Minneapolis, Minnesota June 21, 2018—Xcel Energy is joining a national initiative to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace, as part of its efforts to make sure the company is a welcoming place for employees with a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. The company is part of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, a coalition representing more than 450 CEOs and millions of employees committed to enhancing trust and improving employee engagement.

“We are better when we embrace diversity. Our people are our strongest asset and this is an important way to recognize how much we value our employees and the customers and communities we serve,” said Ben Fowke, chairman, president, and CEO, Xcel Energy. “As we work to attract and retain the best talent, we are reaffirming our commitment to cultivating an environment where everyone’s voice is heard.”

Promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion results in better corporate performance, drives growth and positions the company to attract and retain the best talent to better serve customers and meet the challenges of the future.

CEO Action is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to workplace diversity and inclusion and represents leading companies from 85 industries including the airline, banking, retail and energy sectors. Companies in the coalition will share best practices with each other as they make progress on meaningful changes in the workplace.

Diversity and inclusion has long been a core value and Xcel Energy has an established network of employee resource organizations that engage women, military veterans, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees in meaningful ways. The company has been named among the nation’s top corporations for LGBT equality by earning a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index the past two years.

Xcel Energy continually looks to raise the bar. Recent additions to its diversity and inclusion efforts include:

  • Providing a training course for employees helping them identify unconscious biases
  • Creating customized, data-driven strategies for individual business units to encourage the hiring, retention and promotion of women and minority employees
  • Offering education scholarships for women and minorities and providing a path toward internship or job opportunities

Visit Xcel Energy’s Corporate Responsibility Report to learn more about the company’s diversity and inclusion activities or learn more about the CEO Action from the online hub.

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About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.