Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Employing people that represent the geographic landscape of our customers. Hiring people from

all different backgrounds, ethnicities, work experiences,

etc.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Respect and consideration for different world views and

cultures.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Representation from all walks of life.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“A group of individuals that reflects a representation of the

larger community or environment of which it is part. This includes

race, gender, age, ethnicity, etc.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Diversity is about recognizing – and celebrating – the different

life and professional experiences that people can bring to an

organization like NiSource.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Differences and similarities between

people in the work place.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Bringing together people from different social, racial, gender, cultural, backgrounds,

and with different opinions and ideas.

Diversity means inclusion.”

“Bringing together people from different social, racial, gender, cultural, backgrounds,

and with different opinions and ideas.

Diversity means inclusion.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“A broad base of perspectives, ethnicities, and experiences that reflects a company’s customer base and, ideally, its employee

population.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“An appreciation that every individual is unique.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“A mixture of backgrounds,

experiences, thoughts, ideas, expertise, etc.”“Access for and

acceptance of all people across the

enterprise.”

“Access for and acceptance of all people across the

enterprise.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Diversity means having a variety of types of people at many levels

of an organization. Primarily, different sexes, different races, and different ages.

But it can also mean other things like different backgrounds, different

types of education, etc.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Diversity means both recognizing the need for and

respecting the value of a wide variety of different views, talents, backgrounds, and personhood as represented in the community

and our workforce.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Diversity means assuring varied perspectives,

backgrounds and experiences are being combined to

find the best overall solutions.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Diversity is the grouping of different backgrounds, experiences, skill sets, perspectives, cultures,

ethnicities, ages, principles, and values.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Diversity to me means having the ability to receive opinions on a

particular subject from a group of individuals with a diverse set of experiences and backgrounds.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Diversity includes the differences that make up the workforce, whether that is gender and race, or sexual

orientation, religion, economic status,

educational background, etc.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

““Diversity means understanding Diversity means understanding that each individual is unique and that each individual is unique and

recognizing and respecting individual recognizing and respecting individual differences such as talents, beliefs, differences such as talents, beliefs,

backgrounds, and capabilities.”backgrounds, and capabilities.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Diversity means to encourage and promote the continued development of an

organization which values the various cultural, social, and ethnical

attributes of existing and future employees.”

“Diversity means that our employee base and our

management group reflect the community that we work in.”

“Diversity means embracing and encouraging all of the differences in people

(such as gender, ethnicity, age, backgrounds, experiences, sexual

preferences, beliefs, ideas, management/leadership styles,

learning styles, family dynamics.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

““Variety.”Variety.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“To me, diversity means the attempt to include, and having respect for, different

backgrounds, points of view, philosophies, cultures, races, genders, heritages, etc. as part of

the organization’s team.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

““Teams with different genders, Teams with different genders, cultures, backgrounds cultures, backgrounds

and experiences that keep a and experiences that keep a good balance within our good balance within our

organization.”organization.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

““Inclusion of diverse Inclusion of diverse backgrounds, experiences and backgrounds, experiences and

opinions opinions in all that we do. Much in all that we do. Much

broader broader than just race, gender, etc.”than just race, gender, etc.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Inclusion and respectful consideration of divergent points of view

from all team members. Respecting others’ abilities and differences,

regardless of race, sex, etc.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

? “For me here at NiSource, it means having co-workers who come from a

variety of backgrounds and bring different work/education/life experiences to the

table. I feel we are a better, richer company if we have employees of

different race, gender and religion.”

Wha

t Doe

s D

iver

sity

Mea

n to

You

?

“Including, accepting and respecting people of different

cultures, races, socio-economic levels, sexual orientations,

religions, national origins, beliefs, etc.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“Enabling of all view points, regardless of gender, race, religion,

sexuality, etc.; inclusion further enables diversity…”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“Being included in something; feeling like a contributor. When you are

included in something/anything, you tend to take more ownership and pride

in the results. Being included means getting to sign your name to success.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“A culture that is open to new thoughts and new ideas, where innovation and different ways of

thinking about issues/problems/opportunities is

encouraged and welcomed, from all team members – regardless of race,

sex, etc.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“Being heard when offering input and having it weighed equally

with members of other segments of the population (including

geographic).”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“An inclusive culture is one where individuals can be open, honest and genuine about themselves and their

life – inside and outside of work.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“Inclusion is the welcoming of people to draw on their diversity to

contribute to a solution.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“Inclusion facilitates the exchange of new perspectives, creates a respectful and accepting work

environment, and improves problem solving by

inviting different ideas.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“Including, listening to, understanding, doing our best to ‘see things through

others’ eyes’ or ‘walk in their shoes’ as the cliché goes. Thinking of the opposite

is also helpful. It is not exclusion or leaving out.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

