Green energy for the planet and its people

Analysis of diversity data is a crucial next step

While I’ve never been openly discriminated against at Ørsted, I've felt significant anxiety around how colleagues might respond to who I really am. There was little visibility around inclusion when I joined, and without those signals, you hold back elements of your life. For me, that’s really improved in the last couple of years, and it’s lovely to see senior leaders saying, “this is important”. 

Yet, it’s a learning journey. We need to better understand who our workforce community is. Through collection and analysis of anonymous diversity data, we can tell if we’re representative of the communities we operate in, which groups represent the majority, and which might be under-represented. Crucially, it can tell us if our initiatives have impact and aid our understanding of where further action is needed.

This isn’t just a social club – we’re here to make real changes

I've had a positive experience at Ørsted from the getgo. I talked about my husband on my first calls with colleagues, and no one batted an eyelash; it wasn’t an issue. Just as I was wondering if there was an LGBTQ+ group, the Ørsted IN initiative launched. It really helped me establish a sense of community and meet colleagues I wouldn’t otherwise have interacted with.

But it’s not just a social club; we want to have a real impact on recruitment, retention, benefits, and employee engagement. Intersectionality will be key to that – we need to ensure the conversation isn’t dominated by cis-gender, white, or male voices, even in the LGBTQ+ groups. To that end, the LGBTQ+ group is working with the Race & Ethnicity group to think harder about how we can help Ørsted recruit a more diverse set of colleagues. The North America team is growing rapidly, so what we do now will determine the office culture for years to come. We can’t miss that opportunity

We have a responsibility to practise the values we want to see

I’m heartened and inspired to hear other Ørsted employees say they’ve seen a progressive shift towards a culture that actively engages and practises LGBTQ+ inclusion. It does make a real positive difference to host events which encourage people to be curious, open-minded, and think about these things more deeply – especially in a place like Malaysia, where anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment is still so prevalent.

Ørsted’s commitment to inclusivity adds another layer of meaning to a company involved in green energy and sustainability. The culture we create internally should be a reflection of the values we hope to preserve and practise in the world. While progress has been made, it will be increasingly challenging to continue efforts to practise inclusivity in a meaningful way as Ørsted grows as a global organisation.

'Onlyness' at work can be a tremendous strength

As the only woman in my team, I was nervous to share another layer of my diversity when I first joined Ørsted. I kept playing out scenarios in my head in case the question of partners ever came up – trying to work out how to handle it, how to deflect it. Constantly thinking like that creates anxiety; you can’t focus fully on work because you’re always worrying. 

I eventually found strength in embracing my ‘onlyness’, and with the mentorship of my managers, I was able to out myself at work. It's been a really positive experience; I’ve received such a positive attitude from people around the business. I want others to know that it can bring you so much strength, if you want to do it.