The
citizen
april
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m ay 2012 • Published for Georgia Power employees and retirees
Many perspectives, a common focus
diversity and inclusion
Georgia Power’s 11-year-old Diversity organization has a new name and an enhanced mission. The Diversity and
Inclusion team will continue to develop, implement and monitor those strategies that improve leadership and
work culture and add value to the bottom line. Diversity management – the strategy by which companies get the
best from all employees and stakeholders – will receive greater focus.
“It is about continued evolution when you talk about diversity management,” explains Moanica Caston, vice
president of Diversity and Inclusion.
“Diversity is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ve gotten some really solid traction on creating diversity in the
company, and that is the first part: creating diversity,” says Caston. “The inclusion piece is just an extension. We
still have the diversity that we are going to continue to actively monitor, but then the inclusion really begins to
translate to our company’s goals.”
In this issue of The Citizen, we take a look at what Caston and her team are doing to help Georgia Power
achieve long-term sustainable business success.
Sitting down with Moanica Caston
M
oanica Caston sits in her office with her trademark Starbucks coffee in one hand,
enthusiastically gesturing with the other, as she talks to The Citizen about a subject
she’s very passionate about: Diversity and Inclusion. Here’s what Georgia Power’s
Diversity and Inclusion vice president had to say.
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people will see. Right now, we are spending a lot of time focused on integrating our training programs into human resource training programs. For
Diversity and Inclusion is changing its strategic direction. Can
instance, the whole idea of being an inclusive leader, it’s not rocket sciyou summarize what’s changing, what the enhancements are,
ence; it’s building on skills you should already have. As a new employee,
etc.?
you’ll still see the introduction on diversity, but as you move up, you’ll see
more integration in your existing leadership programs.
That’s a great question. The first thing I would say is I want to be very
Related is how do you measure that? If I polled people and asked
mindful that people don’t view it as a total course change. What we are
who are the most inclusive leaders in the company, people have ideas of
really doing is building on the past 11 years of work at Georgia Power,
who they’d name. But if I asked why, they don’t always know. It’s things
and that work is this: As a business strategy, Georgia Power manages
that should be commonplace, like, “They create an open environment;
the diversity and inclusion of its workforce as a business differentiator. It
they listen; they give me space to be me; I’m not shut down when I have
adds value to the bottom line, and it gets better business results.
an idea.” That’s a big focus of ours. We know that we want an inclusive
One of the things we have an opportunity to do is provide more of
leader, but how do we figure out who is doing it well, so we can translate
that direct link to how we perform, and what the results are at the end of
that across the company?
the day. For example, our employee resource
Another shift is our strong partnergroups (ERGs) have taken the lead on making
“Paul said, ‘I think this is an area
ship with what I call our people partners.
that connection and are doing things like
where we’ve had good results,
Diversity management is a people strategy.
having Mike Hazelton (Marketing vice
but I think it’s time to reenergize
It’s imperative that our partnerships with HR,
president) and Walter Dukes (Metro Atlanta
with Workplace Ethics – what I call “people
Region senior vice president) come speak to
what we are doing and take a
who deal with people” – are strong. We
their ERG leadership about customer satlook to see what’s next for divermeet periodically to brainstorm and share
isfaction and ways they can help with that.
sity and inclusion. I want people
best practices. We are having a summit
ERGs are directly tying what they do to the
to understand our commitment
in May called the People Summit. We are
business. They focus on recruiting, retention
is still there. I want this person
focused on having constructive, coordinated
and the work environment. We recrafted the
to report to me. I think it’s imporefforts to bring results back to the organizaERGs’ charters and their strategic plans to
tion. That’s important because our leaders
enhance that. That’s just one area.
tant. I want to see it, be involved,
are working with all of us. In addition, once
The other that I think will be most readily
be engaged. I want you to be
a quarter, I meet with Southern Company HR
apparent to folks is communication. It’s really
able to talk to me, and I talk to
to talk about what we are doing, and what
driving home the purpose of our organization
you.’ One of the huge advanresults we’re getting. That integration is
and what we are doing. For some folks, I
tages of that is I get the opporreally key.
