colleague voices and lived experiences remain at the heart of our progress .

Solutions

We’ve made significant strides in embedding inclusion across how we attract, develop and support our people. Our recruitment approach has continued to evolve, introducing more inclusive processes, creating and delivering our internally designed ‘Licence to Recruit’ training to equip hiring managers with the tools to attract and select diverse talent. We’ve strengthened our working environments, facilities and policies with targeted initiatives to ensure that inclusion remains embedded across all stages of our colleague experiences, supported by ongoing manager development in inclusive best practice.

The 2026-30 strategy is now leadership-led, giving wider responsibility and accountability to our leaders to deliver on the strategy ambitions. Our strategy governance will be the responsibility of our newly formed TIDE Advisory Board, which will have an inclusive membership of our stakeholders across the organisation.

We remain committed to building on this progress and creating more opportunities for people to thrive within NWG. We still have work to do, and we would love you to be part of our journey as we strive towards being an organisation that is reflective and inclusive of the communities we serve.

To dive into a new career with NWG please visit our careers page to find your next opportunity.