Diversity and inclusion in the workplace
We are the sum of cultures and talents
At the Iberdrola Group, we have several policies in place worldwide that prevent discrimination and ensure respect by our workers for diversity, whether ethnic, cultural, sexual orientation or beliefs, as an element that enriches our lives. The company promotes effective equality between men and women in access to employment, training, promotion, remuneration and working conditions. In addition, it supports workers with different abilities and promotes their labour market integration.
Driven by equal opportunities.
How do we promote diversity and workplace inclusion?
The main differentiating factor of successful companies in the 21st century is talent. Today more than ever, people make companies. It is therefore vital for all companies to deal with diversity and workplace inclusion, an aspect that affects commitment and satisfaction and increases talent and leadership qualities. A diverse company attracts and retains the best talent possible, as well as innovating more, which makes it more productive and open to society.
"We are aware of our potential to actively influence our environment and contribute to bringing about real change to create a more pluralistic, inclusive and equal society at all levels"
Ignacio Galán, Iberdrola Group Executive Chairman
Iberdrola is present in more than 30 countries, has more than 42,000 direct employees and is responsible for nearly 500,000 indirect or induced jobs. Operating on a global scale entails a high level of responsibility in everything we do, strengthening our commitment to creating diverse environments where everyone feels free to express different points of view, knowledge and experience, regardless of origin, values or culture.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is an integral part of our Sustainability and Governance System, the internal regulations that underpin our corporate purpose and values and the achievement of our business goals and objectives. When it comes to diversity and inclusion, our long-term objective is to reinforce an inclusive culture, and the road to achieving this is through specific initiatives in areas such as gender, generations, culture and diversity, recognising the value of including other groups, such as a LGBTQIA2S+ community and veterans, in the work environment.
A diverse, multicultural workforce
At Iberdrola, we are firmly committed to our human capital as our major asset and the key to its success, and we are backing a social model that is firmly committed to professional excellence and quality of life. Our aim is to create a work environment in which everyone feels represented.
To do this, we have procedures to prevent any discrimination for reasons of race, colour, gender, language, religion, political opinions, national or social origins, social status, belonging to an indigenous people, disability, health, civil status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or any other personal situation unrelated to the requirements for doing the job.
As a result of our Diversity and Inclusion and Anti-Harassment Policy, Iberdrola now has a diverse, multicultural workforce that truly reflects the society in which we live. This policy, which applies to all the countries in which the group operates, is structured around four major themes:
Quality employment and communication of the individual employee value proposition (iEVP), which includes competitive remuneration, a work environment based on equal opportunities, the business project and work/life balance.
Respect for diversity: age, gender, ethnicity, culture, disability, ways of thinking and ranges of experience.
Equal opportunities in access to employment, promotion and professional development, remuneration, training and performance evaluation.
Promotion of gender equality: commitment to society, internal and external awareness, positive measures to correct inequalities, representation on decision-making bodies and levels, work/life balance, etc.
The company we have also defined a Diversity Policy for the composition of the Board of Directors and the selection of its members, which ensures diversity of skills, knowledge, experience, backgrounds, nationalities, ages and genders on our Board.
Best practices in diversity and workplace inclusion
Iberdrola's commitment to diversity and inclusion is crystallised in our Diversity and Inclusion Report [PDF] (spanish version) External link, opens in new window., which brought together the initiatives implemented to create a plural, fair and egalitarian environment, both inside the company and in relations with all our Stakeholders.
Regarding our employees, the group has a variety of initiatives to promote the various aspects of diversity and inclusion: gender diversity, generational diversity, functional diversity and cultural diversity in the workplace. The following are a few examples of our best practices:
Spain
- Iberdrola Spain was the first IBEX 35 company to institute an unbroken working day in 2007, making it a benchmark for work/life balance and shared responsibility. In recent collective agreements, this measure has even been improved by extending the flexibility of entry and exit, as well as implementing a more flexible timetable in those positions for which, due to their characteristics, it is most appropriate.
- After the birth of a child, both mothers and fathers have a 30 days' leave.
- In this regard, we launched new maternity and paternity support measures to help reconcile work, private and family life. For instance, we opened lactation rooms in the main workplaces, we have parking available for women in the third trimester of pregnancy, and we organise programmes such as activities on non-school days or residential language camps.
- Leaves of absence are given for up to four years to care for family members.
- We launched Silver Experience, a programme to foster intergenerational exchange, where employees with more than 30 years of experience share their experiences and knowledge with employees with less than five years of experience.
- In collaboration with Eurofirms Foundation, we granted scholarships to 20 unemployed women with disabilities and we offered support in career guidance, training and empowerment.
- Through the Protagonistas de su Futuro programme, the company promoted the social and employment integration of over 290 women victims of gender-based violence and/or in severe social exclusion.
- The SUMA programme also facilitated the return to work of women who have taken a long break in their professional life due to maternity or family care.
- Furthermore, in Spain, we have different training and employment projects aimed at vulnerable youth. Generation Unlimited, together with UNICEF, seeks to bridge youth and training opportunities; Coach Exit is focused on enhancing self-esteem, motivation and career guidance; the iMpulsa Project aims to prevent early school dropout; Luces y Acción promotes training in energy efficiency; and Aula Disfriendly promotes the integration of people with disabilities into the labour market.
- In 2023 we joined the Womenalia and Aemener alliances, aimed at helping companies approach talent and promote STEM careers among women. We are also part of the STEAM Alliance for female talent “Niñas en Pie de Ciencia” ("Girls in Science") signed with the Ministry of Education and the CEO Alliance for Diversity.
