Rio Tinto CEO apologises to victims of 'unacceptable, harmful' behaviours at work
Rio Tinto has apologised to the victims of harmful behaviours and attitudes that were uncovered in an external workplace culture review of the mining giant.
The review, which collected data through surveys, listening sessions, and confidential written contributions, found that seven per cent of respondents experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months.
The most reported case of sexual harassment behaviour is receiving intrusive questions or offending comments on physical appearance.
Source: Everyday Respect Report
Another seven per cent said they experienced racism, while 39% said they experienced bullying.
Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said the findings show that their people are still experiencing behaviours and attitudes that are "unacceptable and harmful."
"I am greatly troubled by this and sincerely apologise on behalf of our leadership team to anyone affected," Stausholm said in a statement.
Despite these findings, the report also found that the mining giant is already seeing "promising signs of improved culture, innovation, productivity, and performance."
According to the report, around half of the respondents perceive improvement in relation to bullying (50%), sexual harassment (47%), and racism (46%).
"Around two thirds of survey respondents were at least quite confident that Rio Tinto would make a meaningful difference in each area in the next two years," the report added.
Stausholm said he is "greatly encouraged" over the findings that employees believe the company is heading in the right direction.
"The review also shows that while progress is being made, achieving the sustained change we want to see in our culture will require ongoing focus and effort. My message today is that we will stay the course," the chief executive said.
The Everyday Respect Report gathered its data from 10,056 respondents through a survey, 1,318 employees through virtual or in-person listening sessions, and 342 confidential written contributions.
The report was first released in 2022 to identify workplace challenges such as bullying, sexual harassment, racism, and other forms of discrimination in Rio Tinto's workplaces.
It also aims to make recommendations that could strengthen the mining giant's workplace culture and ensure sustained cultural change.
Former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, who conducted both reviews for Rio Tinto, applauded the mining giant's efforts and also expressed optimism over the mining giant's progress.
"Two years on, the progress is evident and there is an ongoing commitment to this work. I am not surprised to see some areas where results haven't improved, this is a normal part of the cultural change process. With sustained focus from Rio Tinto, we should expect to see the positive change spread over time," Broderick said in a statement.