““Including and understanding Including and understanding of differences – respecting of differences – respecting

differences.”differences.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“Forced Diversity.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“Inclusion means nobody left behind…”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“To be true inclusion must come from a core value of the leader driving

the inclusion that recognizes that inclusion is both the right thing to do and also the best thing to do from a business

value perspective.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“Inclusion means listening to others’ perspectives/convictions,

engaging others’ opinions, creating a safe environment where people, ideas, and opinions are valued.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

““Inclusion means listening to, Inclusion means listening to, understanding, and respecting understanding, and respecting

employees from diverse background employees from diverse background and helping the team work together and helping the team work together as a whole towards common goals.”as a whole towards common goals.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“Inclusion means (1) having the knowledge needed to effectively complete job duties,

and (2) having the opportunity to participate and be a part of issues,

meetings, and social networking activities that will bolster your ability as an

employee to effectively complete job duties and feel good about the work

environment.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“To be included in decision-making and opportunity. I suppose we could be diverse without being inclusive.

Or, we could go out of our way to be inclusive even though the population

is not very diverse.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

““No barriers that prevent No barriers that prevent people from having the people from having the

opportunity to reach their full opportunity to reach their full potential.”potential.”

Wha

t Doe

s In

clus

ion

Mea

n to

You

?

“Integrating diversity throughout the companies,

organizations and teams rather than having pockets of a

diverse workforce.”

“Inclusion, to me, means the attitude and behavior that

promotes and reflects diversity.”

“Inclusion means not only being inviting to others,

but also accepting.”

“Because it provides broader perspectives and balance to the

way that the organization is managed.”

Why

is I&

D g

ood

for o

ur B

usin

ess?

Why

is I&

D g

ood

for o

ur B

usin

ess?

“Because everyone gets an opportunity and it

brings into play a variety of thoughts and ideas.”

“Diversity and inclusion can open eyes to otherwise

unseen solutions to problems built on differing

perspectives.”

Why

is I&

D g

ood

for o

ur B

usin

ess?

“It goes to the idiom ‘Two heads are better than one.’ We need a workforce that

thinks broadly and differently. We need perspectives that are unique, not uniform.”

Why

is I&

D g

ood

for o

ur B

usin

ess?

Why

is I&

D g

ood

for o

ur B

usin

ess?

“Companies that embrace diversity and inclusion as an integral part of

their business strategy can positively impact productivity, organizational

effectiveness, and sustained competitiveness.”

Why

is I&

D g

ood

for o

ur B

usin

ess?

“Through inclusion and diversity we gain the talent of a culturally

balanced workforce and glean the value that comes from

understanding the opinion and perspective of those cultures.”

Why

is I&

D g

ood

for o

ur B

usin

ess? “Success depends on the ability to generate new or

good ideas. No one person or group has the market cornered in terms of knowledge, talent or ability. The best ideas and people should ‘win’ and if they do, that

will be good for our company. By ‘win’ I don’t mean get promoted to the top of the organization – some innovators are terrible leaders. I interpret ‘win’ to mean ideas that are pursued and people that are

recognized and rewarded for having generated, developed and

implementedthem.”

Why

is I&

D g

ood

for o

ur B

usin

ess?

“Employees are at their creative and productive best

when they work in a diverse and inclusive environment.”

Why

is I&

D g

ood

for o

ur B

usin

ess?

“Different points of view, different cultural backgrounds,

different ideas.”

Why

is I&

D g

ood

for o

ur B

usin

ess?

“Companies that embrace diversity and inclusion as an integral part of

their business strategy can positively impact productivity, organizational

effectiveness, and sustained competitiveness.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“Culture change is slow.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“Leadership at all levels has to make it a priority and seek it out. We need to practice it in our daily lives

and add it to our processes.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

? “Time. As leaders in our organization our plates are so full we get lost in the day-to-day transactional work and lose site of our biggest asset…our employees. Driving inclusion and

diversity forward takes a proactive approach; we tend to always be reactive.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“We all need to stop saying ‘this is the way we have always done it.’ If

we want to make NiSource the Premier Natural Gas Company, we need to get busy with inclusion and

diversity.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

? “It is human nature to be more comfortable interacting with persons of a similar background and life experience. The NiSource executive management

team will be critical to moving this initiative forward and it is questionable as

to whether they have the aptitude or personal desire to build on diversity.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“Finding diverse applicants with the necessary skills that we need.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

