The Gold Industry Group (GIG)’s 2021 Great Diversity Debate unpacked one of the hottest topics to hit the workplace since the pandemic, dissecting the virtues versus pitfalls of working from home in front of hundreds of industry colleagues at The Perth Mint, in conjunction with Women in Mining and Resources WA.
The initial audience sentiment result
Bellevue Gold Principal Mining Engineer and GIG Gold Class Facilitator Jeff Dang
Ramelius Resources Human Resources, Risk and Sustainability Manager Lisa Rowden
AngloGold Ashanti Australia Mining Systems, Standards and Technology Specialist Holly Keenan
Evolution Mining People and Culture Manager Cliff McKinley
Final voting result
GIG Chair and Gold Fields VP Legal and Compliance Kelly Carter led the industry panel to tackle the topic ‘Working from home – a golden opportunity or a cage with gold bars?’ resulting in a surprising win.
Ahead of the debate, attendees voted via their mobiles to track initial audience sentiment revealing 61 percent saw working from home as a golden opportunity, and 39 percent felt working from home was a cage with gold bars. The house then put it to the panelists to make their pitch.
The debate kicked off with Bellevue Gold Principal Mining Engineer and GIG Gold Class Facilitator Jeff Dang proposing that a hybrid model, or a type of flexible working arrangement, is a golden opportunity, not just for the employee but also the employer and the wider community. He also claimed working from home has unforeseen benefits for diversity, and for focusing performance based on productivity and outcomes.
“Studies conducted prior to the pandemic show that employees who work from home got promoted less than their in-office colleagues. This translated to men, particularly young men who came into the office more and stayed longer getting promoted quicker and more often,” said Mr Dang.
“However, COVID has greatly disrupted the archaic clock watching management style and eliminated the importance of liking the same football team as your boss altogether. When managers are not in the same space, most times they measure their employees' performance based on productivity and outcomes,” added Mr Dang.
He also noted another benefit to equality from changing the social norms around working from home which has resulted in a shift in the norms around domestic duties.
“Prior to the pandemic women dominated working from home arrangements. Mothers were expected to do the school runs, take kids and or pets to appointments. If the kids were ever sick, it was predominantly mums who stayed at home or left work to go get them. With greater flexibility around work for both parents, studies are showing that domestic duties are being shared more equally, increasing true equality,” said Mr Dang.
“In conclusion, working from home is a golden opportunity not just for employees but also employers. Times have changed, employees want hybrid, flexible working from home arrangements. The benefits to the individuals are profound and extend to organisations and the community. For employers, there are two possible outcomes from here, you can embed the culture of flexibility and retain your staff, or your employees will simply leave for a company that does,” concluded Mr Dang.
Ramelius Resources Human Resources, Risk and Sustainability Manager Lisa Rowden then took to the stage arguing that collaboration is suffering as a result of remote working and isolation is a common complaint.
“When I am in the office, I get a sense of belonging and warmth. That comes from the coffee catchups, the office pizza lunches, the birthday celebrations and the side chats in the kitchen. These relaxed interactions allow me to connect with everyone across the office. Something that would not happen online naturally,” said Ms Rowden.
“Human connection is 93 percent nonverbal. As a parent, we tell all our kids to get off the screens, to prioritise mealtimes together and form closer family bonds. What do you think those same screens are doing to our workplace culture?” added Ms Rowden.
She also emphasised that those working from home can experience greater emotional exhaustion and cognitive stress associated with reduced social interaction.
“Isolation is not only impacting collaboration, but it also impacts mental health,” said Ms Rowden
“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,” added Ms Rowden.
Ms Rowden closed her argument by noting that autonomous working from home across the industry is not desirable or sustainable, as roles within the industry are rarely independent and typically work in teams across multiple operational hubs. Employees need to work where the resources are found, or in this case, where the gold is.
“Organisations needs to find ways to encourage wider options of flexibility which suit the individual employee without eroding workplace culture or hindering the collaboration we need across our industry to drive innovation,” Ms Rowden concluded.
AngloGold Ashanti Australia Mining Systems, Standards and Technology Specialist Holly Keenan then spoke in favour of flexible working arrangements as a golden opportunity, making important points around the structure of hybrid working model, and the impact of a hybrid working model on diversity and inclusion.
“Flexible work arrangements have become a desirable employee incentive to be the employer of choice. So, within the industry with our skills shortage, it is obvious what a company should do about this,” said Ms Keenan.
“The golden opportunity is to revolutionise how our offices look, so both managers and employees are enjoying the opportunity to have home days for concentration and work days for collaboration,” added Ms Keenan.
With one of the arguments against working from home being isolation, she said 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. It is essential that as a team, and as an individual, we have a clear set of shared goals and expectations of deliverables,” said Ms Keenan.
Ms Keenan also said that 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.
“This way you will not have half of the team at the office and the other half of the team dialling in from home, and the people at home will not miss out on the post-meeting coffee which may make them feel left out.
“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,” said Ms Keenan.
She also further described flexible work arrangements as offering a golden opportunity for diversity and inclusion, and as a net zero emissions contributor.
“Working from home attracts talent that may not be available locally,” said Ms Keenan.
“I believe that flexible work as an option makes the workplace more inclusive as you are increasing the pool of applicants, and the increased pool size may include moms and dads that cannot commit to a full week on site or a full week in the city.
“When working remotely, we can also reduce our scope 3 carbon emission in alignment with Australia’s net zero emissions target for 2050 - and regardless of whatever way we look at it, going to net zero will require a change in the way we work and live,” concluded Ms Keenan.
Evolution Mining People and Culture Manager Cliff McKinley hit back hard as he accused the opposition of sitting on the fence. He challenged perceptions on the dangers of working from home to organisation’s.
“An organisation is a group of people in action together in pursuit of common goals or objectives,” explained Mr McKinley.
“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.
“You can never underestimate the value of your organisation’s culture – it is not only your tool to attract and retain staff, but it is also your operational leverage,” added Mr McKinley
He also said 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.
“That feeling of family is key to anchoring people to a company and that is done through meaningful personal connections.
“Gallup’s research has found that working from home has an immediate impact on employees’ sense of belonging and therefore your organisation’s overall employment culture,” said Mr McKinley.
He further explained working from home exacerbates the invisibility issue of women in many industries.
“Working from home during the pandemic has further entrenched the gender-based stereotypical roles and adding new burdens to women returning to the office environment, which further diminished workplace gender diversity impacting the organisation to be a gender diverse workforce.
“Working from home is no more than a cage with bars - not even gold bars but pyrite, fools gold!
“Human beings are naturally social inquisitive creatures with a genetic predisposition to learn and explore. We all want to develop, grow, see and be part of the bigger picture. We need the opportunity and encouragement to spread our wings to their fullest potential and working from home takes all that away,” concluded Mr McKinley.
After a vigorous and well-presented debate, Ms Rwoden and Mr McKinley swayed 21 percent of the audience, with 60 percent ultimately voting that working from home is a cage with gold bars and Ms Carter declaring their victory.
