This article has been provided by BP (British Petroleum) for more information on diversity and inclusion on the US side of operations visit their website.
When we listen, learn and take deliberate action, great things can happen. Today has been one of those days.
Recent events in the US highlighted racial issues faced by so many across the globe, but it also emphasised the obligation for bp to take action to address those very issues. Our leadership and employee groups have worked together to create a framework to address those challenges with the intent of creating real change and a clear path forward for underrepresented minority employees. Today, bp announced its UK framework for action on racial injustice. Actions which will have a positive impact on bp as we move forward.
As co-chair of bp’s Positively Ethnic Network (PEN), an employee-led business resource group, I am passionate about equality and fairness. PEN works to highlight the positive benefits an ethnically diverse workforce can bring to the company and I am thrilled that in the years I have been a member of PEN I have witnessed a number of positive changes that have improved equality for all. The work of a great many people too numerous to mention here. The culmination of all those efforts is today’s announcement. It is a major leap forward and, I am excited that this determined focus on equality and fairness will strengthen our future as a reinvented company. The announcement and the framework have had a profound effect on me and my perception of the company I work for, and I know many colleagues will share the same sentiment.
The actions taken today are bold and are taken with the support of a bpLT committed to making lasting change.
bp’s framework will focus on action around three key pillars, transparency, accountability, and talent.
Transparency: Commitment to report D&I metrics annually through external D&I reporting.
Accountability: A clear link between D&I progress and performance management.
Talent: Focused talent development for black and underrepresented employees.
As bp reinvents, the time is right to look at how the company can really reimagine the workplace and become even more inclusive for all its employees. Only through true inclusion can our people commit all of themselves and their great ideas to the work that we do – it will be critical to our innovation and reinvention.
I am proud to have played a part in shaping bp’s current stance on racial injustice and the actions taken today. This is an important milestone that many employees, including myself, have worked for. And it is a great example of what can be done when leaders connect with their employees, listen to them, take deliberate action, and commit to creating the best workplace for all of them.
