Stepping up to the plate

Do you ever wonder about how (or why) businesses engage with customers beyond providing a specific service, such as energy? If so, simply look to a company’s Corporate Responsibility Report (CRR). It typically includes highlights of the ways a company is taking responsibility for the environment and its employees.

At Alliant Energy, we believe in advancing renewable energy and taking care of the social needs of the communities we serve. We also value transparency, which is why we have the Corporate Responsibility Report (CRR), a place for you to access reports on environmental, social and governance (ESG) data. In this blog, we’ll detail how the CRR advocates for social progress while advancing governance initiatives along the way.

It all starts with listening. Working closely with customers and community leaders is critical as we strive to meet their needs while helping to build stronger communities. Based on what we heard from local organizations, we provided $11.5 million in community support across Iowa and Wisconsin last year. This included $4 million in support for our own Hometown Energy Fund, which assists families who are struggling to pay their utility bill.

Connecting with our Core Value - Care for Others, also means we take responsibility for positively impacting the communities we serve beyond monetary support. Our employees and retired employees consistently donate tens of thousands of hours of time every year to help the communities where they live and work.

At Alliant Energy, we want to lead by example and create meaningful change to support diverse communities. One area where we’re currently focusing on is using a diverse supplier base. This includes prioritizing minority, women, service-disabled veteran-owned, LGBTQ+-owned and small businesses. To reflect the diverse communities we serve, we seek new opportunities to use their products and services.

We also support our own employees’ social needs and encourage their differences. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts seek to help our employees gain a strong sense of belonging and comfort in bringing their full self to work each and every day. And we vow to celebrate differences through our Diversity Commitment.

We’re proud of our efforts to gain placement on several national lists that celebrate employers who create a more equitable workplace, including Bloomberg’s Gender Equality Index. We also made a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index, a benchmark for LGBTQ+ rights. Though we’re even more proud of our employees who consistently step up to the plate to make their communities and workplace a safe and equitable place for all.

We have the governance in place to hold us accountable and demonstrate the transparency and honesty of our business to customers, key stakeholders and employees. It is important to create an open conversation surrounding our employees and the incentive programs available to them, from our CEO to individual contributors. The customers we are privileged to serve inspire our efforts to operate with honesty and integrity, always.

Driven by our Core Values, our Corporate Responsibility Report highlights these actions in our day-to-day. In case you missed it, we also shared the steps we’re taking to care for the environment, covered in this year’s CRR. Take a look and let us know your thoughts.