Diversity, equity and inclusion is a core value that positions us to deliver better service to customers, strengthen our operational performance and create an inclusive work environment where employees feel valued and respected. Embracing this core value means challenging assumptions, seeing discomfort as an opportunity to grow, constantly evaluating progress and holding ourselves accountable to our goals. Our strategy aligns around three pillars:

• Building a diverse workforce for the future that reflects the communities we serve.
• Advancing our culture of inclusion and belonging.
• Partnering so our communities can grow and thrive.
  
  

OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

High-level oversight of diversity, equity and inclusion for our employees belongs to the Compensation Committee of the Board. To align with our companywide focus, our Board is also committed to a policy of inclusiveness and actively seeks a diverse slate of candidates for director positions. Our Board is comprised of 40% female directors and 50% diverse directors by gender, race and ethnicity combined.

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WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

When our team reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, we can better understand and meet our customers’ needs. We remain committed to hiring and promoting excellent, qualified candidates and have an aspirational goal to achieve a 30% increase, from our 2020 baseline, in the number of racially- and ethnically- diverse employees by 2025 – both companywide and at the supervisor-and-above leadership level.

We monitor our year-over-year progress to help us understand where we are progressing toward our goals and where we may need to make changes. For more information about FirstEnergy’s workforce demographics, view our 2023 Employer Information Report.

EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE CULTURE

We’re focused on promoting workplace equity, creating an open and inclusive culture and providing opportunities for employees and leaders to speak up about important topics. The culture we’re building extends beyond compliance, empowering employees to be candid, explore creative solutions, question freely and transform mistakes into opportunities for both individual and company growth.

Key equity and inclusion efforts include:

• Providing Workplace Flexibility: FirstEnergy office employees remain highly productive and continue to meet customer and business needs outside of a traditional office setting. Accordingly, the company continues to provide workplace flexibility even post-Covid.
  
  
• Ensuring Fair and Equitable Compensation: We’re committed to ensuring that our internal policies and processes support pay equity, which is periodically confirmed by a third-party review. Our internal processes also monitor and ensure pay equity considerations are part of our normal ongoing process.
  
  
• Listening to Employee Feedback:Throughout the year, employees are encouraged to provide feedback about the company’s work environment and leadership through FirstEnergy Live events, anonymous surveys and discussion opportunities during meetings with department leaders. With employees’ voices to guide us, we’re continuing our transformation to a value and people centered company.
  
  
• Engaging Employees: A Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group comprised of managers and individual contributors shares the results from our employee engagement surveys and guides the work of our Implementation Team of more than 200 employees who help implement actions locally. 
  
  
• Participating in our Employee Business Resource Groups (EBRGs): Our employee-driven EBRGs build inclusivity and connect employees by providing education, professional development, volunteering and networking opportunities to their members and allies. With 21 different chapters of our nine EBRGs, over 3,200 employees, or a quarter of our workforce, have taken advantage of this opportunity to connect and grow.