Rio Tinto Report Shows Progress In Workplace Culture But Identifies Ongoing Challenges

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(RTTNews) - Two years into its long-term cultural transformation initiative, Rio Tinto has released the findings of an independent external progress review. The report highlights positive developments in workplace culture, innovation, and performance, indicating that progress is being made. However, it also points to mixed outcomes, with some areas still showing concerning behaviors that require continued focus and effort to address effectively.

The Progress Review was conducted by former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, who undertook the Everyday Respect review of workplace culture that Rio Tinto publicly released in 2022. It found that Rio Tinto's response to the Everyday Respect Report is gaining momentum throughout the company and has established a solid foundation for building a more diverse workforce and inclusive culture.

The findings of the Progress Review reveal that the 26 recommendations from the 2022 Everyday Respect Report have been largely implemented, with ongoing long-term actions, such as continued investment in facilities. Despite progress, harmful behaviors continue to be experienced in Rio Tinto's workplaces.

Survey results show that around half of respondents reported improvements in bullying (50%), sexual harassment (47%), and racism (46%), although a small percentage noted these issues had worsened (bullying 8%, sexual harassment 2%, racism 4%). A majority of respondents expressed confidence that the company will make meaningful progress in addressing these issues in the coming years. Employees feel more empowered to speak up, and Everyday Respect has become a widely accepted and normal part of conversations within the company, marking a critical step in cultural transformation. However, the survey data is a lagging indicator, suggesting that the full benefits of the changes made are yet to be fully realized by the workforce.

The study revealed that harmful behaviors continued to be experienced in Rio Tinto's workplaces over the past year, including Eight individuals reported incidents of actual or attempted sexual assault or rape, an increase from five in 2021; Thirty-two people reported being subjected to pressure or requests for sex or sexual acts, slightly down from 37 in 2021. The majority of those affected in both cases were women; additionally, 7% of respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment, which remained the same as in 2021. 39% of respondents reported experiencing bullying, an increase from 31% in 2021. The percentage of respondents reporting racism remained steady at 7%, the same as in the previous year, when comparing the behaviors surveyed in 2021.