Trade body Energy UK and regulator Ofgem will become the first organisations in the sector to partner with a BBC project to improve gender representation in the workplace.
Originating in the broadcaster’s London newsroom ‘50:50 The Equality Project’ is the BBC’s commitment to improve gender representation in all content and communications.
The voluntary scheme sees participants monitor the numbers of contributors in their content to set benchmarks for their chosen diversity measures. They then count regularly as content is produced to assess their progress.
Teams continually share and discuss data to inform regular editorial decisions, enabling cultural change and identifying where women or other diversities are under-represented.
It has since expanded to more than 100 organisations in 26 countries and recently reported its first data, showing half of the companies involved have reached the 50 per cent women contributors mark in their content in March – compared to 31 per cent when they first joined.
Energy UK currently employs 24 women and 15 men, meaning women make up more than 61 per cent of its staff. Women also make up a majority of its senior leadership team (four) compared to two men.
While its chief executive Emma Pinchbeck and deputy chief executive and director of policy Audrey Gallacher are the trade body’s main spokespeople, it does not currently monitor its communications against a gender mark. It will however do this going forward and says it will encourage its members to sign up.
Ofgem meanwhile employs 1,179 people, of which 540 (around 45 per cent) are women. The regulator said its ratio of representation in its communications from January to March this year was 61 per cent men compared to 39 per cent women.
Pinchbeck said: “The UK energy industry is going through an exciting transition to achieve net zero emissions but our success depends on attracting a pipeline of diverse talent with all the skills, ideas and expertise required to meet the challenge.
“We know that diverse and inclusive working environments are more innovative, and that we need to include more under-represented groups in the energy sector if we want to better reflect the society we serve.
“There has been some progress to improve diversity and inclusion in the energy sector, but much more needs to be done. So, we’re delighted to be one of the first few organisations partnering with the BBC 50:50, and we hope that more organisations in the sector, including our members, will follow suit.”
Ofgem’s chief Jonathan Brearley said: “Ofgem and the industry have a big challenge ahead to become more diverse and inclusive
“The seeds of diversity are growing in our sector, with individual organisations doing great work to change, but we must do more to nurture and promote diverse talent to best serve consumers and help tackle climate change.
“That’s why we are proud to sign up to the BBC’s 50/50 campaign, to make sure that in all our communications, Ofgem reflects the consumers we serve.”