Rio Tinto employees report rise in bullying, sexual assault

Half of survey respondents besides accidental mining giant’s workplace civilization has improved ‘a lot’ oregon ‘a little’.

More than one-third of workers astatine Rio Tinto experienced bullying successful the erstwhile 12 months, a advancement reappraisal has found, astir 3 years aft the mining elephantine pledged to tackle pervasive sexism and racism successful the workplace.

Among the astir 12,000 surveyed Rio Tinto employees, 39 percent reported being bullied, up from 31 percent successful 2021, the study commissioned by the British-Australian institution showed connected Wednesday.

Female employees were much apt to accidental they experienced bullying.

Half of the women surveyed reported specified experiences, compared with 36 percent of men, up from 36 percent of women and 29 percent of men, respectively, successful 2021.

The emergence successful bullying against women was partially owed to “increasing retaliation successful the signifier of gendered bullying arsenic a effect to Rio Tinto’s efforts to beforehand sex diverseness and inclusion,” the study said.

Seven percent of respondents – 16 percent of women and 4 percent of men – said they had experienced intersexual harassment, a proportionality unchanged from 2021.

Eight employees said they had experienced existent oregon attempted intersexual battle oregon rape, compared with 5 successful 2021.

Despite the findings, astir fractional of the employees reported that the workplace civilization astatine the institution had improved.

Fifty percent of respondents said the concern successful narration to bullying had gotten “a lot” oregon “a little” better, portion 47 percent and 46 percent of respondents, respectively, reported improvements successful narration to intersexual harassment and racism.

The reappraisal besides recovered that 26 of the recommendations outlined successful the 2022 Everyday Respect Report commissioned by the institution had been mostly implemented.

Rio Tinto’s main executive, Jakob Stausholm, said helium was “greatly troubled” that workers were inactive experiencing harmful behaviours but encouraged by the company’s efforts to change.

“The reappraisal besides shows that portion advancement is being made, achieving the sustained alteration we privation to spot successful our civilization volition necessitate ongoing absorption and effort,” Stausholm said successful a statement.

“My connection contiguous is that we volition enactment the course.”

The review, conducted by erstwhile Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, comes aft a 2022 parliamentary enquiry successful Western Australia recovered that intersexual harassment and battle were wide successful the mining sector.