Building the Workforce of the Future
PG&E is dedicated to cultivating an environment where employees are empowered to speak up about safety and other important issues; offer ideas for how to make PG&E a better place to work; learn and grow in their careers; and connect with the communities where they live. We are committed to engaging with employees so that they understand and apply PG&E’s Mission, Vision and Culture to help better serve our customers.
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(Skip to main navigation)Our Approach
To build employee engagement, we have both executive-level and employee-led initiatives and programs.
- Our executive team meets regularly to discuss and evaluate the state of our talent, determine which programs are driving engagement and performance, and clarify the specific skills, behaviors and values we should cultivate in our current employees and seek in future recruits.
- Other initiatives focus on safety, wellness and environmental leadership. Approximately 5,500 employees participate in our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), each of which contributes to building an inclusive culture that ensures our employees’ voices are heard and valued.
In addition, every year, we honor employees whose work embodies our highest values—such as safety, diversity and inclusion, environmental leadership, and community service—in our annual Employee Champions Awards ceremony. The event also features the Margaret Mooney Award for Innovation, which recognizes individuals and teams who apply innovative solutions to their work.
Approximately 60 percent of PG&E employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements with three labor unions: the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1245, the Engineers and Scientists of California/International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (ESC/IFPTE) Local 20, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Service Workers West. A negotiated labor agreement with each union establishes the working rules and other terms and conditions of employment.
Finally, we drive engagement through employee volunteer and giving programs that support deserving local organizations.
2019 Milestones
- Established a new Wildfire Safety organization, which involved hiring, onboarding and training firefighters, experts in vegetation management, and meteorologists, analysts, project managers and supervisors.
- Rolled out upward feedback across PG&E, enabling employees to provide constructive feedback both to their direct supervisor and to leaders in their reporting structure. This tool is part of PG&E’s speak-up culture and encourages our leaders to grow and develop through direct insights.
- Conducted quarterly performance conversations between employees and supervisors to increase the frequency and effectiveness of feedback and coaching. These discussions also support and reinforce PG&E’s speak-up and safety culture.
- Demonstrated our commitment to supporting our communities by contributing nearly 71,000 employee volunteer hours to schools and nonprofit service organizations throughout California, which is comparable to 2018. When multiplied by the California industry-standard value of $29.09 for a volunteer hour, this represents more than $2.07 million in equivalent labor.
- Maintained an employee app called PG&E Spotlight, a communications channel that allows all employees to access PG&E news and information when and where it’s convenient for them, via their personal or PG&E-issued mobile device.
Measuring Progress
PG&E conducts a quarterly survey of employee engagement, sampling a portion of the employee population each time. The 2019 fourth quarter score was 64 percent, indicating the proportion of respondents who gave favorable answers to questions measuring engagement, with 33 percent of employees participating in the survey and a margin of error of plus or minus 2 points. This score fell short of our target of 68, reflecting the broad challenges PG&E faces as an enterprise. Our next survey will be conducted in 2020.
| Quarter | Score Footnote 1 |
|---|---|
| Q1 | 54% |
| Q2 | 61% |
| Q3 | 64% |
| Q4 | 64% |
- 1. Refers to the percentage of favorable responses to questions that measure employee engagement.1
In 2019, employees contributed 71,000 volunteer hours to nonprofit organizations throughout California, despite limited availability to participate in volunteer programming due to PG&E’s operational priorities.
| Year | Target | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 28,875 | 32,585 |
| 2012 | 34,215 | 41,792 |
| 2013 | 43,050 | 47,855 |
| 2014 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| 2015 | 79,000 | 87,000 |
| 2016 | 90,000 | 96,800 |
| 2017 | 91,000 | 95,009 |
| 2018 | 91,000 | 78,844 |
| 2019 | N/A Footnote 1 | 71,000 |
- 1. Employee volunteerism is currently not being reported against an annual target; however, hours are tracked for awareness and reported in our annual reporting of employee engagement.1