People Performance
Responding to COVID-19
The emergence of COVID-19 dramatically changed the landscape of 2020. While the pandemic threatened virtually every aspect of our lives, ENGIE North America responded, amplifying health and safety standards and mobilizing to ensure the well-being of employees, customers and communities.
Strengthening our commitment to diversity and inclusion
As an industry leader with a global platform, ENGIE North America embraces a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture and promotes an environment where differences are valued and divergent thinking leads to innovation. In 2020, we furthered our efforts in this regard, undertaking a range of activities to affect positive change in our near- and long-term activities.
Ensuring social responsibility in the supply chain
ENGIE North America is committed to ensuring that the people who support our value chain are treated with dignity. We want the products and services we provide to be created in a way that respects human rights.
In 2020, we co-signed the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) pledge, to publicly oppose forced labor within the solar supply chain and raise awareness of this critical issue within the industry. To assist in these efforts and continuously reinforce the fight against forced labor, we contribute to the development of an industry-led solar supply chain traceability protocol as a tool to better identify where the primary raw materials of manufactured materials are sourced.
Broadening the social impact of our renewable projects
Investing in renewable energy goes far beyond the benefit of climate action. ENGIE North America tracks and measures the impact of its zero-carbon projects to communicate advantages to stakeholders and demonstrate the positive progress our activities bring to communities. In 2020, ENGIE North America’s investments helped instill economic relief following the pandemic, providing a clean energy foundation for future recovery.
Advancing stakeholder engagement in our communities
ENGIE North America partners with several local agencies to support environmental projects in collaboration with local landowners. In 2020, ENGIE North America, in partnership with Ontario West Wind, presented the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) with a $10,000 check to support important environmental plans for the region. The LTVCA has worked with ENGIE North America for the last two and a half years on a range of initiatives in the South Kent area, a municipal region of Ontario, Canada. ENGIE North America has provided funding and expertise to help get a number of projects off the ground, including wetland restorations, the addition of tallgrass prairie buffers and the planting of thousands of trees.
Creating a healthy and safe work environment
Health and safety is an essential pillar of performance for ENGIE North America employees, particularly those who work in conditions that present hazards. COVID-19 brought significant challenges for health and safety during 2020. ENGIE North America adapted by increasing personal protective equipment, implementing social distancing guidelines and initiating remote working wherever possible.
We continued to focus on training and adhering to health and safety standards and performed ongoing monitoring of critical indicators to determine trends. In 2020, our accident frequency rate was .98, which is strongly aligned to our ENGIE Group objective of achieving a frequency rate of less than 2.9 by 2030. We also reached a .8 health and safety prevention rate, contributing significantly to our objective of realizing a health and safety prevention rate greater than .75 by 2030.
Engaging with education institutions
ENGIE North America develops innovative structuring and funding options for universities and K-12 schools to help these customers meet energy objectives while supporting academic priorities. Large, multiyear agreements with customers like Boston University, Howard University and The University of Iowa enable us to contribute to academic, research, operational and student retention objectives. Agreements with K-12 institutions help us promote STEAM – science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics – education, broadening the learning opportunities available to students.
Enhancing growth, training and development opportunities
ENGIE North America believes in providing a work environment that continuously strengthens the skills required to achieve a more responsible, carbon-neutral future. We work with employees to improve, enhance, refine and hone existing capabilities and build new skill sets that can be transferred to any environment. Our aim is to support employees in maximizing their full potential.
