Enexis as an employer

At Enexis, we work every day to ensure a safe and welcoming workplace for all our employees. Safety is a top priority throughout our organisation. We want to be an attractive employer, where everyone is welcome and has plenty of opportunity to grow. Thanks to our employees, Enexis operates one of the most reliable energy networks in the world.

Getting everyone home safely

At Enexis, we work with electrical power and pipelines containing flammable gas under pressure. This involves safety risks. Therefore, safety is a top priority in our organisation. Everyone is aware that every accident is one too many, whether for our own employees or our contractors. This applies to those who work directly on the grid as well as the teams that support operations.

Our safety culture is benchmarked against the Safety Ladder, a tool that measures an organisation's safety awareness in terms of attitude, behaviour and culture. By the end of 2024, Enexis had climbed from level 3 to level 4. We are proud of this milestone. In 2024, there were 24 incidents with minor injuries among Enexis employees and our contractors (2023: 14). Unfortunately, we did not meet our safety targets. 

Learning from incidents and near misses

Safety will remain high on our agenda in the coming years. For example, we monitor and analyse all incidents at Enexis and our contractors. We use the lessons learned from (near) accidents in our work protocols, team meetings, training courses and learning sessions in the professional practice hall. To reduce safety risks, we want to work in a more stress-free and gas-free environment. This is important at a time when the workload is increasing significantly. It also ensures that new employees with no experience in the network sector can start working safely sooner. We also share our experiences with other grid operators so we can learn together and take steps to improve.

An Enexis for everyone

Our employees are highly committed – to their work and to each other. This commitment plays a key role in maintaining a reliable network. Enexis continuously measures employee engagement, and in 2024 the eNPS score was 32, slightly lower than in 2023 (33.4). This is due to an increase in so-called 'neutrals' and a decrease in 'promoters' in the measurement, while the share of 'critics' remained the same.

Our core values – clarity, inclusiveness and continuous learning – are fundamental to our organisation. They help us to execute our strategy effectively in a rapidly changing environment. Inclusiveness, for example, ensures that everyone feels at home in our organisation – regardless of age, background, orientation, gender, physical disability or mental challenge. Our goal is an inclusive Enexis that reflects the diversity of society, where employees bring new perspectives and innovative ways of thinking and working. This diversity is equally important in our collaboration with partners, as we need all points of view to address the complex challenges we face.

To create an inclusive Enexis for everyone, we focus on fostering a socially safe and welcoming work environment, promoting equal opportunities and encouraging diversity and inclusiveness. We are also committed to achieving a balance of men and women in top and senior positions, and we aim to have 10% of our employees from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Diversity in senior management

Network groups

Our internal network groups also work towards an Enexis for everyone. New network groups were launched in 2024: ‘Proud’ for LGBTQ+ colleagues and ‘Connect’ for cultural diversity. In addition, the networks ‘ZIJ!’ for female colleagues and ‘Next’ for younger colleagues remained active. Each network consists of a board and a community group where members share their input and ideas.

Bridging the gap

Enexis aims to be a good employer for all employees, including those who face barriers to the labour market due to a physical or mental challenge. In the coming years, we will actively work to recruit more candidates from this group, recognising that there is still progress to be made. Our approach is practical – we look for concrete opportunities by linking initiatives within the organisation. In 2024, we launched the first two initiatives in collaboration with UWV and external partners. Last year, we hired a total of 23 people with a distance to the labour market, including 19 men and 4 women receiving WAO, WIA or Wajong benefits. We want to build on this in 2025.

Recruiting and retaining colleagues

Enexis is facing a large and complex challenge with the energy transition. This requires a large number of highly qualified and technically skilled employees. We are growing at an unprecedented rate, and recruitment remained a key focus in 2024. In total, we hired 656 new employees and 801 temporary staff. In addition, 71 students completed internships with us, and 13 young people gained work experience. We no longer recruit new technical colleagues primarily on the basis of diplomas and experience. Instead, we focus on the skills they bring to the table. The starting point is not what someone cannot do, but what Enexis can teach them. Many new employees are trained internally, especially those in technical roles.

Through the Sufficiently Skilled Personnel programme, we are continuously working to attract new employees while minimising attrition. In the coming period, we will focus on redesigning work processes and expanding our capacity to train and support both new and existing employees. In addition, the Accelerated Skilled Deployable Personnel programme is exploring new approaches to recruitment and (digital) training, which also applies to the contractors we work with.

In 2024, we developed a new recruitment video: ‘With energy, anything is possible’. This video shows how we at Enexis make a difference together and why technicians, IT professionals and other talents should want to work for us. It highlights our societal role and the importance of energy in everyday life – from keeping hospitals and the economy running, or something as small as powering our child’s bedside lamp.

Equally important, of course, is retaining our current employees. We do this by providing a great place to work, with attractive employment conditions, development opportunities and career growth prospects. Our efforts were recognised when we won the award for best traineeship in the Benelux.

Number of employees

In 2024, Enexis has paid a lot of attention to absenteeism and its prevention. For example, by offering more practical support, training and knowledge to managers. In addition, ArboUnie started as a new occupational health and safety service in 2024 and focuses on data analysis in order to better and faster anticipate current absenteeism figures. For example, requesting interventions has been made easier.

Training and development

To create a future-proof energy system, we need a resilient workforce. That is why we are committed to the sustainable employability and personal development of our employees. We believe it is important that they stay healthy, enjoy their work, perform at their best and have the opportunity to grow into new roles if they choose. Their development is key to maintaining agility in the labour market, both now and in the future. This is a shared responsibility between employees and managers.

Since 2024, Enexis has had a new appraisal system that no longer relies on scores, but on the assumption that every employee is doing their job well. We hold ‘Energy talks’ with employees, which is an opportunity for them to discuss their results, employability, well-being and development with their managers.

‘Digitally fit’ employees

Enexis is becoming increasingly data-driven. This entails building a solid database consisting, for example, of a central and secure data platform, a mature data governance organisation and, last but not least, ‘digitally fit’ employees. We want our colleagues to be prepared for rapid technological change and the growing role of data. They need to be able to understand, apply and integrate technology into their daily work. Through workshops, training and communities, we give our people the tools to continuously develop their digital knowledge and skills. For example, we trained around 1.000 colleagues in GenAI, organised three leadership training courses and a dozen inspiration sessions on new technologies. We use Hoxhunt to alert colleagues to digital dangers.

Detailed information about Enexis as an employer can be found in the sustainability statement here.