The pathway to gender diversity in the Western Australian Resources Sector

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1 The pathway to gender diversity in the Western Australian Resources Sector Photograph courtesy of Cliffs Natural Resources 2014

2 A note from the Chief Executive The benefits of a diverse workforce go well beyond the argument for equality. Workforce diversity is strongly associated with improved business performance. Previously, gender diversity was seen as a women s issue to be tackled by women only, however, increasingly it is being viewed as a broader societal and corporate issue for both women and men. The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia s (CME) member companies are working hard to ensure the Western Australian resources sector is at the forefront of realising the benefits of diversity. This is being achieved through senior management driven policies achieving cultural change. Research has established the benefits to organisations with a diverse workforce: Improved financial performance and competitiveness Improved problem solving capabilities and innovation Increased access to and retention of the best and widest range of talent Improved perception to shareholders, community and their own workforce. Strong commitment from CEOs and senior management and an inclusive culture have been identified as the two most important drivers to increase gender diversity in a commercial setting. In other words, cultural change from the top with responsibility at all levels of the organisation, is what is required to drive change. CME has been active in promoting diversity in the resources sector over the past six years since the release of CME s landmark report: Attraction and Retention of Women in the Western Australian Resources Sector. We look forward to continuing to work with our member companies to champion greater gender diversity through this period of change in the Western Australian resources sector so they can harness the power this opportunity presents. Reg Howard-Smith Chief Executive The Western Australian Resources Sector CME is the peak resources sector representative body in Western Australia. The role of CME is to champion the Western Australian resources sector and assist it to achieve its vision to lead the world in sustainable practice through innovation and to underpin Australia s position in the global economy. CME represents companies directly involved in the resources sector or those providing services to it. CME s member companies generate 95 per cent of all mineral and energy production by value and employ 80 per cent of the resources sector workforce in the state. With market conditions changing and as the resources sector moves from the construction phase to the operational phase, the industry s skills mix will change. The changing nature of the industry highlights the importance of thinking beyond aggregate labour demand and focusing more on attracting workers with the appropriate skills and attitudes. The ability to respond to evolving demand for labour will impact on sustainability and the future growth of the industry. As a strategy to address this issue, the industry has focused on training and employing people from traditionally under-represented sectors of the workforce, primarily women and Aboriginal Australians. 2

3 CME s 2013 Diversity in the Western Australian Resources Sector Survey found: 72 % of companies offer flexible working arrangements 19 % 56 % of the Western Australian resources sector workforce are female 24 % of the Indigenous Australians working in the resources sector are female of female employees work at their company s operations site 66 % % have paid parental leave provisions over and above legislative requirements in place of employees who went on maternity leave returned to work at the company a year later of employees working % on a part-time/casual basis are female Female employment in the resources sector 37 % professional occupations 20 % clerical and administrative workers 19 % machine operators and drivers 16 % management roles 4 % technicians 2 % trades workers 3

4 A need for cultural change The resources sector recognises cultural change is a challenging process, and is implementing best practice strategies to address gender imbalance. Leadership from executives and boards of a clearly articulated vision for workplace diversity is essential and helps create an environment where women feel valued. This is done by: Making company commitments to diversity visible in annual reports. Publishing company diversity policies on websites. Including diversity key performance indicators (KPI s) in leadership performance agreements. Making diversity champions available to speak at a range of events about the importance of diversity. Ensuring flexible work arrangements are in place for all employees, including male and female senior managers. The creation of a diversity strategy and annual action plan. Monitoring and reporting the progress and effectiveness of the company s diversity efforts to boards. CEOs chairing company diversity committees/boards/councils. Setting targets to increase the representation of women at all levels of the organisation. Running unconscious bias training for managers and leaders. OUTSTANDING Company Initiative 2014 Profile St Barbara Ltd: Eliminating the Equity Pay Gap Before 2007, the human resources (HR) practices at St Barbara were transactional, consisting mostly of recruitment with no linkage to the business strategy. A remuneration strategy did not exist and the pay equity gap was 43%. From 2007, St Barbara has implemented a systematic and sustainable approach to reduce the pay equity gap. They now have a HR Strategy in place that is hard-wired to the company s business strategy and approved by the board. The success of each of the six strategic HR priorities is underpinned by diversity. To support these priorities a comprehensive Talent Management Framework has been implemented. Consistent with the strategic HR priorities, in respect of gender diversity, St Barbara now has: a competitive and effective remuneration system; industry-leading parental leave provisions including attractive return to work incentives; a gender diversity policy; and robust gender diversity targets to measure success. These initiatives are approved by the board, led by the executive leadership team, and reviewed regularly by the board. The gap has reduced from 43% in 2007 to 11.7% in

