A progress report released by Rio Tinto on Nov. 20, 2024, highlighted its ongoing challenges in improving working conditions for its employees since the company began an overhaul of its culture three years ago.

The progress report found that while Rio Tinto’s response to its landmark publication, the 2022 Everyday Respect Report, is gaining momentum in the company and helping to foster a more inclusive workforce, significant work remains to eliminate sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination and other concerning behaviours from its work sites.

The initial 2022 study, which spanned eight months and involved input from over 10,000 people, found bullying, sexism and racism to be systemic at Rio Tinto work sites. The progress report stated that 39 per cent of survey respondents had experienced bullying in the past 12 months, up from 31 per cent in 2021. The report highlighted a notable increase in bullying, particularly against women, which the report stated is linked to several factors, including retaliation following Rio Tinto’s inclusivity efforts.

Other troubling statistics include eight reports of actual or attempted instances of sexual assault and rape (up from five in 2021), 32 cases of pressure for sex or sexual acts (a slight decrease from 37 in 2021), with the majority involving women. Additionally, seven per cent of participants reported sexual harassment (unchanged from 2021), and seven per cent reported racism, consistent with survey results collected in 2021.

“People are still experiencing behaviours and attitudes in our company that are unacceptable and harmful,” said Jakob Stausholm, chief executive officer (CEO) at Rio Tinto, in a Nov. 24, 2024 press release. “I am greatly troubled by this and sincerely apologize on behalf of our leadership team to anyone affected. I want to thank everyone across our business who has shown the courage to speak up, as your honesty will guide our ongoing efforts to become an organization where every day is safe, respectful and productive for everyone.”

Two separate class action lawsuits filed by law firm JGA Saddler in December 2024 against Rio Tinto and BHP allege systemic sexual harassment and gender discrimination at their Australian mining sites, with claims that women were knowingly sent to unsafe, remote locations and also faced retaliation for reporting abuse.

A long road ahead

Beth Borody is the CEO and founder of Femina Collective, a social enterprise launched in 2020 to empower women in mining and related sectors. The organization provides mentorship, network-ing, learning and professional development opportunities to support women’s growth and success in the industry.

“The industry’s initial embrace of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has waned, with these principles increasingly viewed as burdensome rather than beneficial to business,” Borody said in an email to CIM Magazine. “This shift in perception is detrimental; it suggests a retreat from the commitment to creating genuinely inclusive workplaces. To foster real change, the industry must recommit to DEI, recognizing it not just as a moral imperative but as a cornerstone of sustainable business practice.”

Borody explained that the release of Rio Tinto’s Everyday Respect Report in 2022 was a pivotal moment for the mining industry, as it represented a rare admission from one of the world’s leading mining companies that there were issues within the organization and that it needed to change its culture.

“This transparency was not just about Rio Tinto but served as a broader reflection on longstanding issues that many in the industry have voiced for decades,” she wrote. “While I commend Rio Tinto for its ongoing commitment to transparency, it’s crucial that the industry as a whole takes these insights as a mandate to enact meaningful and urgent reforms.”

She believes that by doing so, mining companies can better support their workforce and foster environments where respect and dignity are paramount.

In response to the results from the 2022 report, Rio Tinto agreed to implement 26 recommendations in an attempt to prevent and address discrimination and unacceptable workplace behaviours, including ensuring women and minority groups are provided with adequate safety and support, establishing a diverse mentoring panel, and conducting trauma-informed, confidential investigations into harmful behaviour.

Positive findings from the 2024 progress report include the successful implementation of 17 out of the 26 recommendations, the continued execution of the remaining recommendations, and greater empowerment among employees to speak out about problematic behaviours. Around half of survey respondents reported they perceived significant progress in combatting bullying, sexual harassment and racism.

Susan Lomas, founder and president of Mine Shift Foundation, a non-profit society focused on eradicating all forms of harassment from the mining industry, commended Rio Tinto for conducting and sharing its workplace culture inquiry. Lomas noted that despite un­changed or increased incidents of bullying, sexual harassment and racism at Rio Tinto since the initial report, the rise in reporting could indicate greater trust in the organization.

“It suggests that people are better at recognizing inappropriate behaviours and feel more confident in sharing their experiences,” she said in an email to CIM Magazine. “Hopefully other organizations can see the power in building trust through transparency. They can use that to understand and name the issues they are facing, to consult with their workforce and believe their experiences. Other companies can learn from Rio Tinto’s experiences that employees are facing safety issues at work that need to be addressed.”

Rio Tinto’s recent progress report engaged 1,318 employees in virtual and in-person listening sessions, 10,056 participants in an online survey and 342 individuals who submitted written contributions. The progress report, led by Elizabeth Broderick, former Australian sex discrimination commissioner, builds on the 2022 Everyday Respect Report, which her team also oversaw.

Looking forward

“Building on the 26 Everyday Respect recommendations, and guided by the insight from the progress [report], Rio Tinto has shaped the next stage of its plan to further embed existing interventions and accelerate change focused around three priority areas: equipping frontline leaders to drive change, building buy-in for change across all areas of our workforce, and securing and retaining diverse talent,” said Rio Tinto in an email to CIM Magazine.

Rio Tinto outlined several key actions for the future, including implementing values, mindsets and behaviours training for all operational and site leadership teams by 2026, improving the reporting and resolution process for harmful be­haviours by reducing timeframes and increasing transparency, and by integrating ongoing feedback through its four employee resource groups (expanding to eight this year), village councils and biannual people surveys.

The company wrote in the statement that it also offers several resources for employees facing bullying, discrimination or harassment, including the independent Business Conduct Office, which handles misconduct reports confidentially using a trauma-informed approach; myVoice, a confidential whistleblower program; and over 20 village councils offering safe platforms for raising concerns within company-managed camps and offices.

Industry insights

From her own experience, Lomas said she has observed an improved harmonization of language and understanding of harmful behaviour in the mining industry today, namely since Mine Shift’s inception in 2018.

“When we started our organization, terms like ‘psychological safety’ were not widely known, but now they are common across most industries,” she wrote. Despite this progress, Lomas believes that advancing inclusivity and diversity is not just about increasing numbers; it’s about creating a safe and respectful workplace where everyone can fully participate, especially those who, historically, were excluded.

She added that the talent shortage in mining reflects how women, newcomers and recent graduates are less likely to pursue careers in mining compared to other industries and believes that DEI efforts should focus on creating safe experiences to attract and retain underrepresented communities.

“To make lasting progress, we must ensure that all employees, regardless of gender or background, have equal opportunities for advancement and a safe, supportive work environment,” she wrote.