Compliance and Ethics
PG&E has an integrated compliance program that works with all of our operating groups. With accountability as one of PG&E's core values, the company established a Compliance Champions Committee in 2005 and its work continues today. The purpose of the committee is to identify, develop and promote the strategies necessary to establish a consistent, disciplined and sustainable process for achieving excellence in compliance management for the PG&E enterprise. This will be accomplished in accordance with the PG&E Code of Conduct, applicable laws, regulatory requirements, policies and standards and will help achieve our goal of delighted customers, energized employees and rewarded shareholders. The Compliance Champions program is facilitated by the Compliance and Ethics department, which reports to PG&E Corporation's Chief Risk and Audit Officer.
Personal conduct expectations are communicated through our values and annual compliance and ethics training. In 2007, more than 99 percent of employees completed the annual compliance and ethics training, which is typically conducted in small groups so as to stimulate discussion and share experiences. The trainings are facilitated
and supported by a video created by the Compliance and Ethics department that portrays various compliance or ethical dilemmas that employees may face. Our Compliance and Ethics department develops new training each year to address our employees' needs and to respond to their suggestions.
In addition, the Compliance and Ethics department produced a Code of Conduct: Standards for Personal Conduct and Business Decisions handbook on how to act and work responsibly. In 2006, we revised our Code of Conduct Handbook, which was provided to employees in 2007. The handbook outlines our core values, describes our standards of conduct and addresses key regulatory and compliance requirements.
Just as we are committed to ethical business conduct and compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and policies, we appreciate and expect equal commitment from our vendors and contractors. For additional information, please review PG&E's Contractor, Consultant and Supplier Code of Conduct.
Finally, we provide opportunities for employees to ask questions and report questionable activities. PG&E's Compliance and Ethics Helpline is available to employees, contractors and customers 24 hours a day. It handled 405 calls in 2007, which is down slightly from 462 in 2006. Calls are handled confidentially, and callers can remain anonymous.
Employee Trainers Help Transform the Workplace
Transforming PG&E to the utility of the future requires strong and sustained employee engagement. Since 2005, PG&E has offered an intensive multiday workshop to help meet this objective and advance the company's vision, values and guiding behaviors.
By the end of 2007, 6,200 employees had participated in the workshops, designed in partnership by PG&E's leadership team and Senn-Delaney, a firm with a proven track record of helping companies reshape their corporate cultures. The workshops enable employees to experience personal insights about how to be better leaders and teammates through targeted exercises—simulating high-performing business cultures and reinforcing themes such as accountability, coaching, building rapport, trust and openness. The exercises are followed by reflection and dialogue to help employees make the connection between the important concepts they learn and their day-to-day impact both at work and at home.
A key strength of the workshops is that they are facilitated by fellow employees from across the company, each of whom volunteers and completes a rigorous training and certification program with Senn-Delaney. Nearly 70 employees have been certified to lead the workshops, making a personal commitment beyond their normal responsibilities and duties.
Workshop participants have given consistently high ratings for the courses, as well as the employee facilitators. The facilitators have reaped many rewards, as well, as these examples demonstrate.
Raj Beasla,
Substation Maintenance Superintendent
19 years with Pacific Gas and Electric Company
"I attended the workshop with mixed emotions. I thought it was going to be another class for me to learn new tools to be a better supervisor. I quickly realized the workshop was about what I need to do to get better results and fulfillment. I started practicing what I learned at home and work, and realized that the person I have to change is me. The next time I attended the workshop with my team, I signed up to be a facilitator to share and practice the learnings from the workshop."
Malia Wolf, Senior Director,
Information Technology Infrastructure Services
26 years with Pacific Gas and Electric Company
"When I attended my first workshop, I was stunned at how it made well-known, but little used, concepts so easy to grasp. I started using some of the concepts in my personal life, and it made a difference for me and my family. At that point, I wanted to help other employees make the same discoveries. Every time an employee says the values are clearer to them now, or one of the concepts made a difference for their family or work life, it fuels my desire to continue facilitating workshops."