5 Photograph by Karl Schoemaker provided courtesy of AngloGold Ashanti Australia Ltd Attracting women into the resources sector Employing ongoing strategies to promote a positive and diverse industry image along with supporting the recruitment of women through targeted action will lead organisations to better position themselves as an employer of choice as well as broaden their pool of talent. Companies are doing this by: Reshaping marketing and advertising to demonstrate gender inclusiveness in various roles. Reviewing graduate and vacation recruitment processes to ensure improved gender diversity outcomes are achieved. Participating in career expos targeted at young women. Developing and maintaining strong relationships with key WA secondary schools and universities, sending female speakers to address female students. Ensuring the company resourcing team is closely linked in with the corporate strategy and ensuring it strives to meet agreed targets. Including females on selection panels. Setting recruitment targets for female traineeship and apprenticeship positions. Creating casual operator positions for females seeking part-time hours. Monitoring recruitment processes to better understand how to successfully recruit female candidates. Profiling female employees on the company website. Establishing diversity requirements for third party suppliers. Producing female-targeted promotional material for events and recruitment campaigns. Supporting organisations promoting women to join the industry. Supporting organisations encouraging girls to undertake science, technology, enterprise and mathematics studies and career pathways. Women in Resources Champion 2014 Profile Stuart Forrester Stuart s passion for diversity comes from his belief a diverse team creates a challenging workplace, facilitates flexibility and drives growth through differing values, skill sets and backgrounds. He believes when you employ the right person, it is much easier and takes less time to up-skill people than to change people s values and behaviours. Stuart facilitated a fundamental change to the way Iluka approaches recruitment. The job criterion was amended to attract people without previous mining experience. Given it is difficult to pick up on values and standards of behaviours when reading a resume, it was necessary to broaden the scope of the pool of interviewees. The interview process was modified to include questions exploring applicants commitment, integrity and responsibility, aligning with Iluka s key values. Up-skilling people who came into the business with no previous experience became a priority, so Stuart improved Iluka s training systems to meet the needs of new recruits who had the right values and behaviours, but required more training to carry out their jobs. By adopting a new approach to recruitment, the number of female employees at Iluka s Narngulu operation increased from 16.5% in 2012 to 25.4% in 2013 and from zero to 20% in operations crews over the past three years. Instead of one demographic with similar backgrounds reinforcing certain dominant behaviours, Narngulu now has male, female and Indigenous employees of different ages, from a range of backgrounds, expertise and experience and a more consistent and higher standard of behaviours Stuart s commitment is also reflected in the work he has been undertaking with the Clontarf Academy and the SHINE program in Geraldton. The SHINE program targets indigenous and at risk girls aged between 13 and 15. The aim of the program is to educate and empower girls with life skills including accountability, responsibility, trust, connection and employability to positively impact their employment and life opportunities into the future. 5

6 Careers in the Western Australian resources sector The resources sector offers many diverse opportunities for women across a range of fields and disciplines. Working in the resources sector can open up excellent opportunities including accelerated career development and promotion, great pay to develop financial security, a huge range of career choices and fantastic opportunities to travel and participate in community development programs. There are several pathways into the resources sector. Entry points include apprenticeships, traineeships and graduate programs. There are also mature-age entry paths across a variety of professional and trade careers and opportunities to re-train. To explore career choices and opportunities in the resources sector, visit Outstanding Operator / Technician / Trade Woman in Resources 2014 Profile Emma Stevenson Emma commenced her career as a process technician with Kimberley Diamonds then joined BHP Billiton Nickel West Leinster as a process technician in As a direct result of her experience working in an entry level position in the resources sector, Emma decided to take up an apprenticeship as a mature age student. Emma had previously declined an offer of an apprenticeship years earlier due to a lack of self belief combined with not knowing any other females in the field. Upon completion of her apprenticeship, Emma secured an electrical instrumentation technician position. In a non-traditional field for women, Emma has worked hard to achieve her potential in academic studies and on-the-job trade skills. Emma completed her apprenticeship ahead of schedule in Emma and her work colleagues acknowledge her determination, effective communication skills, professionalism, self confidence and ambition as key characteristics resulting in her success as a female apprentice and tradesperson in a non-traditional role and environment. Emma has gained praise and respect from lecturers, fellow students, trades people, supervisors and department leaders. She was awarded the 2013 WA Apprentice of the Year Award at the State Training Awards recognising her outstanding achievements and attitude. Following on from the Women in Resources Awards in March 2014 Emma has become involved in TradeUp Australia. TradeUp aims to encourage women of all ages to consider undertaking a trade. Emma commenced working with the Wheatstone production team for Chevron in late October Retaining women in the resources sector Retaining engaged and motivated employees is vital to an organisation s sustainability. Improved retention reduces turnover and costs and increases job performance and productivity. Retention strategies create a working environment that meets the needs of all employees, both men and women, enabling them to contribute to business outcomes in a sustainable fashion and achieve their career potential. Companies are doing this by: Offering a suite of flexible work initiatives and measuring the utilisation rate of all initiatives. Supporting career breaks, part-time work and job sharing roles. Creating and maintaining expressing and breast feeding rooms. Providing generous paid parental leave provisions, in addition to the federal government s provisions, to the primary caregiver and the non primary caregiver. Providing access to medical specialists, healthcare consultants, clinics and exercise and health programs to all employees. Allowing work from home arrangements including work from home support. Running monthly parenting focus groups. Financial reimbursement for child care whilst travelling. Running keep in touch programs for those on parental leave. Re-designing roles to fit flexible work arrangements. Providing coaching workshops for those returning from parental leave. Creating on-site childcare options or childcare options close to work. Conducting annual gender pay audits and implementing strategies to address gaps. 6

