• According to BHP's experience and analysis, this inclusion policy also strengthened aspects such as creativity and work excellence.
• Adjusting recruitment policies, offering attractive jobs and closing salary gaps are measures that will help the industry become more inclusive.

Lauren Arias, Director of Joint Ventures at BHP Chile, highlighted that the incorporation of women into work teams increased the company's productivity by 11%. This was reported on the first day of Rumbo a PERUMIN "Evolution of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Issues in Mining", organized by the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP) and PERUMIN 36’s Organizing Committee.

During the session, Arias presented a report prepared by the company on the incorporation of women in its work teams. The report also identified positive aspects such as better performance, greater creativity and excellence in production.

"Our Spance mining operation has the highest female representation in Chile with 37%, which is three times the national industry average which amounts to only 12%. It is worth mentioning that in 2016 we declared our public goal to achieve gender equality by 2025, and as a result, female representation in our mining operation grew 23%", said Arias.

Road to inclusion and diversity

During her speech, Arias pointed out that it is necessary to make profound changes for the industry to become more inclusive. Among them, she highlighted the adjustment of recruitment policies, the offering of attractive jobs, the closing of salary gaps, and the generation of change within each organization.

“It is important to have an inclusive culture and a diverse workforce. Because of this, we understood that gender equality was not enough, and decided to move forward to include minorities and create a work environment that would facilitate their full development," said the specialist.

In this regard, she emphasized the need to broaden the focus on the LGTBIQ+ community, people with disabilities and indigenous peoples, through the design of anti-discrimination policies, employee involvement, and programs to prevent biases based on gender, race, religion, political position and sexual orientation.

Finally, Arias concluded that every time inclusion is addressed, it has to be done in a comprehensive manner rather than focusing only on the incorporation of women. “It is important to be clear about the fact that gender equality is only the first step of a comprehensive inclusion and diversity strategy. The involvement of workers, constant measurement and monitoring, and the involvement of collaborators in our purpose will also make our industry more inclusive”, she concluded.