Our approach to employee engagement, safety, training and diversity, equity and inclusion are critical investments in human capital that help promote an agile and engaged workforce and support the sustainability of our business. We work to serve as a trusted resource to our customers and local governments, build stronger communities through active participation and by providing a solid water delivery framework that drives economic stability, prosperity and quality of life.
Supporting Our Employees (2022 Highlights)
- Provided employees with a robust compensation and benefits package to support their health and well-being. These include flexible/hybrid work arrangements, monthly health, self-care, mindfulness and wellness tips, incentive exercise programs, mental health and Employee Assistance Programs, sit/stand desks, on-site flu shot clinics and convenient on-site mammograms, First Aid and CPR Safety courses, as well Defensive Driving classes.
- Demonstrated employee appreciation through numerous employee-focused events and activities, such as awards dinners, trips, barbecues and crab fests, holiday parties, Food Truck Days, sporting events and contests.
- Delivered workplace training and implemented policies to help ensure a work environment free from all forms of discrimination and harassment. See our Human Rights Policy Statement.
- To help ensure meaningful and consistent delivery of technical training, we created a position for a Technical Training Manager. This position will manage corporate technical training programs that align with our company’s current and future goals to help ensure the success of our employees in their current and potential future roles.
- Developed numerous video materials and resources to enhance support of our employee onboarding and external recruitment efforts.
- Supported numerous training initiatives in support of the NJ Water Apprenticeship Program and continued working with the DE Department of Labor to support enrollment in the Electrical Apprenticeship program.
- To assist newly hired water and wastewater operators and accelerate the acquisition of technical knowledge, MWC implemented a simulated operator training tool where operators are provided scenarios and have to respond by making simulated treatment changes.
Workplace Safety & Security (2022 Highlights)
- To ensure compliance with regulatory agency and review alignment to industry standards such as NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), the Board of Directors has commissioned a comprehensive audit of our IT networks. The audit which is scheduled for 2023, will include a comprehensive review of cybersecurity policies, procedures and practices.
- MWC works with a leader in cyber security risk rating platforms to obtain a holistic view of the Company’s cybersecurity posture for risk and compliance monitoring. Data provided helps MWC build a more secure cyber eco-system mitigating risks, eliminating vulnerabilities and meeting compliance standards.
- Middlesex worked to continually strengthen cybersecurity awareness in its employees through frequent bulletins, ongoing training on how to recognize common security risks, and by recognizing good day-to-day cybersecurity hygiene through employee recognition.
- MWC earned a Risk Management Excellence Award from PMA Insurance Group honoring Middlesex Water’s strong organizational commitment to employee safety over the past few years.
- Working with the NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, the Company offered lunch and learn sessions for employees and their families on the topics of Individual and Community Preparedness, and Recognizing and Reporting Suspicious Activity.
- MWC has hired an Enterprise Safety Coordinator whose role is to assist with the design of programs and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable occupational health and safety regulations.
- With a goal of ensuring safety is at the focus, Middlesex hosted Safety/Practical Days where operations personnel rotated to different safety instructional stations learning about Hydrants, fittings, traffic safety and flagging, shoring, gas monitor and pump training, and guillotine saw handling. Fire Extinguisher training was also offered to allow our distribution department to receive hands-on training in proper handling.
- To reinforce good day-to-day safety habits, the Company held enterprise-wide safety competitions which helped foster camaraderie as teams competed to answer safety-related questions.
- Installed devices in all company vehicles that monitor factors such as vehicle location, speed, hard stopping and a variety of other metrics used not only for safety but also to manage vehicle usage and fuel consumption.
- With a goal of further instilling driver accountability and vehicle awareness, all company service vehicles include a sticker reminding occupants to do a full 360 inspection of the vehicle prior to entering.
Engaging our Customers, Community and Industry (2022 Highlights)
- To better support the Company’s response to emergencies, the position of Emergency Preparedness, Safety & Security Manager was created. This professional works with our Emergency Management and Security Committee to ready the company for emergencies and climate events such as storms, floods, as well as fires, pandemics, prolonged power outages and more.
- To further cultivate strong relationships with local law enforcement and first responders as well as local, state and federal Emergency Management agencies and local government, we held facility tours to emphasize the criticality of our infrastructure so appropriate response plans are developed to help keep the public and our employees safe in an emergency.
- Completed an annual Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Audit at our newly upgraded ozone facility, facilitated by the NJDEP, to ensure compliance with safety procedures and practices. The audit included on-site inspection, review of materials handling, maintenance protocols, employee training and emergency response plans.
- To further adapt to the changing cybersecurity threat landscape, we continued to implement measures to heighten cybersecurity and maintain operational resiliency while protecting sensitive company and customer data. In addition to aligning with industry NIST standards and best practices, our IT group worked to secure our information technology network through external penetration, segmentation analysis, vulnerability and social engineering testing and establishing policies and playbooks to address various IT business risks.
- We regularly coordinate water main replacement work with municipal paving programs and other utility work. This eliminates the need for repaving and minimizes the impact of construction work on our customers.
- Employees supported the communities we serve through volunteer events such as Adopt a Highway Clean Up, Bowl for Hunger, Future City – Meet the Professionals, a cross-curricular educational program that brings STEM to life for middle school students, Junior Achievement, backpack collections, toy drives and food collections.
- Our subsidiary, Tidewater Utilities held its 14th Annual Charity Golf Outing and raised more than $31,000 for the Food Bank of Delaware.
- We supported numerous charitable endeavors including sponsoring a local bike share program that promotes health and well-being while reducing air pollution and greenhouse gases associated with vehicles; the Have a Heart Food Drive, Senior Olympics and YMCA events among others.
- Middlesex Water was presented with an American Water Works Association – New Jersey Section Employer Support Award in April 2022 for its ongoing commitment to employee development through industry leadership and participation.
- Maintained strong communications and collaboration with local government, stakeholder groups and other utilities in planning large infrastructure projects.
- In addition to arranging payment plans, MWC continued to address affordability by promoting the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), to water customers facing difficulty paying their bills.
- To better serve our non-English speaking customers, we added a translation capability to our website and offer multi-language notifications when needed.
- We continue to help educate our customers on numerous topics including how to avoid scams, protect pipes from freezing and how to use water wisely.
- The MWC family of companies works closely with builders and developers, as well as commercial and industrial facilities and municipal entities. We further highlighted the importance of our Company Code of Conduct on our website specifically as it relates to our suppliers and partners.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (2022 Highlights)
- Intent on integrating DEI principles which are consistent with our company culture, the Company formalized a Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
- Delivered various trainings launching with “Moving from Bias to Inclusion in a DEI Journey” to our entire employee base.
Showcased various cultural holidays in internal communications to help employees learn about and better appreciate different cultures. - Middlesex CEO Dennis Doll became a signatory to CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion which encourages companies to cultivate environments that support dialogue on DEI, implement and expand bias education and training and engage the board of directors in the development and evaluation of inclusion and diversity strategies.
- Implemented an applicant tracking system that enables candidates to apply for jobs online fairly and equitably.
- To further expand equity and opportunity, we continue to be intentional in our efforts to attract candidates from historically marginalized groups and seek a diverse pool of candidates for apprenticeships and internship opportunities.
- Our Board of Directors is represented by 33% women. We continue to make progress in advancing toward a more diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.