think there’s some confusion about the whole
tunity to do what I call ‘translate
I do think this focus on articulatidea of diversity and inclusion. We are trying
Paul’s message down.’ There are
ing, defining and communicating why we
to build on the strengths that we are bringing
are doing what we are doing is critical. We
to the organization through our efforts to hire
no filters between me and the
have many employees who maybe went
and retain different people and have that be
message.”
to a class five years ago but haven’t done
better for the bottom line. So, when you have
anything since, so maybe they’ve forgotten
a diverse organization by default – different
what we’re doing, maybe they need a reminder, or maybe it doesn’t seem
backgrounds, different ideas, different opinions – you’re getting a broader
as relevant, so that constant drum beat is going to be really important to
perspective on our business issues.
us as we go forward. Our focus on diversity and inclusion provides a path
I have a perfect example. We met with the employee resource groups
to better business results.
this morning and talked about 2012 priorities. We spent last year really
Another shift is we have moved our oversight board from the external
focused on energy audits as a value-added program for our customers and
Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) to the Board of Directors’ Controls and
how we help them use their energy efficiently, so one of the employee
Compliance Committee. Every meeting, I am asked if I have the resources
resource groups, Amigos, asked, “Who does the Spanish language ones
I need and asked to tell them what’s working, and what’s not. They’re getwhen customers request that?”
ting value, and I’m definitely getting value from interacting at that level.
They’ve seen instances where customers don’t realize we have that
It’s a huge shift, which I’m so excited about.
resource, so that’s solving a business problem there. The whole idea is
We’ve also started a Supplier Diversity Leadership Team, which is
that we are actively managing our diversity for the end result, a better
brand new to the Southern Company system. I’m the executive sponsor of
business result on behalf of our customers. I think that’s the connection
that. We are trying to raise the profile of our engagement with our diverse
when we talk about a shift or transition. It’s really that focus on how
suppliers. That to me is another one of those things we can tie straight
diversity and inclusion lines up to improve our business results.
back to our business results.
I think the training and the education piece will be another difference
See Moanica Caston, page 4
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> continued from page 3 m o a n i c a c a s t o n
You mentioned inclusion. Why was it important to you to add
“inclusion” to the name of the organization?
Now that you’ve been in the role for a year, is it what you
expected? Anything about it that surprised you?
To me – and you’ll hear me use this phrase repeatedly – it’s about that
continued evolution when you talk about diversity management. Diversity
is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ve gotten some really solid traction on creating diversity in the company, and that is the first part: creating diversity.
We have made great traction on that.
The next part, inclusion, is how do you keep them here and have them
thrive? That is ultimately what you want to do because, again, how are
they helping us get better business results? Just being here doesn’t do
it. They have to be part of the organization and
feel there is a place here for them, so they step
up and give that 200, 300, 500 percent that we
need from them. The inclusion piece is just an
extension. We still have the diversity that we
are going to continue to actively monitor, but
then the inclusion really begins to translate to
our company’s goals.
Statistics show if you spend time trying
to manage your differences, that’s time spent
away from working on our business. I don’t
want you to spend time trying to figure out how
to disguise the fact that you may be of a nonmajority sexual orientation, or religion, or pick
something. We shouldn’t spend a lot of time on
that. The inclusion piece is really focused on
how do we do that. I see opportunities to do
research on best practices and adapt them to us.
Let me tell you my circle of life story. Frank McCloskey (former
Diversity vice president) created this role, and I can’t go anywhere without people knowing him, which is great because that
is real branding and shows diversity is important to us. I was the
Workplace Ethics manager, and Frank hired me. He was pleased
when Paul announced I’d be getting the job. Frank thought it was a
great way to go out, with someone he shepherded taking on his role.
The importance of the knowledge of the company continues to be so
critical in this role as in others. We have very
robust programs. We should be proud that we
are still leaders in the components of our program: employee resource groups, metrics tied to
pay, a diversity officer reporting to the CEO, etc.
When I listen to other programs, I have realized that, as a regulated utility, we have unique
issues. I think that’s been a surprise. There’s not
a lot we can simply take off the shelf and apply
to us. I’m thinking of starting a subset council of
regulated utility groups because we are unique
in our business. Having to think differently in this
area makes us the best practitioner of diversity
management. It makes us more creative. We are
constantly asking ourselves, “How do I know I’m
getting what I thought I was going to get? What
are the indicators? What are the overarching
things that tell us we are getting better as an organization in a way that
helps our customers and helps our business?”
