BP Developing strategy and networks

Transcription

1 BP Developing strategy and networks Company information British Petroleum (BP) is one of the major oil and gas companies in the world. The British company originated in 1908 as Anglo-Persian Oil Company. Since 2013, the multinational company works in 80 countries employing around 70,000 individuals. Diversity and inclusion themes Developing leadership Diversity as business imperative Building staff networks Sharing good practice Find out more g Engineer conducts a walk down at the refinery. Customer refuelling at Shepperton service station. Andrew platform. 66

2 Diversity and inclusion toolkit BP Process Technician teaching at Sirius Academy - Kerrie Hutchinson, Process Technician, Hull. BP Operators in discussion at Whiting refinery. Students race to put on personal protective equipment. Introduction Toolkit Case studies Appendices 67

3 Background, aims and objectives As a multinational company, BP has focused on diversity and inclusion (D&I) for a number of years. Its aim is for its workforce to fully represent the societies in which it operates and also to attract, motivate, develop and retain the best talent from communities around the globe. BP believes success comes from the energy of its people. BP has five D&I ambition elements Strategy D&I is an explicit part of our core values and strategic planning processes. Leadership Executive leaders are accountable for leading D&I and represent the diversity of the organisation. These five areas provide a framework to prioritise D&I activity, and all initiatives must show alignment to one or more of these elements. Through the values of safety, respect, excellence, courage and one team, BP creates an inclusive working environment where everyone can make a difference and give their best. BP focuses its efforts across several diversity strands as outlined in its D&I policy and code of conduct. Additionally, it specifically holds internal global goals for women in leadership 25% of its top 400 leaders and 30% of its senior level leaders to be women by Capability We are all responsible for growing, developing and retaining our diverse talent pool. Culture Our working culture enables different generational, cultural and personality styles to flourish. Improvement Consistent reporting mechanisms track progress. 68

4 Diversity and inclusion toolkit BP diversity and inclusion aims 25% 30% We aim for 25% female group leaders and 30% female senior level leaders by Source: BP Diversity and Inclusion website careers/working-at-bp/diversity-andinclusion.html Specific initiatives Employee networks, known in BP as business resource groups (BRGs), are a key part of BP s D&I strategy. Groups of volunteers come together either on a local basis (at a specific site or location), nationally or internationally, to support the businesses in driving activities that fall within BP s five D&I strategy areas. These volunteer networks have been in place since the middle of the last decade and include the women s BP WIN networks, BP Pride (LGBT) and several BRGs for ethnic minorities, working parents, crossgenerational working, new hires, employees working outside their home countries, people with disabilities and, specifically in the US, veterans. Each business resource group is required to have a business mind-set and develop a plan for the year aligned to the five strategic D&I ambition. These plans are regularly monitored, and progress is reviewed at the end of the year. In this way, there is a clear strategic focus and alignment while encouraging each BRG to take responsibility for planning and monitoring their activity. A key collaboration tool is the use of the internal social network, Yammer, which is used to share activities, learn from other groups and encourage online debate and discussion. Rebecca Moore, who co-founded the Swindon women s network (BP WIN Swindon) in 2013, started by getting a group of volunteers together to brainstorm the key issues impacting women. One of the key findings was that there was a hesitancy to promote oneself internally. Some female employees were feeling disillusioned by not being promoted but felt that networking was embarrassing, too orchestrated and unnecessary. On the back of this feedback, events such as Brand Me and Network Me were organised, aimed at personal branding and networking. They promoted being good is a given, what s important is being known to be good and included guest speakers, a workshop on effective networking and a speed networking event with 20 senior leaders. Future events will focus on mentoring and sponsorship. create a fully inclusive environment for all. This approach makes sure that everyone on site can get involved in D&I activities while still allowing employees to link in with specific BRG activities in the wider BP. The new combined committee are still planning their approach, but the focus will be on tangible actions that people can take to improve inclusion. Andy Smith is involved in BP Pride UK, a BRG for LGBT employees (there are also chapters in the US and Asia-Pacific). The main activity in 2014 was the development of a Straight Allies toolkit, an online toolkit aimed at straight allies who want to understand LGBT issues and how they can support colleagues, friends or family who are experiencing these issues. The toolkit was developed following information received from the annual employee feedback survey. The toolkit is in two parts: the first section is designed to raise awareness through a quiz examining stereotypes and misconceptions; the second section has senior leaders talking about how they perceive the Straight Allies programme. This initiative was developed in the UK but has been rolled out across BP and published on the BP Intranet for maximum visibility. Yammer has been used to improve the impact and make sure that the toolkit is readily accessible to all. Introduction Toolkit Case studies Appendices Jean Sweeney is involved in BRGs at BP s Hull site. What started off as a Women s International Network (WIN) with a pure focus on gender has now evolved into a BRG steering committee with a broad remit to 69

5 Impact In the 2014 Race for Opportunity Awards, BP achieved the shortlist and Big Tick in the Employee Network Award for its UK-based BRG, BP PEN (Positively Ethnic Network). BP PEN was set up in 2006 and continues to promote the inclusion and representation of ethnic minorities across BP in the UK through targeted programmes in recruitment, mentoring, professional development and cultural awareness. In the Champion Award category, the founder of PEN, Charles Thompson, won for his immense contribution to the network, which he also chaired from 2006 to In 2014, Stonewall, BP and the Royal Academy of Engineering joined forces to hold Data-Driven Diversity: The Facts about Being LGBT in Engineering, an event focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender engineers and why the sector as a whole was not as mature in diversity and inclusion as other sectors (eg banking and law). The event was very successful with over 100 attendees and significant press and social media coverage. In the 2015 Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, BP was the top-placed company from the oil and energy sector, sitting at 22nd place in the overall list. BP reached 137th place in the index in 2014 and 267th place in The company is also recognised in the top 10 in the Stonewall Global Index for the progress that s been made around the world, most notably in the Asia Pacific region, as well as a 90% attainment in the US equivalent WEI. Challenges Be conscious and aware of potential negative reactions from some employees in the organisation who aren t the target of D&I initiatives. Specific initiatives are great, but the difficult part is how to embed these into business as usual activity within the organisation. This is the current challenge for BP Pride with the Straight Allies toolkit. Hints and tips Have a clear strategy and policy that all D&I activity needs to be aligned to. Ensure senior leader buy-in and visible support. At BP, top level support for D&I objectives is very visible. Employees know that they will have the support of their line manager to get involved in BRG activity alongside their day job. They are asked to ensure those priorities are signed off in their annual performance objectives by their line manager. Ensure that there are opportunities for networks in different locations to share activity and learnings through Intranet information and social media. Encourage BRGs or employee networks to have a business mind-set. What are their goals? What is the strategy? How can we monitor progress? Next steps After four years of embedding a systemwide framework for prioritising D&I activity, BP are building on that with three areas of focus: Continuity the framework remains in place, it s good for all seasons and helps everyone keep focused on what progress looks like. Broader ownership building the capability much more widely among leadership to ensure they bring D&I further into the daily way they do business. Governance to continue to improve consistency and efficiency, BP has established a company-wide D&I policy that outlines the accountabilities around certain activities within their framework. gsee Appendix 3 for more guidance on specific initiatives linked to this case study: Employee networks. Strategy. gfor useful resources and organisations to support your work, see Appendix 4. i To find out more about the case study, contact diversity@raeng.org.uk 70