Diversity in renewable energy
Priya Thakar, Head of People at Naked Energy shares her views on diversity in the workplace, in support of International Women’s Day
When I first interviewed at Naked Energy, the intention to diversify the organisation was made clear. The company directors made plain their view of the importance of representation and that encouraged me that the there was a commitment to continual progression in the organisation, even though at the time there were no women in the team.
It won’t come as a surprise to anyone reading this that women are underrepresented in the energy sector at large, making up only 15% of the workforce. The picture in renewable energy however, is different, with one study(1) finding women represent 32% of the renewable energy workforce globally and another(2) finding women accounting for 27% of solar industry jobs in the US. As the renewables sector rapidly develops, we have a myriad of opportunities to create its culture, making it more representative of the people it serves. Companies can push for more diversity and an increasingly egalitarian culture, which significant research has shown benefits the sector itself and wider society. Gender diversity is of course only one of many types of diversity that requires our attention but as this is being posted on International Women’s Day, gender diversity is the focus for this note.
Valuing Diversity
Increasing the implementation of renewables can address climate change thereby alleviating poverty, improving the standard of living, creating jobs and supporting gender equality more broadly – missions we all have a stake in. To support this momentum, the renewables sector needs a wider pool of talent. ‘When you value diversity, you encourage diverse idea exchange’(3). Diverse teams can develop more innovative ideas, often leading to greater creativity. Ultimately this brings more value to customers, renewables companies and all inhabitants of planet earth. In general, the more gender diverse a company is, the higher it’s profits. Of the most gender diverse companies, the top quarter are 21% more likely to have above average profitability than the least diverse quarter of companies(4).
The renewable energy sector needs to engage and retain more women to fill its growing need for skills, for women’s perspectives, for their leadership and for balanced representation.
Why aren’t there more women in the sector?
There are complex structural and cultural issues at play that must be understood before they can be overcome. The perception of gender roles, cultural and social norms all have an impact on educational and career choices. We can all play a part in increasing awareness by sharing information about career opportunities in renewable energy, providing access to job information and networking opportunities. These are subjects that the Naked Energy team often reflect on. We have a shared commitment to continue to increase diversity within the team, from our hiring practices as we scale up, to ongoing inclusion initiatives, developing the culture for the team and the people we interact with. We are guided by our mission in sustainability, to change energy for good and we are well aware that we can do better.
Walking the talk
At Naked Energy, 29% of our team are currently women, all of whom joined in the last year. We offer flexibility with a ‘work wherever works for you culture’ and support development, training, mentorship and creating appropriate workplace policies and practices for a diverse team.
Our drive to improve diversity is spearheaded from Christophe Williams, CEO.
“I’m a lucky guy, as I’m surrounded everyday by three amazing women - my wife and two daughters. I get to see first-hand their abilities and qualities which should, and will, be represented in an ever-changing society. A society that is based on gender parity and aligned on a common goal of fulfilment. That is spirit of what we are looking to achieve at Naked Energy”.
We are committed to continue to learn, reflect and value women and diverse candidates equally. The more we do so, the more likely we are to benefit from the diversity of ideas that benefit us all – something worth fighting for.
Source:
(1) IRENA, ‘Renewable Energy: A Gender Perspective’, 2019. Study of 1500 respondents
(2) The National Solar Centre Jobs Census, 2017
(3) Harvard Business Review, ‘Research: When Gender Diversity Makes Firms More Productive’, Stephen Turban, Dan Wu, and Letian (LT) Zhang, 2019
(4) LinkedIn, Gender Diversity Hiring