One of the changes that was made when you took over the position was to have you report directly to Paul Bowers and make you
a member of the Management Council. What has that experience
been like?
So, I have to tell you the backstory. Paul interviewed me, and he said,
“I think this is an area where we’ve had good results, but I think it’s time
to reenergize what we are doing and take a look to see what’s next for
diversity and inclusion. I want people to understand our commitment is
still there. I want this person to report to me. I think it’s important. I want
to see it, be involved, be engaged. I want you to be able to talk to me, and
I talk to you.” One of the huge advantages of that is I get the opportunity
to do what I call “translate Paul’s message down.” There are no filters
between me and the message.
The other is, I get to see and observe what happens at Management
Council in a way that shows me I am an “adder,” not the diversity conscience of Georgia Power in any way. I’m an additional resource. For
example, I get to say, “Hey, did you know when you look at 2011 tuition
reimbursement numbers, the majority went to minority women?” I’m the
person who inserts that kind of thing.
What do you think are the benefits the employee resource groups
(ERGs) bring to the company?
In an organization as big and complex as ours, it’s really nice to have
that resource that’s focused on you and how you relate to our business.
Employee resource groups are a great way to get people integrated into
our company. They do phenomenal business development programming.
For example, if you want to work on your business acumen, leadership
skills or expand your network, joining an employee resource group is a
great way to do that. I love it when we get employee resource officers
from the plants. I think, “If I’m a manager, why would I send my employee
to all of these meetings?” My answer is because it not only helps develop
them but also helps our customers. To me, it’s a resource.
How do you personally define diversity?
I’d like to give you a definition of “diversity management” – intentionally creating diversity in your organization to drive better business results.
Tom Fanning says you have to have diversity to fill in the blind spots we
all have. I like that: filling in each other’s blind spots.
— Meredith Leigh Knight
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E
The 2012 Diversity and Inclusion Framework
arlier this year, the Diversity and Inclusion organization developed new focus
areas and objectives. The enhanced framework will concentrate more on our
internal progress. We have divided the areas as such in that statistics prove that
the better we educate and engage our changing, diverse workforce, the higher our
levels of performance and success. Below are the focus areas and objectives for 2012.
Focus Area
Objectives
Increased Employee Engagement
Employee Engagement is the degree to which employees feel they have a personal stake in the long-term
success of the company. We drive efforts to promote a
fully-engaged workforce focused on our business goals
and the pivotal role everyone plays in our company’s
achievements.Toward that end, we will concentrate on
drivers of engagement, which include the following key
attributes: business unit/company leadership, immediate supervision, work environment, current job, career
development and training, pay and benefits, and ethics.
• Assess employees’ perceptions of the factors that drive engagement such as business unit/company leadership, immediate
supervision, work environment, current job, career development & training, pay &benefits, and ethics and pay/benefits to
determine appropriate action plans.
•Identify and execute on company-wide trends that are adversely impacting employee engagement.
•Conduct on-going research including Diversity and Inclusion
benchmarks and best practices, which increase employee
engagement and make appropriate recommendations.
•Identify and communicate initiatives to increase employee
engagement.
Focus Area
Objectives
Enhanced Inclusive Leadership Skills
•Identify the skills needed to lead diverse work teams and
sustain inclusive work environments.
•Develop an inclusive leadership curriculum that helps managers
create an inclusive work environment, build and lead diverse
work teams.
Inclusive Leadership Skills’ strategy equips our managers with the knowledge, skills and tools to maximize
employee engagement and innovation to drive performance.
Focus Area
Objectives
Effective Internal Consulting and Support
•Create a diversity organization known for best-practices and
innovation.
•Create and manage initiatives that increase the company’s
use of products and services provided by Minority Business
Enterprises, Female Business Enterprises and Veteran-owned
businesses that will help lower operating costs, improve
service and improve economic inclusion.