United Kingdom
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Our subsidiary ScottishPower promotes work-life balance with measures such as adoption leave, childcare breaks, dependency leave, maternity and paternity leave, shared parental leave, etc. It also has an initiative to provide maternity/maternity coaching for employees.
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ScottishPower is celebrating the 6th edition of the Returner Programme
Enlace externo, se abre en ventana nueva. dedicated to experienced professionals seeking to re-enter the working world after a career break, especially women after maternity leave. -
We improved guidance on how to request reasonable accommodation to meet the needs of people with disabilities, thanks to input from the SPARC employee network.
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We fund Smart Works Scotland to support women from minority ethnic backgrounds in Scotland to get sustainable jobs and help them to thrive in their new job.
- It has also designed a programme named Breaking Barriers
External link, opens in new window., in collaboration with Enable Scotland and the Strathclyde Business School, which offers recognised qualifications and work experience to young people with learning difficulties. - “1000 Green Job Campaign" has been launched to recruit professionals in order to meet the new energy transition demands, incorporating inclusive recruitment principles in all campaigns.
- ScottishPower collaborates with prestigious organisations such as Carer Positive, Business Disability Forum, Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion, Equate, Working Families, ENABLE, POWERful Women, Stonewall and Careers UK.
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Our UK subsidiary has five main employee networks
External link, opens in new window.: VIBE (Voice of Inclusion & Balanced Ethnicity), In-Fuse (LGBT+ Inclusion), Future Connection, SP Connected Women, iCAN (Climate Action Network) and SPARC (Disabilities, Neurodivergence, Health conditions).
United States
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Our subsidiary Avangrid* also has programmes to support working families, such as paid parental leave, resources for elderly and child care, and support for fertility treatment, adoption and surrogacy.
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Avangrid has seven main employee networks: HOLA (Hipanic Organization for Leadership and Awareness), AAACE (AVANGRID African-American Council for Excellence), CARE (Community for all Abilities and Resource for Excellence), ACAPA (AVANGRID Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans), AVAN-Veterans, WomENergy and Pride@AVANGRID.
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The company encourages the creation of employment opportunities for veterans and promotes their inclusion through training programmes.
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Avangrid also has an Engineering Development Programme that offers a two-year technical curriculum, during which young people work with mentors to accelerate their development.
- We participated in the Disability IN Index, an assessment tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable and tangible actions towards the inclusion of people with disabilities.
- Avangrid's Supplier Diversity Programme promotes an inclusive environment through fair and competitive business practices that strengthen the participation of ethnic minority-owned businesses, women, veterans and people with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ people in the company's procurement of goods and services.
- In addition, the Diversity Summit with suppliers was held in 2023, with the participation of 50 Avangrid supplier companies and 50 representatives of various stakeholders to strengthen their diversity.
- Avangrid also seeks to promote the workforce’s mental health by facilitating mindfulness activities and awareness-raising talks to help people understand and cope with mental health issues and improve their well-being at work.
Brazil
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Neoenergia**, our subsidiary in Brasil, organises a Women Electricians' School, in order to increase the number of women in the labour market in the electricity sector and promote gender equality through their empowerment. The aim is to give them special training through apprenticeship programmes with theoretical.
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Neoenergia signed the UN's "Raça é Prioridade" (“Race is Priority”) and "Elas Lideram" (“They Lead”) pacts and reinforced the goal of increasing the number of black people in leadership positions by at least 35 % by 2025.
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The company offers financial, legal and psychological advice to victims of gender-based violence, as well as facilities to help them adapt to the workplace. Training is offered to staff on how to identify possible victims of violence and guidance is provided on the available channels for reporting.
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With the aim of boosting personal and professional development of young people living in Salvador (Bahia-Brazil), Neoenergia launched the Mentoring the Future initiative together with Joule Institute. Participants can prepare for the job market and receive guidance from an experienced mentor working at Neoenergia.
- It also has specific employee groups have also been created with a focus on gender, race, people with disabilities and LGTBIQ+ groups with the aim of presenting projects and helping to build good practices.
Mexico
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Iberdrola Mexico's work-life balance measures include longer holidays than those established by Mexican law, the possibility of reducing or making the working day more flexible, maternity leave before and after childbirth once the legal leave has ended, and the right to leave of absence with job reservation for female employees.
- Our Mexican subsidiary has developed a programme named Impulso STEM External link, opens in new window., with the Universidad Tecnológica de los Valles Centrales de Oaxaca (UTVCO), the Instituto de Energías Renovables of UNAM and STEM for kids. The aim is to promote the study of engineering among young people in Oaxaca, especially young women, so as bridge the wage gap that still exists in Mexico and attract more diverse talent to the company.
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Iberdrola Mexico has a new Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodation Policy, a mechanism for employees to request reasonable accommodation in their workplace or work tools, dedicated to people with disabilities in the workforce, pregnant women, older adults, or people with temporary physical limitations.
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The company created three affinity groups to boost representation and inclusion of diverse talent: Mujeres con Energía (Energised Women), to give visibility and empower women in the company; Enlace Generacional (Intergenerational Linking) between employees of different ages to share their experience; and Orgullo con Energía (Energised Pride), to raise awareness and respect for LGBTQI+ people.
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In addition, Iberdrola Mexico in alliance with Pride Connection signed a set of Golden Rules to promote the inclusion of LGBTQI+ people and eradicate discrimination in the workplace, together with the Council to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination of Mexico City (COPRED).
