During the Road to proEXPLO 2023 (Rumbo a proEXPLO 2023) webinar, focused on Diversity and Inclusion as a key aspect for the mining industry of the future, the importance of incorporating practices and policies on the subject in companies in the mining sector was discussed, as well as what is needed to do so.

Carolina Herrera-Cano, a consultant at Aequales, a company that advises on gender equity and corporate diversity in Latin America, pointed out that a systematic change is required, for which an orderly approach, investment allocation, definition of clear goals and accountability must be established.

"Change will not come about simply because we wait for women, people with disabilities, etc. to join the company. It requires a plan with constant monitoring, budget allocation, and that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is understood as one of the vital processes for the sustainability of the company, something that many companies still do not understand," explains Herrera-Cano.

DEI Tools

In this regard, she shared a series of practical tools that can be implemented in mining companies to orient their policies to increase the participation of women and provide them with equal opportunities with respect to men.

"We accompany the process from scratch in our company, we even talk about the importance of women having the same opportunities. And we still often see employees who think that women should not be driving a tractor-trailer, for example, but should be in the kitchen," says the Aequales consultant.

One of the tools that can be applied is to have inclusive practices for career opportunities, which could include a training program for women in areas surrounding the mine to be incorporated into technical work.

Another proposal offered is to have respectful workplaces, for example, by considering sexual harassment policies in the workplace. It is also important to work on masculinities and to support not only women, but also men and make them understand the benefits of gender equity and how they can contribute from their position.

It was also recommended to reconcile work with personal commitments. On this point we can mention as an example that there are companies that have implemented day care centers and nursing rooms.

The speaker pointed out that it is also important to carry out inclusive communication in the workplace, showing women through various means (verbal, visual, audiovisual, etc.) that they have the capacity to take advantage of opportunities on an equal footing.

Finally, she mentioned working with a wide range of suppliers, such as companies led by women or that practice Diversity and Inclusion, and contributing to the development of future talent, especially in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

While Herrera-Cano acknowledged that many companies that are successfully implementing this type of initiative tend to be large companies, and adapting this to smaller companies is complicated, she encouraged all organizations to start considering DEI in their operations.

proEXPLO 2023: Discovering the mining of the future