Internal Consulting and Support is the primary work
of the diversity organization. We have reorganized to
allow our work to have a more internal focus with an
emphasis on leveraging partnerships, utilizing straightforward metrics to indicate and drive success, and
increasing the knowledge and skills of the department
members.
Focus Area
Objectives
Beneficial External Stakeholder Interactions
•Manage our beneficial external stakeholder interactions through
the use of our Diversity and Inclusion Philanthropy and involvement strategy.
The Diversity and Inclusion organization continues to
be involved in the community through strategicallyfocused philanthropy, sponsorships and board memberships. We will leverage key stakeholders such as
employee resource groups (ERGs), Charitable Giving,
Community Development, External Affairs, Volunteer
Services and region leadership.
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New councils have employees talking
By Meredith Leigh Knight
I
n the halls of the Environmental Affairs and Land departments, employees are whispering.
If you listen closely, you can hear the words
“acceptance,” “accountable,”“communication.”
If you listen even closer, you’ll hear them say
“employee council.”
That buzz among employees is the result
of the creation of the company’s two newest
employee councils.
Employee councils were first created in
2001 to provide a tool for Georgia Power to
demonstrate its commitment to diversity. The
councils consist of generally eight to 12 volunteer members who are selected by management to serve as functionally, geographically
and demographically diverse representatives of
their organization.
Although they include elements similar to
many other “great place to work” initiatives,
employee councils differ in that they are more
focused on the work environment and career
development, are sponsored by management
and have a charter with specific goals and
outcomes, explained Conrado Marion-Landais,
project manager for the Diversity and Inclusion
organization.
Georgia Power has 20 employee councils
throughout the state, including the most recent
ones created in Land and Environmental Affairs.
Both councils were formed, in part, to address
issues identified by the employee engagement
survey, said Marion-Landais.
The Land employee council was officially
established in the summer of 2011 with the
purpose of providing a means to establish trust
between management and employees. The
Diversity and Inclusion organization was instrumental in assisting with the development of
the group in its early stages. Human Resources
has been helpful in setting up lunch and learn
events where employees “could receive real,
substantial and meaningful information,” said
Chris Freeman, Land engineering coordinator
and employee council chairperson.
The Land council continues to meet two
hours weekly and has provided a suggestion box
for employees at 241 Ralph McGill and an email
suggestion box for employees across the state.
“The employee council provides a way to make
everyone accountable, which shifts some of the
work from the managers,” said Kingsley Corbin,
who serves as manager liaison for the group.
“Every department should consider developing an employee council,” said Preston Fulmer,
leasing coordinator and council member.
The Environmental Affairs employee council was officially established in the first quarter
of 2012. The primary drivers for establishing
The Land employee council, left, and
Environmental Affairs employee council, right,
are Georgia Power’s newest.
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it included the desire to encourage positive
changes in the organizational culture and to
strengthen employee communication and
engagement in creating a more inclusive and
productive work environment.
“In addition, the employee council gives a
voice to employees and provides a means for us
to communicate candidly with management,”
said engineer Miranda Caldwell of the new
group, which currently meets weekly.
“I want the Environmental Affairs employee
council to be directly engaged with both the
staff and management to help Environmental
Affairs be a place where all employees know
they are valued, where they feel they belong
and where they believe they can grow and
develop,” said Environmental Affairs General
Manager Larry Monroe, the group’s management sponsor. “The employee survey results
show a strong level of positive engagement on
the part of our employees. I see the employee
council as a way to sustain that success and
build on it.”
“We have a wonderful group of individuals on the team. I have no doubt that we will
be able to have a successful and meaningful
impact on our organization,” said Andy Foster,
Environmental Affairs lab analyst and newly
selected chair of the group. “Everyone is excited
and looking forward to the challenges ahead.”
See Meet the team, page 12
Creation of Supplier Diversity Leadership Team
will enhance spend performance
G
By Angeles Quinones
eorgia Power recently created a Supplier Diversity
Leadership Team (SDLT), comprising primarily managers and vice presidents, to reinforce its three-decade
commitment to supplier diversity and development.
The SDLT will focus on one of the company’s top business objectives: ensuring
that small, HUB Zone, small disadvantaged,
women-, veteran- and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses all have opportunities
to compete for company contracts.
