7 minute read
Golden opportunity or a cage with gold bars?
AFTER ALMOST TWO YEARS OF WORKPLACES OPERATING DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, THE GOLD INDUSTRY GROUP’S GREAT DIVERSITY DEBATE TACKLES THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES OF WORKING FROM HOME.
As vaccination rates increase and Australia moves closer to opening its borders following the COVID-19 outbreak, the concept of working from home will become less of a necessity and more of an option to many in the workplace.
Remote operations have allowed the nation’s mining sector to continue operating and provide a muchneeded economic boost throughout the global pandemic.
While some people have welcomed the change from day-to-day office life, others have found it restrictive and lacking in social interaction.
In November, the Gold Industry Group’s Great Diversity Debate resumed after its successful national tour in 2019 to focus on one of the hottest topics to hit the workplace since the pandemic.
IS WORKING FROM HOME A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY OR A CAGE WITH GOLD BARS?
In conjunction with Women in Mining and Resources WA, the annual debate dissects and promotes diversity, challenges perceptions, and opens new doors in its unique and thoughtprovoking format.
Gold Industry Group chairperson and Gold Fields legal and compliance vice president Kelly Carter, who returns as adjudicator for the latest debate, says the success of the diversity debate over the past three years is a testament to the importance of the issues tabled and also the unique perspectives of the gold industry speakers.
Bellevue Gold principal mining engineer Jeff Dang opens the debate for the affirmative, with the goal of persuading the audience that working from home, a hybrid model, or type of flexible working arrangement is a golden opportunity, not just for the employee but also the employer.
“Any employer that doesn’t offer flexible working from home arrangements is detached from reality and will find themselves not competitive in a post-COVID world,” Dang says.
“Surveys show that 70-80 per cent of respondents prefer some form of hybrid working from home arrangements.”
Dang says there are three main reasons why employers should offer flexible work arrangements.
“Number-one is eliminating the everincreasing commute time,” he says.
“According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian workers in major cities spend on average 67 minutes per day commuting, time that could be better spent doing anything at all.
“Number two is increasing productivity where days working from home are for concentration and days in the office for collaboration.
Dang says the third reason is increasing the worker’s ability to balance time spent at work and at home.
“A truly flexible work arrangement, where people work the hours that complement their lives, allows them
Rebecca Johnston, Lisa Rowden, Cliff McKinley, Holly Keenan, Jeff Dang and Kelly Carter.
to prioritise what is important to them,” he says.
“The benefits are so great that many of the respondents said they are willing to change jobs or take a lower wage to continue having their flexible working from home arrangements.”
Dang says he was fortunate to have the luxury of a true flexible work arrangement with his previous employer prior to the pandemic.
“I continue to have this golden opportunity with Bellevue Gold which is a massive promoter of flexible working conditions, which has allowed me to participate in events with my children such as coaching sports and school drop-offs and pick-ups that I would have previously missed out on,” he says.
Ramelius Resources human resources, risk and sustainability manager Lisa Rowden points to the debate itself as an example of the importance of keeping people socially connected and not in a cage with gold bars.
“Isn’t there something special and magical in experiencing a night like this, amongst our colleagues and across our industry,” she says.
“Now I want you to imagine missing out on all of this because this was just another webinar.”
Rowden says working from home
Cliff McKinley says there is a bond that co-workers build together over time.
Jeff Dang opens the debate for the affirmative.
Holly Keenan says flexible work arrangements offer a golden opportunity for diversity and inclusion.
during enforced lockdowns has blurred the lines of home sanctuaries and personal lives, as well as the increased hours spent catching up on work.
“It is really no surprise that burnout is at an all-time high across our world,” she says.
“Isolation is not only impacting collaboration, it also impacts mental health.
“Lack of physical and social interaction leads to cognitive decline, depression and sleep issues.
“Wider flexibility options support employees’ core needs, but not to the detriment of workplace culture and wellbeing.”
Rowden also points to the unique work demands of the mining industry, where employees need to work where the resources are found, or in this case, where the gold is.
Anglogold Ashanti mining systems, standards and technology specialist Holly Keenan, who is speaking in favour of flexible work, says everyone has different living arrangements and lifestyles, and therefore different preferences on how they prefer to work.
“Flexible working hours have become an important employee incentive, so within the industry with our skills shortage, it is pretty obvious what a company should do about this,” she says.
One of the arguments against working from home is isolation, and Keenan says it is important to survey each employee to understand their preferences when it comes to a hybrid work model.
“It is not a one-size-fits-all, every team has different needs, and their hybrid working model will look different to ensure efficiency and optimisation of outputs,” she says.
“It is essential that as a team, and as an individual, we have a clear set of shared goals and expectations of deliverables.”
Keenan says in order to maintain good team morale and promote inclusivity, it is recommended to structure teams to work in the office on the same days for collaboration.
“This way you won’t have half of the team at the office and the other half of the team dialling in from home, and the people at home won’t miss out on the post-meeting coffee which may make them feel left out,” she says.
“Hybrid work is not just about the change in location of the workplace, it is the golden opportunity to change our most fundamental routines to become more efficient.”
Keenan says flexible work arrangements also offer a golden opportunity for diversity and inclusion.
“Working from home attracts talent that may not be available locally,” she says.
“We as an industry rely on talent within Australia to run mines in Africa, South America and Kazakhstan.
“If we are OK with people working remotely across different countries and continents, then I am confident we can do the same for a few days a week in our own city.”
Evolution Mining people and culture manager Cliff McKinley focuses on the dangers that working from home poses to the organisation.
McKinley says an organisation is a group of people, working together in pursuit of common goals or objectives.
“The bricks and mortar, or cement and glass, do not in themselves make an organisation – it is the people motivated to act together in pursuit of common goals underpinned by shared beliefs and values – it is culture,” he says.
“You can never underestimate the value of your organisation culture
– it is not only your tool to attract and retain staff, but it is also your operational leverage.”
McKinley says there is a bond that co-workers build together over time which is stripped away by working from home.
“My friends on the opposing side may argue that the daily Zoom call or the Friday Zoom cocktail catch-up will keep the culture going – it sounds cute but very naïve,” he says.
“Zoom meetings in your pyjama bottoms and work tops sound fun, but Zoom fatigue has become a serious social and psychological issue.”
McKinley says a recent investigation has found that employees with previously good attendance records are taking more sick days when working from home.
“People who have a close friend at work are seven-times more likely to be engaged in their job,” he says.
“That feeling of family is key to anchoring people to a company and that is done through meaningful personal connections.
“While the commute time is decreased, so have the opportunities for critical relationship building at work.”
With the arguments made for both sides, the audience use their mobile phones to pick which side made the better case, with Carter declaring victory for Rowden and McKinley.
Working from home is a cage with gold bars – the crowd has spoken.
Lisa Rowden highlights the unique work demands of the mining industry.