? “I don’t pretend to know. I would imagine attracting those with diverse backgrounds might be difficult if we

are perceived as not having welcomed them in the past.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“Finding qualified candidates, the desire to find the best person for the job, and the current mind set of long

term employees.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“Few hiring opportunities, and centralized work

locations.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“Being able to listen to employees and understand

what they are saying.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

? “A mindset of the old way of doing business.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

? “Inclusion is about culture change. We need to continue to build a

culture that understands and values inclusion as a business advantage

and a necessity.”

“Culture change requires time and effort

that probably means time away from something else, either work

or personal; and individual willingness to open up to others.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“People who are not open to others unlike themselves.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“I think the term ‘diversity’ still tends to be viewed as

Affirmative Action—there’s a negative connotation that it’s

a numbers game.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“A male dominated culture.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“Limited number of opportunities to add

new employees.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“Incorporating it into our day-to-day culture.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“I think that understanding that diversity goes beyond race and gender will be one

obstacle. Also, it will be a challenge for some people to understand the benefit of diversity,

and perhaps overcoming some prejudices (people may not even be aware that they

have prejudices toward others—which can be an emotional

thing to discover).”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“Within my business unit I believe one of the biggest challenges is simply lack of

opportunity, be it a new hire or internal promotion. Our organizational spans of

control are becoming more broad, mitigating internal opportunities and the hiring of new

employees is few and far between.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“The lack of confidence to speak up with ideas that are not ‘like-minded’ of

those at the helm.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“The biggest obstacle will be whether this becomes just lip service or

if we will truly follow through in this effort. Also, there may be some

unspoken criticisms of this effort which may hinder its full benefit.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“The biggest obstacle in achieving Diversity and Inclusion in NGD is that people inherently want

to surround themselves with like-minded people.”

“Resistance to change.”“Potentially a thin pool of

qualified ‘diverse’ candidates from which to select when positions are available.”

“The perception of reverse discrimination.”

Wha

t is

the

bigg

est o

bsta

cle

of d

rivin

g I&

D

forw

ard

at N

GD

?

“Political correctness.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“Keeping lines of communication open with employees by

holding regular open-discussion meetings.”

“Inclusion by opening communication channels with all staff members. Asking for their

input and support.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“Recognize the differences in people and try to include them in efforts that will help

them develop as well as benefit the organization through team participation

or positions.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“I create a meaningful environment demonstrating to my employees that

they are all valued, seen, and truly recognized for the differences they

bring to my organization.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“Asking, valuing and using employee ideas and solutions to

solve business problems.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“Good question. Sadly, I can’t come up with any examples at

this time.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?“Fostering a more open and honest working environment in my group.

Working to show how even though we have many differences, we can still

respect one another, and we can find similarities

that we do share.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“Don’t work on it specifically.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

? “Diversity, not enough. Inclusion on the other hand is part of the

daily routine on my small staff. They are involved in most all decisions on a

daily basis.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“As a hiring manager I am sensitive to job applicants as it applies to promotion and new

hires. It is my desire to maintain a diverse workforce that represents the customers

we serve.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“I am supportive of local multi-cultural initiatives.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“I am not on any committees or anything, I can only say I live both everyday and teach my children

to do the same.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“I am inviting individuals into

discussions/meetings/topics that in the past would not

have been invited.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“I actively coach members of our business group to develop

their skills.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

? “Having an open mind and hiring and promoting based upon ability and qualifications without being

predisposed based on race, gender, or age.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“I treat everyone fairly, regardless of race or gender.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“I grew up in a city that is among the poorest in my area – I continue

to volunteer my time to organizations that help those who are less fortunate than I am and quite frankly, don’t look anything

like me nor have the opportunities that were presented to me.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?“I create a meaningful environment

demonstrating to my employees that they are all valued, seen, and truly recognized for the differences they

bring to my organization.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

? “I am totally committed and welcome this. I will support it

wholeheartedly. Let’s stay committed. This is a real

opportunity.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“Living by the same set of morals and ethics that guide me through

my entire life – honesty and fairness in how I treat others.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“In the context of succession planning, consideration of potential candidates who

may fit future opportunities within the organization. Continuing to foster contacts and relationships related to this objective.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“In my department, there is not much I can do as I only have 1 direct report. Outside NGD, I have tried to treat all

other individuals as I want to be treated.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“I treat everyone the same. I recently obtained an MBA and

studied inclusion and diversity in a Human Resources Management

class.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

? “I’ve recently had the opportunity to hire staff, all of whom come

from different walks of life, religious affiliations, and

professional experience.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“Working with HR to attract diverse talent.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