This new leadership team will enhance the
effectiveness of the company’s various strategy teams and improve the linkage between
the company’s business unit goal-setting and
its compliance obligation. SDLT members
serve as representatives for their respective
Management Council members.
“Motivated by the condition of our national
economy, the federal government has heightened its interest in the supplier diversity
performance of corporations,” said Ken Huff,
Georgia Power Supplier Diversity manager.
“Also, the Federal Acquisition Regulations
(FAR) have been changing faster than ever
before. The intent of these FAR changes is to
make diverse spend more robust on a national
level. The SDLT provides an effective forum
for discussing regulatory changes, communicating with Management Council and implementing new strategic initiatives.”
The SDLT’s executive sponsor, Moanica
Caston, Diversity and Inclusion vice president, said the SDLT will “serve as a strong
link between the Management Council and
the companywide supplier diversity strategy
teams that already exist. It also will make it
easier to establish future shared Management
Council goals and satisfy U.S. General Services
Administration expectations.”
The SDLT will improve companywide supplier diversity communication, compliance
training and strategy development.
“Creation of this new leadership team is a
major step toward enhancing the strength of
our diverse spend performance,” said Huff. “It
demonstrates our proactive, good faith efforts
to contract with and develop small and diverse
businesses.”
Supplier Diversity Leadership Team Members:
• Katrina Bivins, Nuclear Development project manager
• Ann Daiss, vice president and comptroller
• John Greaves, investigation supervisor
• Ken Huff, Supplier Diversity and development manager
• Danny Lindsey, Transmission vice president
• William Mock, Plant Yates manager
• Ron Shipman, Environmental Affairs vice president
• Rondah Thomas, Talent Management coordinator
Since 1978, Georgia Power has been committed to creating opportunities for diverse and enterprising suppliers who
understand our business and the customers we serve. Our supplier diversity initiatives ensure that female- and minorityowned companies have the chance to acquire experience, knowledge and contacts to help grow their businesses. At
Georgia Power, we believe that their success will contribute to the economic success of all communities we serve.
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Diversity takes central place in talent development
S
By Kirk Martin
pecific training in work force diversity
and inclusion has for the first time been
fully integrated into Georgia Power’s
talent development programs.
The new approach was born of a partnership between Georgia Power
Diversity and Inclusion and Human Resources Talent Management,
according to Shelton Goode, Georgia Power manager of Diversity and
Inclusion. The result was a leadership curriculum that helps managers
build an inclusive work environment and lead diverse work teams.
“Our goal is to have an inclusive leadership skills strategy that will
ensure we equip our managers with the knowledge, skills and tools to
maximize employee engagement and innovation to drive performance,”
Goode said.
Beginning this year, diversity and inclusion will be woven into talent
development programs at all levels, according to Rondah Thomas, talent
management coordinator. “Dialogue on Diversity” is in the curriculum for
new employees. First-line supervisors will see a strong diversity message in training modules on job selection, retaliation and performance
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enhancing feedback.
Diversity and inclusion themes will continue to be a part of training
programs for middle managers through senior executives, with a “boot
camp” being a notable feature of the program for new officers.
Some of the specific skills promoted at various levels within the curriculum include:
•Valuing differences and working well with individuals from diverse
backgrounds
• Creating an inclusive work climate
• Modeling inclusive leadership behaviors
• Leading a diverse work team
“I believe this integrated leadership development approach represents
the best concerted effort we have made in my 14 years with the company
in the areas of assessing leaders’ inclusive leaderships skills, identifying
skills gaps, and providing skills-based training to help them lead diverse
work teams and sustain inclusive work environments,” Goode said.
Development of the talent management-diversity curriculum continues, according to Thomas. Information about what is going on in Diversity
and Inclusion is always available by visiting the group’s intranet site.
Employee resource groups =
strategic business partners
G
eorgia Power’s seven affinity
groups will now be known as
employee resource groups
(ERGs).
“The new name is more reflective of the work the
groups have been doing for some time now,” explained
Shelton Goode, manager of Diversity and Inclusion.
“They have become strategic business partners with
organizations throughout the company.”
