Diversity, equity and inclusion
Powering progress
We are focusing on removing barriers and creating equality of opportunity in four strategic priority areas: gender; race and ethnicity; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+); and enablement and disabilities inclusion, as set out in our powering lives commitments to diversity and inclusion.
- Shell is working towards achieving 35% representation of women in our senior leadership positions by 2025 and 40% by 2030.
- We aim to increase racial and ethnic representation across our workforce so that we better reflect the communities in which we work and live.
- At Shell, we seek to provide a safe, caring and inclusive environment for LGBT+ and PWD (people with disabilities) staff so that they can be themselves and reach their full potential.
- By 2030, we will make our global network of service stations more inclusive and accessible to customers with physical disabilities.
Employee engagement
The Shell People Survey is one of our principal tools to measure employee engagement, motivation, affiliation and commitment to Shell. In 2021, the response rate was 83%, a decrease of 3.1 percentage points compared with 2020. The average employee engagement score was 75 points out of 100, a decrease of 3.0 percentage points compared with 2020. The decrease was mainly due to lower scores in the reputation, rewards and benefits sections of the survey. This reflects the uncertainty felt by many during our reorganisation in 2021 and the daily challenges of working with COVID-19.
Read more about employee engagement in the Annual Report.
Workforce diversity, equity and inclusion
Our diversity, equity and inclusion approach focuses on hiring, developing and retaining the best people. A diverse workforce, supported by an inclusive and caring environment that respects and nurtures people, is a way to improve our safety and business performance.
We aim to increase racial and ethnic representation across our workforce to better reflect the communities in which we work and live. In the USA, about 33.2% of our workforce are people of colour. In the UK, 21.5% of our employees identify as being from an ethnic minority group. Ethnicity declaration is voluntary in the UK and calculations are based on a survey declaration rate of 81%.
We also aim to materially increase our purchasing from diverse suppliers to help build the communities in which we work.
At the end of 2021, the proportion of women in senior leadership positions was 29.5%, an increase of 1.7 percentage points compared with the end of 2020. We had been working to achieve 30% representation of women in senior leadership positions by the end of 2021, and we aim to achieve 35% by 2025 and 40% by 2030. Shell Business Operations centres hired 2,742 people in 2021, of which 51% were women. Shell hired 155 graduates, of which 47% were women.
We promote equal opportunity and create an environment where people feel included, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. This year, we were recognised as a "Top Scorer" (92.4%) and "Advocate" in the Workplace Pride Global Benchmark 2021. We also launched campaigns aimed at supporting the LGBT+ community in 14 countries in 2021, and more than 14 countries celebrated International Coming Out Day.
We use our Shell People Survey as a key measure of success for diversity, equity and inclusion. In 2021, the survey showed 80 points out of 100 for all questions relating to Diversity and Inclusion, with the new question ‘I feel like I belong at Shell’ scoring 77.
Read more about diversity, equity and inclusion in the Annual Report.
Disability inclusion and enablement
We are also taking steps to provide a better experience for our customers with physical disabilities. For example, fuelService launched an app in partnership with Shell which allows drivers with any disability that makes refuelling difficult to alert petrol stations in advance and request assistance. Shell currently offers the service at more than 3,600 stations across ten countries.
Read more about disability inclusion and enablement in the Annual Report.
Read more about diversity, equity and inclusion at www.shell.com/about-us/diversity-and-inclusiveness and at www.shell.com/diversity.
Our people in 2021
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82,000
employees at December 31, 2021
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>70
countries in which we operate
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271,000
formal training days for employees and joint-venture partners
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33%
female employees
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50%
women on the Board of Directors
-
25%
women on the Executive Committee
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29.5%
women in senior leadership positions
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1,292
experienced people joined Shell (34% female)
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155
graduate hires (47% female)
