Increasing Diversity in Geoscience

The fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) have historically been skewed towards men. While the numbers of minorities and women are growing, the workforce in STEM-related fields remains predominantly white and male.

In recent decades, representation in the STEM workforce has seen a 67 percent increase for black and Hispanic people, and a 24 percent increase for women. Even with this rise, black and Hispanic people only make up around 11 percent and women around 28 percent of the STEM workforce. If this trend continues, achieving proportional representation of all groups would take another 60-75 years.

Similar to other STEM fields, geosciences have traditionally suffered from a lack of diversity. However, when we recruit and retain a diverse pool of people, it brings numerous benefits for us as a business as well as for employees themselves.

Benefits of inclusion and diversity in the workplace

Evidence of the inherent benefits of diversity are increasingly evident. A diverse workforce is better equipped to understand and respond to the needs of society by offering a wider array of perspectives and innovative approaches to solving national and global challenges.

Some of the recognised benefits of increased diversity include (in no particular order):

Increased productivity
Improved creativity
Increased profits
Improved employee engagement
Reduced employee turnover
Improved company reputation
Wider range of skills
Improves cultural insights

Geosciences, and mining specifically, can see benefit in improved diversity as operations often serve a global purpose. Local communities, employees, and other stakeholders working and communicating effectively together create an environment that is primed for current challenges and those of the future.

Watch our video, Taking the Next Step on the Road to Inclusion and Gender Equality, to learn why Anglo American has increased our efforts around inclusion and diversity.

How to promote inclusion and diversity in the workplace

Research shows that efforts to attract and retain diverse employees starts with students at an early age. When students’ sense of belonging is promoted by recogniisng potential, encouraging aspiration, and providing accurate information to students about how to achieve their academic goals, they are primed for a trajectory toward their career goals. This creates potential for interest and perseverance in STEM fields for currently underrepresented groups.

Early intervention in education takes time but geoscience companies can work towards a diverse and inclusive workforce now.

Some tactics to ensure inclusion and diversity in the workplace include:

Establish a parental leave policy
Embedding Colleague Networks (or ERGs)
Make conscious inclusion training mandatory for all leaders/line managers
Take a fresh look at the visuals of your careers page
Celebrate holidays and events for underrepresented groups
Introduce inclusion and diversity throughout the employee lifecycle
Implement clear inclusion training for all recruiting managers and guidelines for areas such as shortlisting and panel interviews.
Ensure all job descriptions and advertisements are gender-neutral
Create programmes–including scholarships–focused on attracting underrepresented groups
Above all else, listen to your employees

According to International Women in Mining, focusing on workplace attractiveness, health, safety, mechanisation, automation, and work management is important to creating an inviting, inclusive environment for women and minorities. Effective workplace design is part of this evolution and a key component to attracting and retaining high-quality candidates in the geoscience and mining industries.

Potentialbarriers to diversity in the workplace

The reason early intervention is key is because hurdles to diversity often show their hand before students ever enter graduate programmes. Research has shown that at the undergraduate level, students from underrepresented groups may be turned off from geoscience field disciplines due to feelings of disconnection from people who work in the field and locations of the fieldwork specifically.

Minority groups, like women and ethnic minorities, can feel excluded from geosciences because of differences in culture, personality, economic background, and prior opportunities to experience the outdoors. Often feeling like an outsider and avoiding situations that feel unfamiliar, underrepresented groups stray from geosciences early on. Even those that complete their programmes and enter the field may feel as if they lack representation in leadership roles and company culture or practices.

It is important to overcome these barriers to create a field that is inclusive and makes room for talent from various backgrounds.

Growing inclusion and diversity at Anglo American

We embrace the value inclusion and diversity bring to our organisation. We pride ourselves on a strategy that provides a roadmap for improving our business and aligns with our values that guide our behaviours along the way. The six core values that form the blueprint for our vision include:

Safety
Care and Respect
Integrity
Accountability
Collaboration
Innovation

As leaders in the mining industry, we strive to incorporate these values across all aspects of our culture and business practices and create a framework for others to follow suit.

Our people

We also work hard to ensure that all current colleagues are valued and respected and feel able to bring their whole selves to work.

Our adaptable, involving, fair and supportive workplace exists through equitable workplace policies, systems and practices, mentoring and coaching, securing and developing the diverse talent required now and into the future and employee networks.

We incorporate our Values and support our people through initiatives including:

In the UK, we now have Real You (an LGBT+ network), Enabling You (a network for those with physical disabilities, learning difficulties and mental health issues), Women:@CHT (a women's network), You Care (for those with caring responsibilities) and Your Origins (promotes our racial, ethnic, cultural and social diversity);
In South Africa, WoMINE (a women’s network), Enabling You and Real You South Africa have been launched;
In Singapore and Australia, we have inclusion and diversity networks newly established; and
In Chile and Brazil, both a Women’s network and an Enabling You network have been established in each location with additional networks being created to meet local needs.
A safe, effective and enabling environment created for all stakeholders to achieve the Living with Dignity outcome through programmes such as Stand up For Everyone, appropriately adapted facilities, a trusted ‘Speak Up’ whistleblowing service, driving inclusive practices with all contractors, suppliers and service providers and integrated sustainable mining plan activities.
The Ambassadors for Good employee volunteer programme is an opportunity for Anglo American and De Beers Group employees to secure funding for a volunteering project that is aligned to our values and Sustainable Mining Plan.
We believe that none of our people should be injured or contract illness while at work. Taking care of our people is at the core of what we do. By using effective risk management and resilient management systems, we believe the goal of Zero Harm for occupational health is achievable.
Tackling the gender pay gap. Women in the mining industry have historically been under-represented and challenges remain in hiring qualified women into senior roles where significant engineering experience is required. This means that the deficit of women across our industry is further accentuated at senior levels. Visit our Gender Pay Gap Report - UK page to find out how we are making a difference.

Measuring engagement

In 2019, we carried out a global employee engagement survey. Almost 39,000 employees answered questions across the dimensions of culture and values, safety, strategy and Purpose, leadership, inclusion and diversity. This survey was extended to all employees, in both digital and paper versions, and revealed an employee engagement score of 83%, compared to 81% in 2017. Of the 66% of employees who participated in 2019, 84% reported they are proud to work for the company and 82% would recommend the company as a good place to work.

Creating inclusive careers in Geology

Data shows that improving diversity across the geoscience industry has many benefits, and though diversity is slightly increasing, more needs to be done to reach and maintain true diversity. The solutions must start early and the burden lies on all of us, but in the current climate, we can make a difference by looking inward and taking steps to ensure equal and fair opportunities and creating an inclusive environment.

Explore more about how Anglo American makes decisive strides towards inclusion and diversity in every aspect from hiring practices to inclusive initiatives for all employees here.