For example, Goode said, the Asian Pacific American
(APA) employee resource group partnered with Southern
Nuclear to provide cultural awareness classes for
employees traveling to Korea, Japan and China. The
Military Veterans in Power (MVP) assisted with shaping
the military recruiting strategy for Southern Company.
“Those are just two examples of how our employee
resource groups are adding value to the business and
contributing to the success of the company,” Goode said.
Numerous companies throughout the country have
made the name change as their groups have evolved over
the years, he added.
In general, ERGs are voluntary employee associations
organized around a common aspect of diversity, such as
race, ethnicity, gender, age or sexual orientation. Their
role is to work together to improve business outcomes
in recruiting, retention, professional and career development, customer service and community outreach.
Georgia Power’s current ERGs are: African-American
Women’s Networking Group (AAWNG), Amigos, Asian
Pacific American (APA), Military Veterans in Power
(MVP), Professional Education and Employee Retention
(PEER) and Technical Women in Georgia (TWIG).
The former Working Parents Affinity Group (WPAG)
has changed its name to the Work and Family Life ERG.
The new name better aligns with their mission to provide quality programs and educational forums that allow
employees to focus on their careers while maintaining a
well-balanced family life, Neshia Thompson, this year’s
president, explained.
Lara Sevener, opposite top left, and instructor
Pollie Massey Battle discuss concepts from a
recent Dialogue on Diversity workshop.
Asian Pacific American
Affinity Group
Professional Education & Employee Retention Group
WORK
FAMILY LIFE
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AAWNG president sees diversity in action
E
By Toni Hannah
arlier this year, I had the privilege of attending Black Enterprise magazine’s Women of
Power Summit with three colleagues. The summit is an annual professional leadership
conference designed especially for women of color and presented a unique opportunity
to learn from industry leaders how to optimize your potential for professional advancement.
The workshops and sessions
examined corporate trends, leadership and management skills.
Within the first few hours of
the summit, my colleagues and I
quickly realized that this conference was something different.
It spoke to strategies for being a
better person in a holistic sense,
which, in turn, makes you a better leader and
better employee. In attendance were nearly
a thousand successful, intelligent, confident
women who are making a huge impact in the
corporate arena. To be in the midst of these
women was an empowering feeling beyond
measure.
The panelists and speakers discussed how
successful women think differently, strategies
for being successful and empowered, finding
balance, the importance of exposure, soft skills, and, most importantly, not being afraid to ask for
what you want. They also talked
about the importance, and differences, of mentoring, sponsorship, coaching and surrounding
yourself with people who will be
candid and give you sage, honest
advice.
Hands down, this was the best conference
I’ve attended during my entire professional
career. After hearing from other powerful and
successful women of color and the things they
did to help them succeed in business, I left feeling confident that I could achieve anything I set
my mind to. As the president of AAWNG this
year, I found the timing was perfect in that I’m
able to bring back these messages and share
“
Employee engagement continues to be
something we discuss at the company and
within our employee resources groups. It’s
imperative that employees feel valued and
receive the development most of us seek. ”
them with other women of color.
Employee engagement continues to be
something we discuss at the company and
within our employee resources groups. It’s
imperative that employees feel valued and
receive the development most of us seek.
Georgia Power’s support of opportunities such
as this speaks directly to the company’s commitment to diversity, and personal and professional growth that ultimately strengthens our
workforce and helps retain our employees.
APA helps employees get ‘plugged in’
Johnny Powell, distribution support supervisor, geographic solutions and services, is chair of the Asian Pacific American employee resource group.
By Johnny Powell
I
am extremely excited to serve as
chair of the Asian Pacific American
(APA) employee resource group for
2012.
I have been with Georgia Power for 13 years in various roles within distribution. For the past four years, I have
been actively involved with the success of APA. Please reach out to me or
any of our leadership team to ask questions about Georgia Power, APA,
life in Atlanta, or specific concerns that you may have.
We have a great opportunity before us to serve our company and
to develop our individual talents to better grow who we are at Georgia
Power. The important fact is we are not alone: We learn, grow and develop
together. Each year, APA extends this invitation to our group
of leaders, and we as leaders must in turn empower others.
Our theme for 2012 is Empowering Growth.
