When a Rio Tinto plc worker reported that a coworker had sexually assaulted her, a manager told her it was probably meant as a joke. Another employee said they felt so insecure in the presence of a male manager that they contemplated suicide.
Other employees at the Global Mining Company spoke of a culture that continues to tolerate repeated bullying, racist remarks and inappropriate behavior by managers. Many were afraid to report abusive behavior because it would hurt their careers.
The misconduct was detailed in a report commissioned by Rio Tinto last year and published on Tuesday. The report found that 48% of employees had experienced bullying and 11% of employees had been sexually assaulted. In both cases, women were disproportionately affected. Former Australian sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick reports online surveys filled out by 10,000 employees, more than 100 group listening sessions, 85 confidential in-person sessions and close to 140 individual written submissions.
It did not identify individuals and mostly shielded their gender, race and sexuality, including activists who said they had contemplated suicide.
Some workers said the situation in Rio Tinto had improved in recent years, while others said they trusted the company to tackle harmful behaviors once they became aware of it.
The report, led by Ms Broderick, was commissioned amid an extensive cultural review by Rio Tinto following the destruction of two ancient rock shelters in Australia, which demolished a trove of indigenous artifacts, and chief executive Jean-Sébastien Jacques, chairman Simon led the departure. Thompson and other senior officials.
The state government of Western Australia, where the bulk of Rio Tinto’s Australian assets are located, is also investigating sexual harassment of women in the fly-in-fly-out mining industry. There have been serious allegations of harassment in the past as well.
Chief Executive Jacob Stosholm said he was ashamed and sorry at the extent of the bullying revealed by the report. He said that he accepted the allegations made in the report as fact.
“What’s troubling are not just individual matters, which of course are always troubling, but the more systemic picture, a combination of bullying, sexual harassment and racism,” Stosholm told The Wall Street Journal.
The report’s 26 recommendations include increasing diversity within the company, securing camp and village facilities, and improving complaints procedures. Mr Stosholm, who stepped down from chief financial officer in January 2021 to succeed Mr Jacques as chief executive, said Rio Tinto would implement appropriate action to address the recommendations.
Global miners have responded to labor shortages, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, by trying to attract more female workers to one of the most male-dominated industries. Mr Stosholm said Rio Tinto would lose talent as a result of a failure to deal with harassment and bullying. Women account for 60% of Rio Tinto’s 2020 graduate intake, but only 19% of the total workforce.
A Wall Street Journal analysis of government and company data last year showed that, over the past decade, female workforces at some companies have increased and even fallen back. Harassment by women was cited as one of the major impediments to mining careers.
The Rio Tinto report found that 28% of female workers had faced sexual harassment, with 21 women reporting actual or attempted rape or sexual assault. About 53% of women reported being bullied, compared to about 47% of men. About 40% of workers in Australia who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander reported being subjected to racism.
“I have fought racism in every single corner of this company,” said one worker, whose location was not identified.
One worker said the bullying was so intense that they cried most of the night and teams had to move after seeking professional help. Another said that when he expressed his displeasure at the global miner’s culture, he was told that he should leave the company. All responses were kept anonymous from Rio Tinto.
Rio Tinto’s remuneration committee is discussing the extent to which the executive bonus will be determined by the implementation of the report’s recommendations, Mr. Stosholm said. Culture is part of environmental, social and governance performance, which accounts for 35% of short-term incentives for executives.
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