Diversity, Inclusion and Equity

Creating an inclusive place to work for every one of our 3000 plus colleagues is extremely important to us at Northumbrian Water Group and is at the core of Our Purpose and Values.

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

Achieving this means we can ensure that we have different mix of skills in our organisation so we can make better decisions, create innovative solutions to challenges and provide the very best service to all customers in our operating regions.

Awareness

We believe that progress starts by raising awareness and sharing knowledge across all colleagues so that difference, challenge, and discomfort are not barriers to our success as a people-focused organisation. Our Leadership Teams continue to engage with awareness sessions which provide opportunities to learn from those with diverse lived experiences. All colleagues are able to attend internal diversity themed sessions which invite guest speakers into our business to provide expert insight on topics including ethnicity, disability, neurodiversity, gender and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Our Diversity and Inclusion team also produce an internal TIDE Podcast which has welcomed a mixture of internal colleagues and external guests to talk about their own perspectives and highlight global awareness campaigns - including Deaf Awareness Week, Neurodiversity Celebration Week and Race Equality Week.

Dialogue and Insight

A key part of our TIDE Strategy is creating space to learn from a wide range of voices and to foster an environment where our colleagues feel comfortable to lead conversations about how to improve our organisation.

Our colleague network groups form a key part of creating psychologically safe spaces and are effective environments for colleagues from under-represented communities to connect with others with similar experiences. They also present space for allies to support our colleagues and engage to learn in a safe environment. All colleagues have access to our network groups and are welcome to join from the moment their career with NWG begins.

Solutions

We’ve made a great start to our Diversity, Inclusion and Equity work at NWG and, through Great Place To Work, our colleagues consistently tell us that they feel they are treated fairly based on their age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and disability.

Through valuable insight gained from our colleague network groups, our corporate inductions ensure that everyone coming into our organisation are aware of the support available and how they can take part in our journey.

We continue to work with our Leadership Teams, and all newly appointed leaders take part in a development programme which focuses on TIDE and the role of leadership in fostering inclusive cultures.

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.