Centrica : 30 Sep 2021 The drive for Diversity in the UK Tech sector

30 September 2021 The drive for Diversity in the UK Tech sector

By Darren Miles
Chief Information Officer, Centrica

As National Inclusion Week 2021 draws to a close, we're proud to share that we have signed up to the Tech Talent Charter - to support the drive to make sure the UK tech sector becomes a diverse and truly inclusive community where people from all backgrounds are welcomed, listened to and valued for their contributions. Our Chief Information Officer, Darren Miles, explains what this means to him.

As we close off National Inclusion Week and as an advocate for diversity, equality, and inclusion, I am proud Centrica has signed up to the Tech Talent Charter. It's important for me in Digital Technology Services (DTS), that we provide inspiration for those starting, or looking for a change, that they can build a career in our industry.

I'm so pleased that this month we welcome AWS re/Start and apprentices into DTS and, in October, our graduates join us too. These programmes focus on recruiting individuals from all communities, into a career in technology.

"It's important for me that we provide inspiration for those starting, or looking for a change, that they can build a career in our industry."

The team and I have worked hard this year to ensure inclusion is a core part of what we do and how we operate. We're being recognised externally and won an award for our approach in 'practicing inclusive excellence in the workplace' at the Real IT Awards 2021. Internally, we can see through our engagement surveys that 90% of DTS colleagues feel respected for their individual differences and that they can bring their whole self to work. In this quarter's survey, I've added a question on a feeling of belonging so we can really drill into the detail.

We can't sit on our laurels though - we must continually reflect.

I've introduced a people measurements dashboard to enable us to clearly see how we're progressing monthly; we'll also look at the insight from our regular engagement surveys with an added intersectionality viewpoint. To keep diversity and inclusion at the front of everyone's minds, we introduced an inclusivity objective to all those in DTS, helping create an inclusive culture and develop new ways of working to accelerate transformation and growth.

These steps ensure all colleagues are respected, that colleagues are empowered and accepted for who they are and what they bring to the business. We're stronger with a more diverse, inclusive, and collaborative teams. Our strength is our people and our capability to improve and innovate, encouraging colleagues to bring their full self to work.