Winner: Outstanding Company Initiative Award

Workplace sexual harassment has been a much-discussed topic over the past two years and for Compass Group, which employs 55 per cent females, it was one that needed to be addressed. With an aim to create long-term change, Compass sought to make it clear that such behaviour was preventable and that understanding the reason why it occurred would lead to sustainable cultural improvements. Working closely with clients – such as BHP, Gold Fields, Anglogold Ashati and Roy Hill – and other sub-contractors in the mining and resources sector, Compass identified a number of key messages, changes, initiatives, programs and materials to develop, roll out and implement to foster a culture of change on the sites at which the company operates.

Those initiatives have included personal safety plans, an Ask For Angela campaign in wet messes, risk profiling of sites around CCTV, lighting and room allocation, increased security at night and a Got Your Back peer support program. Compass reports significant interest from mining and resources companies seeking to collaborate in the future in a bid to stamp out sexual harassment in the sector.