Equality, diversity and inclusion

We launched our Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy and action plan in July 2021. Since 2020 we have made tangible progress on our EDI journey as an employer with arrange of activities/ programmes we delivered against the four pillars within our EDI Strategy: Educate, Engage, Evolve & Equip. We have seen Ofwat move from an organisation hesitant about talking about EDI issues to a place where people are beginning to feel more comfortable bringing their whole selves to work.  We’ve benefited from visible support from senior leaders within Ofwat, including the board, particularly in the early stages. We’ve made use of creativity and innovation in our engagement, and, at times, led the way amongst regulators (for example, our voluntary reporting on our Ethnicity Pay Gap).

For our Board and Senior Leadership Team remains EDI remains a key priority if we are to achieve an inclusive, equal, and fairer working environment where everyone can be themselves,  but are also keen to dial up our focus on EDI in our regulatory work.  Ofwat has an important role to play in protecting customers and encouraging water companies to provide a service that is accessible and inclusive for everyone.

In our Time to Act, Together strategy we committed to listening to a diverse range of customers more directly to better test our policies and to guide where and how we hold companies to account. We have also asked companies to work with others within and beyond the sector, reflecting the needs of the places in which they operate, so it is vital that both we and the sector are equal, diverse, and inclusive.

Whilst there is still more to do in the EDI space, we believe we have made good progress given the resourcing constraints and capacity.  We have looked at the responses to the questions in the Inclusion and Fair Treatment section of the annual People Survey 2022.  The key results were: