Vital, relevant and supportive: Anthony Ainsworth on our adaptABILITY network

At E.ON, we have nine colleague-led inclusion networks which aim to support our colleagues in different aspects of their working and personal lives. One such network is our adaptABILITY network which provides a space for colleagues to share their experiences, raise awareness and support each other in relation to visible and invisible disabilities and chronic or long-term conditions.

We recently caught up with Anthony Ainsworth – Chief Operating Officer of Industrial & Commercial business, npower Business Solutions, and board sponsor of our adaptABILITY network – to find out more about his role as board sponsor and some of the network’s key achievements.

What motivated you to become the UK board sponsor for our adaptABILITY network?

There are a few reasons why I wanted to become the UK board sponsor for our adaptABILITY network. The first reason is my own personal, lived experience of raising my disabled daughter who’s now 27, and all the joys and challenges that brings – both inside and outside of work. So there’s an element of lived experience for me. Because of that, fairness and equality are so important to me – it’s in my DNA and this was another key factor in my motivation to sponsor the network. 

I also understand the power of having diverse teams and what it takes to enable people to join a company and truly thrive. I absolutely and passionately believe that it's about more than just inclusion; it's about belonging. Belonging is where people can be their true self and their natural selves, and it’s crucial the workplace environment enables that.

So when I was asked to sponsor the network, it felt like a fantastic opportunity to bring my expertise, experience and beliefs together. I’m also aware that I've got a position which brings with it some clout, responsibility and airtime to make things happen.

Being sponsor of a network like adaptABILITY is all about advocacy. It’s about helping to make things happen and make things better for our colleagues.

What does your role as board sponsor of the network involve?

Being sponsor of a network like adaptABILITY is all about advocacy.

It's about using the connections and the airtime you have, or the airtime you can create, to be an advocate and an ally for our colleagues on the issues and causes important to them. It’s about helping to make things happen and make things better for our colleagues.

It's not me saying to the network you should do these things. It's about the network saying these things are important to us, how can you help us get them on the agenda and get things done about them. I've helped with how network members might go about that by helping structure things, but really being a sponsor is acknowledging that you have the ability to create airtime and using this ability to create a conversation around key topics and ideally then make things happen.

One of the things I've been able to do is bring some of my business experience to the adaptABILITY network and help members shape what they want to achieve into some simple yet really quite powerful concepts.

What are the aims of the adaptABILITY network?

If I were to describe the adaptABILITY network in three words, they would be vital, relevant and supportive. The adaptABILITY network has been great at connecting colleagues, supporting them and providing an internal source of advice. But we want to shift the network now to be much more about campaigning and making change happen.

To do that we've got four overarching goals – our four A’s:

• Awareness: Raise awareness of disability, and ability, across our organisation.
• Allyship: Boost true allyship within our organisation, so that leaders and managers are much more confident around the topic and will happily speak out and make things happen.
• Assistance: Ensure colleagues get the assistance they need, and they're entitled to, enabling them to be their most productive at work.
• Accessibility: Make sure accessibility is part of our business’ DNA, whether that’s our physical environment or how we work.

For example, we’re working with our Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM) team so the accessibility lens is there every time we're looking at a new building or a building refurb. We’re ensuring there’s somebody from the network involved as a lived experience expert.

What would you say the adaptABILITY’s biggest success has been so far?

There are definitely a few things that stand out. Creating the four goals to drive real purpose and direction for the network is definitely up there.

Another key success is the board session we ran jointly with the Neurodiversity Network at the end of last year where colleagues came together and shared their stories in a safe environment. Our colleagues brilliantly brought to life the day-to-day realities of having a challenging condition and the board really connected with it. In fact, it really captured the board's attention to the subject and has created momentum to work towards achieving the two networks’ goals.

We also, and it's a small point but it's a super important one, closed pretty much all the open DSE (Desk Screen Equipment) assessment actions that had sat there for a long time. And these are things that again make a real difference to people.

And something else I want to mention and celebrate is, although the network didn't cause it to happen, is Jo Hammond, one of our SteerCo members, being recognised with E.ON’s CEO Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Accessibility Hero category.

"And it's not because it's to tick a box; it's because it's absolutely the right thing to do for our colleagues so that they can belong, and they can be their best."

What’s next for the adaptABILITY network?

Now that the network has our four goals, and off the back of the successful board session, we’re building a roadmap for the next three to five years, focused on how we can drive the network forward to really make things better for our colleagues, and society as a whole.

And another exciting step is that I’m now going to be the board sponsor for both the adaptABILITY and Neurodiversity networks. While the networks will remain separate, I’ll act as the board voice for them both. We’re starting to shape our ambition for neurodiversity and disability to have the same amount of visibility, understanding, data, support that gender diversity and ethnic diversity do.

The roadmap will set out a path for doing just that. It’ll ensure the networks are fully supported by the business, with the necessary funding and resourcing. Not many organisations do this, not in that sort of joined up way.

And it's not because it's to tick a box; it's because it's absolutely the right thing to do for our colleagues so that they can belong, and they can be their best. 

What are you views on how E.ON UK approaches diversity and inclusion overall?

I'm really proud of how we approach and tackle these topics, and I think it's in our DNA as a business. None of the conversations that I've been involved in the last 12 years have been about doing something because we have to comply with something. It's always about doing things to make things better for our colleagues, to better reflect society, to have better and more rounded business results. We genuinely want to do the right things for our people.

But I think we need to do more to enable managers to be confident when approaching the subject of diversity and inclusion and having conversations around the support available.

"I’m really proud that I’ve been asked to be the board sponsor for not one but now two networks, but at the same time I'm very humble as well."

What advice would you have for others seeking to advance diversity and inclusion within their own organisations?

I would probably say there’s two things. One is to have the mindset of embrace. Embrace the benefit of having a super diverse organisation and go into it with the mindset of ‘this is a good thing for your business’.

And the second is don't be timid. Expect to have a go at things as it's better to try than worry about getting things wrong and never doing anything.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I’m really proud that I’ve been asked to be the board sponsor for not one but now two networks, but at the same time I'm very humble as well. While I have some lived experience, it's not the same as colleagues themselves. But I'm really committed to developing a roadmap for the next three to five years and making positive things happen.

Diversity and inclusion at E.ON

At E.ON, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of our business. We’re constantly working to create a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive and bring their authentic selves to work.

We’re proud that our efforts are continually recognised. We’re one of the UK’s top inclusive employers and were named Human Company of the Year at the 2024 TLC Lions Human Awards. Plus, we’re accredited as a Menopause Friendly Employer and Fertility Friendly Employer.

To find out more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion, visit eonenergy.com/inclusion