How E.ON is building an inherently sustainable business
As a business, E.ON is inherently sustainable, because helping our customers to decarbonise through our green solutions is the key driver of our growth. Our mission is to make sustainable energy available for all, through installing technology like smart meters, or by providing 100% renewable electricity as standard.
To meet our diversity and inclusion goals, we have colleague-owned inclusion networks designed to help people bring their best self to work, with over 1,700 colleagues involved. E.ON has been recognised as one of the UK’s top inclusive employers for the fifth year running and we have committed to closing our gender pay gap by 2025.
It is important to make sustainability meaningful for colleagues and customers and to be clear about how we all make a practical difference. We have collected stories from colleagues, exploring their own personal reasons for taking climate action now – from wanting to breathe cleaner air, to protecting the planet for their children.
The energy sector is experiencing unprecedented change, and to meet the future demands of our industry we need to continue to develop a workforce with the skills and behaviours necessary to succeed. We are working to ensure a pipeline of sustainability talent as well as growing our own internal talent. We are particularly proud of our green apprenticeship programmes, and that our degree apprentices undertake at least one sustainability-related placement.
Our integration of ESG considerations into all our processes includes our people and reward activities. For example, colleagues can access various benefits to support their wellbeing, including buying additional holiday. We are starting to move towards ensuring hybrid ways of working, to which there are obvious benefits, such as improved job satisfaction, leading to better retention, and the environmental advantages of less commuting.
Our UK purpose is to lead the energy transition, providing smart, sustainable and personalised solutions. We want to offer every customer an energy solution that is right for them, and we have the same desire for our colleagues. We want to ensure that we provide a benefits package that supports colleagues to fulfil their individual purpose, with a focus on ESG and sustainability.
Incorporating sustainability levers into our reward and incentive mechanisms and ensuring that we have a fully inclusive benefits offering are integral to supporting colleagues in achieving our sustainability goals. Every colleague has the opportunity to play their part, own their individual personal impact and contribute to our sustainability goals, and this also enables E.ON to attract and retain a diverse range of talent.
This case study is taken from the Sustainability is driving business change - Transforming Engagement Series 2022 report 4.
