Work Study Team Members
At NiSource, DE&I has been an important focus and continues to be a fundamental component of our journey toward leading as America’s premier energy provider. We work hard to create an environment where each employee has the opportunity to reach their full potential and feel psychologically safe while growing. It is often said that company culture starts at the top. More importantly, to make impactful, lasting change within an organization, you need executive buy-in. While this may be true, it is only half of the puzzle. For diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), everyone needs to be on board, from the CEO to the newest employee.
NiSource’s DE&I approach is grounded in four primary dimensions: Customers, Communities, Workforce and Supplier Diversity. This four-part focus anchors our DE&I agenda and shapes the activities, goals and objectives of our employee resource groups, mentoring programs and various community events. It is through these dimensions that NiSource employees foster, promote and celebrate an inclusive culture.
As a company, our goal is to consistently provide a quality work environment for every employee and exceptional natural gas and electricity to the diverse communities that rely on our services. We firmly believe that diversity, equity and inclusion are more than written policies or quotas to fill. Our commitment to DE&I serves as a framework to ensure every employee has a voice and active seat at the table. NiSource promotes inclusive behaviors such as communication, mutual respect, teamwork, valuing differences and acceptance. These behaviors help us meet our commitment to customers and creates a richer, more rewarding workplace for everyone on our team.
Across NiSource, our employees are passionate about DE&I. One way they can get involved and make a difference is by participating in employee resource groups (ERGs). This passion for inclusive action was shared by many employees, including NiSource CEO and President Joe Hamrock. In alignment with NiSource’s strong commitment to confronting racism, our CEO hosted coffee chats with all employee resource groups to continue to foster an environment of healing and action. In addition to these employee conversations, NiSource hosted this year’s ERG/DE&I alignment session where ERG leadership and NiSource leadership provided tangible action items to further the company’s DE&I goals.
ERGs serve as a collective voice around shared issues and concerns and broadens the understanding and awareness of DE&I. As a company, we believe it is essential to understand different cultures and different parts of our communities. More importantly, at NiSource, we believe diversity is a driver for innovation and success.
We have elevated DE&I to the officer level to be at the leadership table of our employee and customer experience organization. Aligning with the expectations of our leaders, we have now put our money where our ethics are by tying part of officer compensation to DE&I. What can be measured gets done, and we are ensuring that DE&I be taken seriously.
Our investment in building a company centered in DE&I is an investment in our customers, communities and stakeholders. We value the responsibility of being a company that remains true to being a business of people. We recognize and honor the similarities of our employees and celebrate their differences – our people matter, which is why DE&I remains a prime focus for us. NiSource’s success depends on our employees. Together, they help make us a better community partner and a stronger company.
We believe that ethical business conduct is the foundation of a workplace. Keeping DE&I front of mind is how we can all enjoy an atmosphere of fairness, honesty, integrity and trust, and where all people have an equal opportunity to contribute to our strength and growth. At NiSource, that is how we do business.
