Inclusion and Diversity

Essential Energy recognises the importance of an inclusive and diverse workforce.

Diversity across all spectrums, including gender, heritage and ability, promotes diversity of thought, which in turn encourages an innovative and agile workforce. 

This approach to an inclusive workplace ensures all voices are heard and the potential of every employee is realised. To support these aims, we partner with organisations who can support our employees and equally enable us to attract new and diverse talent. These partnerships are deliberately selected to support our workforce while being inclusive. 

Our inclusion and diversity streams

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

Through a range of programs, we invest in building the capability of young Indigenous people across NSW, returning real benefits to the individuals themselves and also their communities. We also partner with the Clontarf Foundation whose aim is to improve outcomes and prospects for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and the Stars Foundation who provide a holistic program that supports Indigenous girls and young women to attend and remain engaged at school, complete Year 12 and move into work or further study..

Read about our Reconciliation Action Plan

Gender

Essential Energy is committed to developing equal opportunities for females within the organisation, with a specific focus on improving female representation in non-traditional and leadership roles. If you're looking for work life balance, we are:

An endorsed employer with WORK180 - A transparent online directory of employers who support diversity, inclusion and equality. Essential Energy continues to set the standard for workplace equity, securing two prestigious WORK180 Equitable Workplace Awards for a second year. In March 2025 we were presented with the Large Enterprise Award within Mining, Resources & Energy for our industry-leading approach to workplace equity and inclusion, and the Flexible Working Arrangements Large Enterprise Award for our commitment to creating a workplace that supports balance, productivity, and inclusivity for all employees. These awards follow last year’s recognition by WORK180 for pay equity, making us the top-ranked organisation in the Mining, Resources & Energy sector for the second consecutive year.

Menopause Friendly Australia accredited. Being a menopause friendly employer is more than just a tick box. It demonstrates that we actively support menopause at work across five key areas of our organisation including attracting talent, retaining talent, diversity, equity and inclusion, psychosocial care, productivity and reducing absenteeism.

Proudly certified as a Family Inclusive Workplace by Family Friendly Workplaces, a community of progressive organisations united in driving global and sustainable change by creating family-friendly workplaces. The certification aims to improve the work life wellbeing of our people and their families by implementing leading policies and practices that foster a family-inclusive culture. This includes comprehensive support for flexible work, parental leave, family care and family wellbeing.

WORK180 awards logoWORK180 awards logo2024 Logos Inclusion and Diversity - Gender - Menopause Friendly badge

LGBTQI+

We are committed to creating a safe and inclusive space and a culture of respect and belonging for everyone who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual or any other gender or sexual minority.

We partner with Pride in Diversity, a national not-for-profit employer support program for LGBTI workplace inclusion. We are proud to have achieved Bronze Tier status in Pride in Diveristy’s Australian Workplace Equity Index (AWEI) which recognises our commitment to LGBTQ workplace inclusion. The Index drives best practice in Australia and sets a comparative benchmark for Australian employers across all sectors.

pride in diversity logo AWEI logo

Disability

Essential Energy’s mission is to engage, encourage and support people with a disability, or those caring for or working with people with a disability, by creating a platform for employees to share their experiences and provide input for improving and raising awareness of disability inclusion in the workplace and broader community. To deliver on this we have developed an Accessibility and Inclusion Plan which aims to address access and inclusion barriers for our employees, customers and community.

We work closely with a number of external partners including Australian Disability Network, Hidden Disabilities Sunflower and Carers Australia to provide the latest resources and support for our employees and for our regional communities. We are proud of these partnerships which are a positive step towards a more inclusive and diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

Cross generational

We are committed to creating an environment where the perspectives and talents of all generations are valued, respected, and listened to.

An example of this is our recognition as a Soldier On Gold Pledge Partner and proud supporter of Soldier On - a not-for-profit organisation delivering holistic support services that enable current and former Australian Defence Force personnel, and their families, to lead meaningful civilian lives. 

2024 Logos Inclusion and Diversity Cross-Generational Soldier On2024 Logos External Inclusion and Diversity Cross-Generational Soldier On Gold Pledge badge

Multicultural

We are seeking to build a culturally aware and supportive organisation, one that is inclusive of employees from all backgrounds and preferences.