A Priority At ForeFront Power

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) are a priority at ForeFront Power.

Since 2020, pursuing a programmatic DEIJ initiative has been a focal point for the organization, with senior leadership support and internal benchmarking against the industry as foundational components, followed by company policy changes, the development of new programs, and implementing ongoing trainings.

ForeFront Power is now Silver-certified through the award-winning DEIJ certification program designed by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Leveraging its Diversity Best Practices Guide and other evidence-based materials, SEIA and third-party DEIJ experts created a program that rewards companies for making progress and taking actionable steps on these fronts. Largely thanks to ForeFront Power’s longstanding prioritization of such initiatives, the company was the first in the solar industry to achieve Silver status and expects to soon achieve Gold status. For more on this certification, visit SEIA’s website.

In this August 2022 SOapbox Podcast episode, ForeFront Power CEO, Michael Smith, and Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Rachel McLaughlin, discuss with Mindy Prefling of Spencer Ogden, a renewable energy recruiting agency, several aspects of ForeFront Power’s commitment to DEIJ efforts.

Sample Initiatives

ForeFront Power is committed as an organization to fostering diverse, equitable, inclusive, and just environments–both within and outside its figurative four walls. Our process is ongoing, and below are a few examples of initiatives we’ve begun undertaking.

Recruiting & Hiring Practices

  • Conscious & unconscious bias trainings for all staff
  • Trainings for hiring managers on mitigating bias in the interview process
  • Posting open positions on job boards that attract diverse talent
  • Strongly encouraging hiring managers to shortlist a diverse group of qualified candidates

Company Policies

  • Flexible work and office arrangements
  • Generous time off policies, including:
      • Paid vacation + paid sick leave
      • Up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave for birth giver
      • 6 weeks paid parental leave for baby bonding time for any new parent

In the Community

  • Delivering renewable energy for a public sector customer base that serves diverse communities
  • Investing in workforce development opportunities that prioritize BIPOC folks, tribal entities, veterans, and more
  • Staff volunteering includes efforts benefitting the LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and other communities

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy Statement

ForeFront Power is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The diversity of our workforce is essential and we are committed to diversity and inclusion throughout our company to ensure a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and skills to provide better solutions, drive innovation and creativity, and enhance decision making.

We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

ForeFront Power’s diversity initiatives are applicable—but not limited—to our practices and policies on recruitment and selection; compensation and benefits; professional development and training; promotions; social and recreational programs; layoffs; and terminations.

Diversity is a mission imperative and we are continuously focusing on creating a culture of inclusion that values each individual and promotes collaboration and fairness. Our diversity plan includes the following objectives:

  • Secure a high-performing workforce drawn from diverse locations and backgrounds.
  • Create a culture that encourages collaboration, flexibility, and fairness to enable individuals to contribute to their full potential, feel valued, and supported.
  • Embracing the representation of all groups and employee perspectives.
  • Work/life balance through flexible work schedules to accommodate employees’ varying needs.
  • Employer and employee contributions to the communities we serve to promote a greater understanding and respect for diversity.
  • Respectful communication and cooperation between all employees

All employees of ForeFront Power have a responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect at all times. All employees are expected to exhibit conduct that reflects inclusion during work, at work functions on or off the work site, and at all other company-sponsored and participative events. All employees are also required to attend and complete diversity awareness training to enhance their knowledge to fulfill this responsibility.

Employees who believe they have been subjected to any kind of discrimination that conflicts with the company’s diversity policy and initiatives should seek assistance from a manager or an HR representative.

Ensuring a diverse and inclusive workforce enables our company to be more responsive to our clients and better equipped to fulfill our mission. Achieving diversity and inclusion at our company is a team effort and we expect and encourage employees to contribute to this goal. Together, we support a workplace that offers every individual the opportunity to attain professional goals and contribute to accomplishing our mission.