Energizing the Workforce: A Year in Review

At the end of each year, I find that it is rather therapeutic to review the progress of projects, highlight your accomplishments, acknowledge your failures, and most importantly, plan for the year ahead. I know for a fact that I am not the only person that does this year after year and I am even more confident that this process is going to look different as we wrap up one of the most unpredictable years. This year especially, in personal and professional worlds, it is easy to point out what we did not achieve. Not able to work in person with team members, attend community outreach events, or feel any sort of normalcy were all factors that caused the year to feel (how dare I say it), unprecedented. As we are quickly approaching 2021, there is this feeling that there will be a fresh start and we can forget everything that happened this year. However, as we begin a new year, I feel that it is more important now to recognize the struggles that 2020 may not disappear with the blink of an eye.

It seems like not too long ago Energizing the Workforce was opening up the year planning for equity in 2020. Starting the year off by emphasizing the importance of having conversations with your colleagues about racial equity was the first step actively discussed in the series this year; followed by steps and examples to tackle those conversations and make them effective for all employees. As we stretch into the February and March, various employment practices were explained and shared. From offering second chances to employment to people with criminal history or enacting open hiring, the energy industry can begin to change the trajectory of the American workforce as a whole.  

Shorty after our world was shaken up and the path we were on took a turn. However, even though our path changed, our destination has always remained the same (as cheesy as that may sound). The state of our country this year was more intense and frightening than any other year I had ever experienced. With so many communities being impacted by COVID-19, racial unrest, economic instability, and so many other factors, the destination of equity seemed far beyond our reach. However, it still created a beacon of light that would offer safety and reassurance in these communities. It is important to note that equity cannot just appear because we want it to. And I think that is a common misconception that we often find in communities throughout the country. If we say we are promoting equity and we believe in it, then that makes us equitable, right? Wrong.

It is the same old saying “actions speak louder than words,” that reigns true here. Equitable practices look different in every community and we must take action to make progressive changes for our neighbors. What does this mean? For example, this may be offering recruitment/job services to students at high schools that are disadvantaged or geographically rural. Or working directly with probation departments to match previously incarcerated individuals with job opportunities in different energy trade programs. Your actions do not have to be massive, in fact, focusing in on your own community and how to better the lives of those who live around you can be the first step to solving the large issue.

I have read, heard, and absorbed an endless amount of information about the energy industry’s workforce over the last year: statistics that make you want to take action, personal anecdotes that inspire, and even policies that cause you to reconsider your own practices. Use these opportunities to question how equity currently exists (if at all) in your workforce community. We must strive for inclusivity in our industry to adjust to the scope of work we tackle which only increases year over year.

This is my second year in Energy Efficiency space specifically and in those two years, I have learned more than I can possibly explain. Part of this learning experience lead to a realization about the makeup of my workforce that greatly effects why I consistently strive for equity and inclusion. My workforce is not representative of the community that I live in. And until it is, we must point out that it is not. While this year has been a challenge in more ways than one, I look forward to 2021 to continuing our journey to “Energizing the Workforce” and finding more ways to create a workforce that represents the folks that live in my community.