A new energy world must work for everyone
We spoke to Liz Warbrick, Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and Inclusion Consultant, as part of our series highlighting green jobs at E.ON to find out more about how she’s contributing to a more inclusive and sustainable future.
Green jobs come in all shapes and sizes – from our engineers installing solar panels and heat pumps in our customers’ homes to people like Liz Warbrick, EVP and Inclusion Consultant at E.ON UK, who is working hard to ensure the energy transition leaves no one behind.
We’re committed to creating a new energy future that is more sustainable, accessible and affordable for everyone – and inclusion is at the heart of this. For the new energy world to work it needs to be diverse, inclusive and accessible.
“A new energy world must work for everyone, and we can’t expect to achieve this without diversity of thought and a workforce that is reflective of the society we serve,” Liz says.
Delivering for a new energy world
Changes are required to ensure we create a future where everyone can thrive and take advantage of greater sustainability. Liz passionately explains: “Creating a new energy world can’t be done through small tweaks; we need wholesale changes and that means making sure it works for everyone – irrespective of ethnicity, religion, gender identity, socioeconomic status and ensuring everything is accessible for those with a disability or neurodivergence.”
And that’s exactly where Liz’s role comes in. “I help deliver our inclusion strategy, helping to make E.ON a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging and can thrive. We’re creating a workplace that supports all its people and brings many perspectives to all decisions.”
The passion Liz holds for her role is clear and she’s quick to explain her personal motivation for improving our colleague experience. “I’ve always been supported through various stages of my life while working at E.ON, and also in my own development and growth, and I want that experience to be the standard for everyone.”
But what does this look like in practice? Liz happily shares some key examples: “From simple changes, like supplying period products on-site to progressive policies like our equal parental leave offering, we’re committed to improving equality for our colleagues.”
And when it comes to highlights, Liz has many. From delivering our annual inclusion report, supporting our bespoke in-house development programmes embRace Your Talent and Women in Leadership and taking part in Pride events to winning awards such as TLC Lion’s Human Company of the Year, Liz is immensely proud of the work she does.
We don’t just go it alone at E.ON either. “We work with various external organisations to achieve accreditation or recognition of our progress – we’re now recognised as being menopause friendly, disability confident and fertility friendly,” Liz says.
Building an inclusive, and green, career
Liz started her career with E.ON in our customer services team after graduating from university in 2009 and has since spent time working in roles spanning employer brand, marketing campaigns and digital content creation. But her true passion is making things better for people which led her to her role as EVP and Inclusion Consultant.
While not a traditional green career, Liz understands the impact her role has on E.ON’s ability to lead the energy transition. Liz shares, “it’s everyone’s responsibility to make every effort to reduce waste and reliance on fossil fuels and move to a future of sustainability. So, everyone at E.ON from the people out in customers’ homes, installing energy solutions and sharing energy efficiency tips, all the way through to those of us in the enabling functions – we’re all in green jobs as we’re all working towards the same purpose.”
Her advice for those looking to build a green career that truly delivers real impact for people: “Think about what a better tomorrow looks like and work backwards from there. For me, it’s a world where everyone feels safe to be their full, authentic self and I’m lucky to be in a role that allows me to work towards this every day.”
Finally, Liz recognises you can’t talk about diversity and inclusion without acknowledging what’s going on in the world right now. “Diversity and inclusion are hot topics right now with a lot of uncertainty for many communities. But for us, diversity and inclusion are part of who we are, and we’re committed to delivering real value for our people. So, it’s important we reaffirm this with our colleagues and ensure everyone feels welcome, comfortable and able to thrive at E.ON”
Diversity and inclusion are right at the heart of everything we do at E.ON. We’re committed to ensuring no one is left behind on the energy transition and that a sustainable future is one that’s also more inclusive.
Find out more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion in our annual inclusion report.