One benefit of getting older is you get to see the ending of stories you watched begin. I had that cradle-to-grave feeling when writing for The Australian Financial Review on BHP's nine-year journey to what they call "gender balance". The timeframe for BHP's goal was extremely ambitious; it earned them both bouquets and brickbats. BHP didn't have a defined plan for how they would achieve balance when they started in 2016; they worked it out as they went along. What I wanted to create in this article was a record of the dozens of small initiatives that BHP management created to grind their female employee numbers higher. I also wanted to have an open conversation about the ramifications of this policy, because no omelette is made without breaking some eggs. It's one thing to make gender a deliberate lens when hiring, but should it also be a lens when conducting a redundancy round? Hopefully this record of events can help people decide what is reasonable, and what isn't when striving for gender balance, and how it might be done in a way that doesn't harm workplace cohesion. Back in 2016, I would never have predicted that BHP would find a political climate at the end of their nine year journey that was less welcoming of diversity than when they started. That's why it's always worth hanging around until the end of the story.
Peter Beaven
1w
Pete, great article (didn’t love the headline). The objective was always deeply rooted in creating greater shareholder value. The business case for this is and was very obvious. Anyone who criticises this as some “woke” initiative completely misses the point. Like all big change initiatives this takes real leadership from Andrew, Mike but included all the senior management team. Who understand good business cases when they see one. Obviously.
Interesting read Peter. Also interesting that most of the comments in your post so far are from men. Just an observation 😊. Having worked in the resources sector for a company that “favoured” men, and now working for a company that is predominantly a female workforce, I do find this topic interesting. And yes, I’ve purposely used that same description. Lots of perspectives to consider.
Dan Ziffer
1w
A fantastic read mate.
Jake Waddell
1w
Excellent article PK, great to see it all laid out over such a long time frame. And I thought you gave a very even-handed look at both the benefits and disadvantages of the policies and actions
Fantastic article Pete, although having been there through the Kloppers era I have to say he was extremely polite to the women in the office of which I was one. Miss those days! BHP is a fantastic company.
Nice one Peter thanks for sharing
A good example of change management, and why everyone needs to be brought along for change to be sustainable.
David Coates
5d
Well put Peter - and exactly what a journalist is meant to do. I read your article with interest and thought you did a great job of it.
Senior Communications Consultant PR Author Copywriter at Multi Sector Clients
1wI hope everyone reads this very important story by Peter Ker in today’s AFR. When I worked at BHP some two decades ago only 7% of the leadership team was female. Well done Mike Henry turning that around.