National Grid 2008 Annual Report Download - page 540

BOWNE INTEGRATED TYPESETTING SYSTEM
CRC: 53895
Name: NATIONAL GRID
Date: 17-JUN-2008 03:10:51.35Operator: BNY99999TPhone: [phone]Site: BOWNE OF NEW YORK
Y59930.SUB, DocName: EX-15.1, Doc: 16, Page: 24
Description: EXHIBIT 15.1
0/7220.00.00.00Y59930BNY
[E/O] EDGAR 2 *Y59930/220/7*
BOWNE INTEGRATED TYPESETTING SYSTEM
CRC: 53895
Name: NATIONAL GRID
Date: 17-JUN-2008 03:10:51.35Operator: BNY99999TPhone: [phone]Site: BOWNE OF NEW YORK
Y59930.SUB, DocName: EX-15.1, Doc: 16, Page: 24 Description: EXHIBIT 15.1
0/7220.00.00.00Y59930BNY
[E/O] EDGAR 2 *Y59930/220/7*
Table of Contents
32
Performance a
g
ainst our ob
j
ectives continued
National Grid plc
Our approach involves adopting National Grid wide
integrated common performance processes and a single set
of performance criteria, with pay linked to leadership
qualities (how we deliver) as well as operational and financial
performance (what we deliver), providing for clearer
differentiation between levels of performance.
Employee engagement
With the implementation of National Grid’s new operating
model the structure of our internal communications function
has been reviewed and a new global internal
communications team has been formed. Its role is to ensure
that all our employees feel engaged and connected with our
vision, strategy and objectives and live our core values. A
survey was carried out to gather feedback on the
communication routes that employees prefer and a suite of
communication channels is now being rolled out across the
whole of National Grid. The first edition of the new National
Grid wide magazine, One, was produced in January 2008
and in March 2008, the second edition was accompanied by
printed inserts for employees within each of our lines of
business.
In February 2008, we conducted a comprehensive employee
engagement survey, the first since completion of the
KeySpan acquisition. Over 23,000 employees – 83.6% of our
work force – took part in what will now be an annual
exercise. This response rate was over 28% higher than that
achieved in our last survey in 2006. The survey
demonstrated that our employees see our safety focused
and supportive work environment as real strengths. Where
they think that we can make progress is in the areas of
providing more open and honest communications, greater
clarity about our vision and direction, and a stronger link
between performance and reward. Action plans are being
developed and built into managers’ objectives for the comin
g
year.
Performance management
During the year we successfully launched our Performance
for Growth programme involving over 200 senior managers
across National Grid in both the UK and the US, led by our
Executive Directors.
Following on from raising the bar on the performance of our
leadership groups, through the Performance for Growth
programme, we continue to expand and embed our
performance management process. This includes an
integrated common performance approach across the
Company, including a single set of performance criteria, pay
linked to leadership qualities, as well as operational and
financial performance and a clearer differentiation between
levels of performance. During 2007/08, significant effort was
put into the calibration of performance across the levels and
businesses with the objective of creating a fairer, more
transparent and consistent process for evaluating and
rewarding the performance of our employees.
Engagement
and
performance
To succeed, we need to engage our employees to
strive for continued improvement. For that
purpose our aim is to implement a world-class
p
erformance mana
g
ement
p
rocess.
We are fortunate to have vibrant employee networks,
focusing on gender, ethnicity and faith, disability, sexual
orientation and new starters. They are helping us to
understand better the different communities represented
within our workforce and to provide support and information
to our employees.
Our field force pilot programme in the UK is developing an
inclusion and diversity best practice toolkit that can be
replicated across our operational sites.
In addition to the inclusion and diversity steering group that
advises the Executive Committee on overall strategy and
policy, we have created action councils in the UK and the US
to help to coordinate initiatives in each of our locations, to
identify new initiatives and to ensure consistency across
lines of business. Progress in achieving our goals is
monitored as part of our regular performance review
process.
At 31 March 2008, 22.5% of our employees were female and
12.3% were from black and minority ethnic groups. This
reflects the acquisition of KeySpan and so is not directly
comparable with prior years. Excluding KeySpan, the
proportions were 23.4% and 7.4% respectively, compared
with 23.7% and 7.3% respectively at 31 March 2007 and with
23.4% and 6.7% respectively at 31 March 2006.
Our progress has already received external recognition. We
were in The Times newspaper Top 50 UK ‘Where Women
Want To Work’ list for the second year running and we were
shortlisted for a gender and ethnicity award. Both National
Grid and KeySpan, prior to its acquisition, scored 100% in
the US Human Rights Campaign’s 2007 Corporate Equality
Index. We have also had positive media coverage of our
work pro
g
ramme for people with disabilities.
In our 2008 employee en
g
a
g
ement survey, 61% (2006: 83%)
of respondents considered they were treated fairly by the
Company, while 76% of respondents considered that their
colleagues treated them with respect and dignity.
Inclusion and
diversity
In order to develop, recruit and retain talented
people, we aim to achieve a more inclusive and
diverse workforce, reflecting the composition of
the communities in which we operate, and to be
seen as an employer of choice across diverse
communities.
Performance measures we use to monitor our objective of promoting
inclusion and diversity include the percentage of female employees and
the
p
ercenta
g
e of black and minorit
y
ethnic em
p
lo
y
ees.