7 Developing women in the resources sector Emphasising employee development and promotion has been found not only to link positively with the gender diversity of an organisation, but to also be essential to attracting and retaining younger members of the workforce. Companies are doing this by: Conducting talent review processes leading to succession plans. Providing all employees with appropriate training and career development, not only those in professional positions. Establishing an acceleration program for high potential employees, allowing the organisation to tailor the development options for women. Offering formal mentoring for women. Additionally, particular high talent women are being sponsored by board members. Encouraging women into under-represented roles or departments with ongoing support. Providing graduates with a structured work/training program and formal mentoring. Including diversity training in supervisor development programs. Outstanding Woman in Resources 2014 Profile Kyra Bonney Kyra Bonney is a Guburn woman from the Goldfields region of Western Australia. Kyra completed a mining traineeship at the age of 19, and was the only female Indigenous trainee to complete the course at that time. This has led to a 13-year career with large mining companies, as an operator and blast crew member on remote sites. Kyra developed a passion to help other Indigenous people and completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Indigenous Community Management and Development. Kyra, as program coordinator implemented an Indigenous women s program in a large mining company to help train, mentor and manage the performance of female Indigenous employees. Inspired by the content of her studies and the challenges she faced as an operator, Kyra created her consultancy business, with a vision of providing services which bridge the cultural divide between companies, Indigenous employees and community stakeholders. Her company now provides support to several WA resources companies which are seeking to train, employ and retain Indigenous Australians. While juggling motherhood, full-time studies, and work, Kyra continues to focused on the positive outcomes these endeavors bring. She is the youngest board member of the Aboriginal Lands Trust, Deputy Chairperson for the HALO project an Indigenous youth leadership program and a trainer/mentor for Ignite Basketball, a community initiative that uses sport to engage and develop young people in disadvantaged areas. 7

8 CME Women in Resources Awards Established in 2010, the Women in Resources Awards (WIRA) are designed to recognise individuals and organisations working to build a world-class industry which provides attractive career opportunities and enhances the recognition and participation of women in the sector. WIRA is an annual, Western Australian based initiative providing CME with the opportunity to advocate the value of females participating in the sector. WIRA has built up an exceptional group of winners who are outstanding role models in the resources sector and champions of women in resources. In recognition of the outstanding impact WIRA winners have made in the sector and broader community. CME has established the Women in Resources Awards Alumni Group. Members of this Alumni Group play important ambassador roles in promoting the Western Australian resources sector as an attractive industry for women to work in. CME Gender Diversity Reference Group The Gender Diversity Reference Group is a gathering of resources sector representatives from CME member companies who meet to discuss gender diversity issues, provide input into associated CME policy and initiative development and share best practice and current research. This group enables CME to work with its member companies to establish a common strategy by providing leadership, advocacy and the development of specific initiatives. These initiatives include the Women in Resources Awards and the Diversity in the Western Australian Resources Sector Survey. Women in Resources Awards Winners Women in Resources Champion 2010 Sabina Shugg 2011 Kate Sommerville 2012 Joanne Farrell 2013 Julie Shuttleworth 2014 Stuart Forrester Outstanding Woman in Resources 2010 Kellie Parker 2011 Maryanne Kelly 2012 Margaret Watroba 2013 Vanessa Guthrie 2014 Kyra Bonney Outstanding Young Woman in Resources 2012 Katrina Bukauskus 2013 Jenna Robertson 2014 Heidi Edwards Outstanding Technician/Operator/Trade Woman in Resources 2011 Kym Jones 2012 Natasha Cann 2013 Jodie Gray 2014 Emma Stevenson Outstanding Company Initiative 2010 Woodside Flexible Work and Support Initiatives 2011 BHP Billiton Iron Ore Pilbara Childcare Initiative 2012 Newmont Boddington Gold Driving Force 2013 Chevron Women in Engineering 2014 St Barbara Eliminating the Equity Pay Gap Purpose To identify emerging and escalating gender diversity issues, To provide input and to advise on gender diversity policy; and To provide a strategic forum in which industry practitioners can meet regularly and share gender diversity best practice and research. Contact Details For further information about gender diversity in the Western Australian resources sector or the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia, please contact CME on chamber@cmewa.com