An Engaged Workforce
At CenterPoint Energy, we strive to advance an open and ethical environment to support our colleagues, customers, contractors, suppliers and community members, regardless of race, gender, color, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, or physical or mental disability, so each person has an equal opportunity to thrive and a sense of belonging.
CenterPoint Energy’s goal is to create a work environment in which every employee is engaged, aligned with our values, strategy, goals and priorities, and understands how each person contributes to the company’s long-term performance. To achieve this goal, we strive to connect with our employees in meaningful ways.
- In 2023, our leaders and employees collaborated to define our purpose and create an even stronger purpose-driven company. We developed a purpose statement that reflects how our work makes an impact on others: We enable everyday life and the pursuit of possibilities.
- Our senior leadership team holds quarterly town hall meetings with all employees to share key company updates. Employees across the company participate in-person or via video conference.
- In 2023, an enterprise-wide Employee Engagement Survey was conducted to gather valuable insights about our company and its culture. Our overall engagement index score was 78%, which outperformed the Energy/Utility benchmark by eight percentage points. Leaders communicated results with their teams and developed both enterprise-wide and targeted action plans to support making our company an even better place to work.
Our Employee Affinity and Resource Groups
Our affinity and resource groups are formed around shared interests, experiences or common goals for employees across CenterPoint Energy.
Affinity Groups
Affinity groups help us build community, enhance purposeful networking and employee engagement across our company, promote career development, and offer leadership and professional development opportunities.
Employee Resource Groups
Our eight employee-led ERGs provide vital opportunities for employees to get to know one another, share knowledge and experiences, promote collaboration and professional development, support employee recruitment and retention, raise cultural awareness and enhance community engagement.
The ERGs are open to all employees. In 2023, our ERGs engaged 2,990 employee members with 132 events for all employees throughout the company.
Employee Benefits
CenterPoint Energy offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to help employees stay healthy, care for their families, plan for their futures and enjoy peace of mind. Our pay philosophy is to maintain employee total compensation that is competitive with relevant markets, internally equitable, and based on company and individual performance.
The company provides competitive, customizable benefits for all regular full-time and part-time employees who are scheduled to work at least a certain minimum number of hours a week. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, long-term and short-term disability and accident coverage, as well as retirement plans, paid time-off and career development opportunities. Other benefits include:
- Partly remote or 9/80 alternate work schedules where feasible for the business
- Wellness program and mental health resources
- Paid parental leave for non-bargaining, full-time employees
- Option for dependents of CenterPoint Energy employees to apply for educational scholarships
- Public transportation commuting cost assistance through subsidized bus passes or reimbursement for certain carpool expenses
Our Education Assistance Program helps employees finish a degree or embark on a new one by providing reimbursement for certain tuition expenses and required fees toward an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree from a state or federally accredited school.
Our Employee Assistance Program provides mental health, consulting, legal, financial and other services. To support physical and mental health and wellness, we communicate self-care and stress management resources, leadership video messages on personal well-being and resources for employees using company benefits.
Labor Relations
We work with our union-represented employees to achieve business results and operational efficiencies that benefit our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. As of December 31, 2023, approximately 40 percent of CenterPoint Energy’s employees were represented by labor unions.
Through the collective bargaining process, we have established various career paths and apprenticeship programs to develop the talent and skills needed for the future and to provide clear opportunities for advancement within the bargaining unit. The respective contracts outline work schedules, time off and other working rules and conditions. Most of our agreements have five-year terms in place to enhance continuity for both the company and our workforce.
When we are not in the collective bargaining process, regular labor management meetings are scheduled to collaborate on union issues, such as talent acquisition, training and safety.
CenterPoint Energy is committed to complying with contract provisions when labor contracts require notice of a given action or decision to employees or their representatives.
Safety Collaborations
- Employees of CenterPoint Energy’s Electric Transmission and Distribution business and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 66 launched a Union Safety Program in 2017. The program’s goal is to improve safety performance, safety culture and morale through updates to important work practices.
- We have electric and gas Safety Culture Advisory Committees in our Indiana/Ohio operational region that include senior leaders, safety personnel, union leadership and key operations representatives. Quarterly meetings cover current safety initiatives, safety strategy and lessons learned. The meetings are led jointly by company and union officials. This committee approach is being evaluated for implementation in other areas of the company.