This year, we will focus on an education series called
“Plugged in,” where APA leaders will share information
about Georgia Power with our membership. We began this
effort by researching where the Asian population is in the
United States. We discovered Georgia ranks eighth in the nation with a
total Asian population of 374,349.
Of that number, roughly 80 percent reside in metro Atlanta. The top
five Asian ethnic groups are Indian, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and
Filipino.
So what does the story tell? That those who represent APA have an
Continued on page 11
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Retention through a generational lens
O
ne way to discuss the importance of retention for the company is to view the issue
through the lens of generational differences. Many of our organizations are already
composed of three, maybe even four, distinct generations. For the most part, each
generation tends to have different values and expectations about the workplace and supervision. Furthermore, each generation brings with it different demographic issues that must be
addressed.
Boomers and Traditionals
Born 1925 - 1964
Generation X
Born 1965 - 1977
Millennials/Generation Y
Born 1978 - present
•Boomers and traditionals together represent the largest portion (58 percent) of
the Georgia Power workforce and they
are preparing to retire in ever- larger numbers. Workforce planning projections show
that 60 percent to 70 percent of Georgia
Power’s current workforce will become eligible to retire during the next decade.
•Generation X represents the next largest
generational group in the company workforce (28 percent).
•The millennial generation represents the
new entrants into the workforce. They
have different values and expectations
about work and the workplace and they
tend to have greater employment options
and reduced expectations of long-term
employment with a single employer.
•The knowledge and skills that these
employees have is not easily replaced,
and the available pool of qualified replacements is shrinking. The company will need
to effectively manage their departure.
•In addition to ensuring that these employees are engaged and committed and stay
as long as possible, we need to ensure
that critical skills and knowledge are effectively captured and conveyed.
Contined from page 10
opportunity to succeed here.
According to recent figures, Georgia Power
had 57 Asian/Pacific Islander employees in
2011. Each of us who represents APA can take
action and become involved to better our career
and our company.
We have the responsibility as an employee
resource group to educate and empower Asian
Pacific Americans and share who we are with
the rest of the company. APA is here to bridge
between culture and company by developing leaders, creating fellowship and enriching
careers.
•Gen X employees have an average of about
10 years of service and are an experienced
and skilled group with marketable skills.
As other companies face upcoming skill
gaps, competition for this talent pool will
increase.
• Keeping our current employees and attracting new employees will be critical. For new
employees, we will need to enhance both
our ability to help them learn and navigate
our culture and will have to ensure that our
culture is flexible and inclusive to accept
and value mid-career hires.
•The racial/ethnic and gender diversity
within the millennial workforce is greater
than ever before.
•Our company will be challenged to incorporate even greater diversity of thought,
work styles and expectations.
Workforce by generation
Traditional – 1%
Millennials/
Gen Y – 14%
Gen X – 28%
Boomer – 57%
diversity and inclusion • april
-
m ay 2 0 1 2
11
in
memoriam
active
Terri L. Moore, 46, collections specialist, active collections, March 9
retirees
Floyd E. Billingslea, 70, boiler turbine operator, Plant McDonough-Atkinson, March 11
Horace C. Burnette, 86, maintenance foreman, Plant Mitchell, March 6
William A. Davis Jr., 84, marketing manager, marketing, Feb. 15
Archie Duncan, 73, winch truck operator, Bainbridge, March 30
E. D. Evans, 75, senior storekeeper, Plant Branch, March 13
D. L. Gamel, 74, maintenance foreman, general service headquarters, March 10
R. E. Harrison, 88, crew leader, Bainbridge, April 10
F. W. Isley, 74, operations supervisor, Feb. 22
Kenyon Wayne Parker Sr., 71, local manager, Alma, March 20
Orren A. Siders, 66, team leader, Plant Branch, March 10
L. M. Simmons, 82, operator, Bartletts Ferry, April 15
W. A. Starrs, 78, senior engineer/marketing field representative, retail sales, March 22
J. L. Thomas, 79, general office building, March 10
Leo F. West Jr., 71, customer service representative, Columbus, March 17
Richard H. Wood, 97, chief transmission engineer, transmission engineering, March 2
the
Citizen
Internal Communications
Manager
Lisa Frederick
Editor
Kirk Martin
Design
Jane Hill
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