? “Working with external stakeholders to encourage

diversity in hiring practices.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“When we have job openings or leadership

opportunities I encourage both minority and female employees to consider applying for the position.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

? “When moving forward on strategic initiatives I pull in all different parts of the organization to ensure they

have a voice and share their thoughts on the

approach/direction.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“We include employees on internal department teams and LISTEN to what they bring to the table, i.e. Employee Engagement

team, Safety team, etc.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“We evaluate outside firms on the basis of diversity.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“Treat people with respect and judge them

on their merits.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“Recognize the differences in people and try to include them in efforts

that will help them develop as well as benefit the organization through team participation or positions.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“My staff is diverse – from religion to race to gender to backgrounds.

They all bring their own perspectives and are encouraged to draw from what makes them

different.”

Wha

t are

you

cur

rent

ly d

oing

that

sup

port

s I&

D in

side

or o

utsi

de N

GD

?

“Making sure to travel to offices across the territory to meet with people to work on initiatives. Focused efforts to bring together

our virtual team so that each member appreciates their peers.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“I believe diversity for diversity’s sake can be counter-productive if the reasons for and objectives of

the sought after diversity cannot be expressed and demonstrated to be beneficial to the company’s well-

being.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“Probably our biggest challenge over the years has been to remain consistently focused on this issue. We need to establish actionable

and repeatable/routine processes that support inclusion and

diversity.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“Continue to carry the torch for a diverse workforce.

This leadership group has a unique opportunity in front of them – to mold the face of NGD in a very positive

way.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“Although we are lacking in this throughout our leadership, my fear is

that individuals may some day be looked at for promotion for things other than those that are common between

all people, such as performance, communication skills, etc. I would personally leave the company if I

witnessed this.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D “Breaking down stereotypes

is a long process, and it appears NiSource is taking the

right steps.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“We need to walk the talk!”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“As we attempt to hire and promote to build NiSource, we need to have avenues to find the right skills and ability for

the positions that we are filling that will allow us to continue to build on our strengths without

compromise.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D “Concern – This may lead to

the excluding of members of non-preferred

groups.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“How will NGD define diversity? Is it limited to racial diversity or is gender included? If race is the driver for how

NGD defines diversity, then its imperative that upper management reflects its goals rather than simply

talking about it.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D “I believe this is a good first step in

the right direction to include all levels of management to provide

feedback to see where we are currently and determine where we

need to move forward.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D “I think just making the effort

and creating awareness will go a long way.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“I would ask people that come from a diverse

background what we can do to be more proactive in

promoting diversity.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“Provide opportunities for inclusion but do not sacrifice the quality of the person for

the sake of inclusion or diversity.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“The Company must treat every opportunity

to fill available positions as a critical even in

its pursuit of diversity and inclusion. Much more effort must be given to seeking candidates for available positions and

selling the company to the appropriate candidates.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“I truly support a diverse workforce, but I think in some areas we may have

gone to extremes. An example would be not filling an open position and reposting until a minority applies for the position,

although you may have qualified candidates who have applied.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“NGD is much more political than it needs to be. Employees

are recognized for the political ties and not for the talents they bring

to the organization.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D “This is a great opportunity for

NiSource to take a step forward with employee

relations.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“NGD has been an inclusive organization and we need to keep it that way. Inclusion does not mean disadvantaging one social or

racial group over another to get numbers, this breeds animosity. The focus should be on

developing talented people of diverse backgrounds to ready

them for opportunities.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“My concern is that as long as a leader can deliver short

term results they will be given a pass on the

diversity issues.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“It is a wonderful thing to have a team in place to help further us as

individuals first, and a company second. I hope we truly have all walks of life on the Team, this will send a strong message to any doubters in our workforce that we do

practice inclusion and value diversity.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“This will be a collaborative effort with Human Resources to hire,

develop and retain a diverse and inclusive work force, however the

long term benefits of such an effort will be immeasurable.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D “We just need to be cognizant

of how important each is and our decisions are better when

we recognize both.”

Oth

er c

omm

ents

, ide

as, t

houg

hts,

and

co

ncer

ns re

late

d to

I&D

“Will this council actually create or produce something or will this just be a symbolic

initiative?”