Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at PJM
“We must work together to confront racism and discrimination of all kinds to create a more inclusive world. At PJM, we stand with our colleagues, our members and our communities in the fight for equality and dignity for all. Within our company, we will strive to create a workforce that reflects the communities we serve, and an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging.”
— Manu Asthana – President and CEO
PJM’s DEI Statement
- PJM is committed to doing even more to foster a more diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace. PJM believes that the diversity of the 65 million people we serve is a strength, and that the collective sum of our individual differences will lead to our best and most innovative outcomes – whether those differences are based upon how we look, where we come from, whom we love, our abilities or disabilities or what we’ve experienced, etc.
- We seek to continue to foster a workforce that includes a general reflection of the different communities we serve and to create a workplace that embraces and nurtures these differences. By doing this, we honor the diversity of our footprint, and we progress toward the best possible and strongest version of PJM.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Plan (2020-2023) PDF
Who is PJM?
“Diversity includes everyone at PJM and each of us brings diversity, equity and inclusion to life in our work every day by committing ourselves to listening, empathy, allyship and the continuous development of ourselves and others.”
— Michael Coyle, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer
The LEAD Framework for DEI
Diversity includes everyone at PJM. The LEAD framework is a set of behaviors that everyone can demonstrate to bring diversity, equity and inclusion to life in our work together every day. The four elements of LEAD are Listening, Empathy, Allyship and Development. By learning more and practicing these skills and behaviors, we can all benefit from a culture of belonging, collaboration and innovation.
The Council
As designated by the PJM Executive Team, the Diversity and Inclusion Council recommends and participates in initiatives that address all three pillars of the company’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategy: workforce diversity, workplace inclusion and community accountability. The council provides advice to PJM on issues and challenges related to DEI and the achievement of the organization’s DEI objectives.
Core Values
Diversity and teamwork are embedded in PJM’s Core Values. Employees respect diversity by recognizing and accepting the different abilities, backgrounds, cultures and needs of each individual.
Employee Resource Groups
Employee resource groups offer PJM employees an opportunity to share a connection and build networks based on attributes such as personal interests, identity, role, or membership in a particular organization. Participation in any employee resource group is open to all employees.
PJM’s employee resource groups include:
Supplier Diversity
PJM recognizes the importance and benefits of a diverse supplier base. It is good for PJM, our members, the business community and for the 65 million people who live and work in the region PJM serves.
PJM Procurement meets the company’s needs for goods and services through normal competitive bidding and procurement procedures. The process provides open competition that prevents any prospective vendor from having a competitive advantage. No prospective supplier is precluded from consideration on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability or veteran status.
PJM Procurement works to identify qualified minority and woman-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) capable of providing products and services to PJM. This effort aims to develop and maintain a strong supplier base that reflects the diversity of the overall supplier community, as well as that of PJM’s members and other stakeholders.
Learn more about supplier diversity.
Flex First Work Arrangements
The pandemic changed the way companies work, and PJM has adopted a philosophy that focuses on two main elements: the security of the grid and the safety and well-being of employees.
PJM employees have shown they can adapt to new work environments, and as a result, PJM offers flexibility in remote, hybrid and on-site work called Flex First.
Our success in this Flex First work arrangement has been based on strong interpersonal communication, open-mindedness and reciprocity. Our arrangements are a partnership between employees and leaders; we all benefit from flexibility and must in turn demonstrate flexibility as we collaborate to fulfill PJM’s business needs.
Flexibility and the wellness of employees will remain at the forefront of our post-pandemic work life. We must be understanding and supportive, and treat each other with kindness and respect as we all balance work and home arrangements.
Flex First seeks to find the intersection of meeting PJM’s core mission and business needs and providing flexibility for employees. Flex First requires managers and employees to agree on flexible work arrangements since there is not a “one size fits all” approach. PJM is dedicated to ensuring the flexible work process is employee-centric, and it will be reviewed, discussed and evolved as employees become accustomed to new or changing working patterns.
PJM Learning Center
PJM’s Learning Center is a 101-level education resource dedicated to explaining, in simple terms, the energy industry and PJM’s role in keeping the power flowing.