Review finds rape, sexual harassment, bullying still persistent at Rio Tinto

After undergoing an independent review in 2022 that revealed shocking findings, it appears similar transgressions persist, with rape, sexual harassment, bullying, and racism being reported in the 2024 review.

In 2022, Rio Tinto published an external review of its workplace culture. The review was carried out by former Australian sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, who identified disturbing findings of bullying, rape, sexual harassment, racism, and other forms of discrimination throughout the company.

Broderick has conducted yet another review of the company, which again highlighted alarming behaviours that have seemingly persisted over the two-year stretch.

According to the review, eight people reported experiencing actual or attempted sexual assault or rape, compared to five people back in 2021. This was exasperated by 32 people also reporting to have experienced pressure or requests for sex or sexual acts. The report stated that the majority of victims in these situations were women.

Another data point showed that 7 per cent of respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment, the same number as 2021.

One of the key findings in the 2022 report was a widespread culture of bullying. The recent report has highlighted that this culture has failed to dissipate, as 39 per cent of respondents reported experiencing bullying, compared to 31 per cent in 2021.

Racism at the miner also failed to dissipate over the two-year period, with 7 per cent of respondents reporting experiencing racism, once again, the same number as in 2021.

Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm said: “People are still experiencing behaviours and attitudes in our company that are unacceptable and harmful. I am greatly troubled by this and sincerely apologise on behalf of our leadership team to anyone affected.”

“I want to thank everyone across our business who has shown the courage to speak up, as your honesty will guide our ongoing efforts to become an organisation where every day is safe, respectful, and productive for everyone.”

Rio Tinto expressed that recommendations outlined in the 2022 Everyday Respect Report, conducted by Broderick, have largely been implemented.

According to the company, around half of the survey respondents reported a perceived improvement in relation to bullying (50 per cent), sexual harassment (47 per cent), and racism (46 per cent), compared to 8 per cent who thought bullying had become worse, 2 per cent who thought sexual harassment had become worse, and 4 per cent who thought racism was worse.

“I am proud and greatly encouraged by the genuine effort across Rio Tinto to change and to make Everyday Respect part of our daily conversations, and by the fact that this Progress Review shows the majority of our people believe we are heading in the right direction,” Stausholm said.

“The review also shows that while progress is being made, achieving the sustained change we want to see in our culture will require ongoing focus and effort. My message today is that we will stay the course.”

“Stay the course” was a sentiment echoed by Broderick, who, although disappointed by the findings, expressed optimism about the progress being made.

“I applaud Rio Tinto’s continued leadership and commitment to transparency in driving cultural change. This is a significant undertaking in a global company with a growing and dynamic workforce, diverse roles and complex working environments,” Broderick said.

“Two years on, the progress is evident, and there is an ongoing commitment to this work. I am not surprised to see some areas where results haven’t improved; this is a normal part of the cultural change process. With sustained focus from Rio Tinto, we should expect to see the positive change spread over time.”

An alarming finding made by Broderick was the link between an increase in targeted bullying towards women being a direct act of retaliation for Rio Tinto’s efforts to promote gender diversity and inclusion. This antiquated quest for vengeance against DEI policies was expressed by Broderick as one of the core reasons why bullying against women had increased.

“Generally, while reports of bullying increased across all genders, the largest increase between 2021 and 2024 was against women,” said the report.

“This change can be explained by a range of factors, including increasing retaliation in the form of gendered bullying as a response to Rio Tinto’s efforts to promote gender diversity and inclusion.”

This revelation, though shocking, has been somewhat foreseeable, as anti-DEI sentiments have been increasing across Australian workplaces. However, for these sentiments to formulate into workplace bullying against women, by way of non-sensical retaliation, is incredibly dangerous.