As Bellevue Gold celebrates the pouring of first gold at its flagship project in Western Australia, the company is also making waves above ground in its efforts to foster diversity and inclusion within a traditionally male-dominated mining industry.
Bellevue Gold joined the ranks of Australian gold producers last month when it poured first gold at its namesake gold mine near Leinster in WA’s Northern goldfields.
During this period of exciting growth, the company’s commitment to becoming an 'Employer of Choice' has been a core guiding principle, in recognition that its true wealth lies in its people.
General Manager of People & Company Culture Daina Del Borrello said the mining industry was undergoing a transformation, and that Bellevue Gold wanted to be at forefront of this positive change.
"From very early on, the organisation has placed a focus on diversity inclusion and equality and strongly believes in the benefits to be gained by building a diverse workforce and valuing the contributions of all its people,” she said.
Impressively, the company was able to maintain more than 40 percent gender diversity while recruiting over 100 new employees in the last 12 months, as well as maintaining numbers above the industry average for its Indigenous employee participation - currently at 5 percent.
"It is really rewarding working in an organisation with such a strong purpose, and each day we are driven to do better,” said Del Borrello.
“As an organisation, we want to improve outcomes for our industry, our community, our people, and all our stakeholders. We believe this can only be done by providing equal opportunities for all people, provide them with a positive and safe workplace environment to be themselves and in which they can thrive.”
A strong and recently expanded paid Parental Leave Policy which supports both primary and secondary carers to take paid time off work to focus on family responsibilities is also proving a huge success.
“We have a Flexible Work Policy which enables employees to create a balance between their family caring responsibilities and their work responsibilities, which we know supports mums in particular to return to and/or stay in the workforce," said Del Borrello.
“When we talk about diversity at Bellevue, we refer to all the characteristics that make individuals different from each other, including attributes such as religion, race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and age.”
“We seek to build an organisation reflecting diversity in the general population.”
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Diversity cultivates success
Bellevue Gold views its work in diversity and inclusion as integral to its growth. As the company expands its operations, the correlation between a diverse workforce and organisational success becomes stronger.
This correlation has also been observed at other mining companies in recent years and is becoming a common mantra; Diversity cultivates success.
In fact, many companies now view investments in inclusive workplaces as a strategic move - not only in attracting talent and improving their reputation, but also in boosting performance and improving the bottom line.
"The research supports that a diverse and inclusive workplace culture drives innovation, boosts employee engagement, improves employee’s growth and empathy, reduces employee turnover, and further drives improved financial returns," said Del Borrello.
She noted that candidates, in a competitive job market, are drawn to organisations with a purpose, seeking workplace culture and values that align with their own.
One of these values is environmental sustainability - Bellevue is on track to be one of the Greenest Gold operations in Australia and has set an ambitious goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2026.
“Bellevue also has a very strong ESG and sustainability focus which forms a big part of our identity and purpose. Combined, it makes for a rewarding and great place to work for all our employees."
Looking to the future, the company continues to set measurable objectives for female and Indigenous employment, which are disclosed publicly on the principle that “what gets measured, gets done.”
Del Borrello said the team was proud of all they had been able to achieve in the diversity and inclusion space to date, however, she also recognised there was “still more work to do."
The company has appointed 14 diversity ambassadors and aims to promote more women into leadership roles, with current representation standing at 34 percent.
The company is also actively working to reduce its gender pay gap, which, at 11 percent, is already significantly less than the industry average.
The desire for ongoing improvement is reflective of the company’s belief that diversity is not a checkbox but an ongoing journey.
As Bellevue Gold ramps up production and makes its mark on the Australian gold mining landscape, it will be with thanks to its people. A collection of diverse people from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences, all coming together for a shared purpose.