How technology is enabling different kinds of diversity at BHP
15 August 2018
BHP: The
commercial case for
workplace diversity is compelling. At BHP, our
experience shows that our most inclusive and
gender diverse teams
perform better than the company average in areas such as safety,
production, cost efficiency, employee engagement and mental health.
While gender diversity is our top priority we are also investing time
and money into other areas of diversity like neurodiversity.
A recent
Curtin University study[1] found that employees with Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD) outperformed their peers without ASD in terms of
work ethic, attention to detail and overall quality of work.
These traits, combined with the ability to apply single focus for a
large amount of time, make people living with ASD ideal candidates for
roles within the technology sector, such as software developers and data
analysts.
However, the stigma surrounding autism often prevents them from entering
the labour market.
Over the past twelve months, BHP’s Perth Technology Hub has been
collaborating with the Autism Academy of Software Quality Assurance
(AASQA), the Australian Computer Society Foundation (ASC), Autism West
and AIM Employment on a number of different programs designed to help
integrate people with ASD into our workforce.
In January, seven students with ASD and a passion for
technology began internships in different teams across our
Perth operations – giving them a career development pathway and an
opportunity to apply their university studies in a real-world context.
One intern is testing the
software for an automated crew rostering tool
that will soon be rolled out across our
rail operations, another is designing and building an interactive
version of our five-year plan, and another is helping the cybernetics
team transform our wireless communications infrastructure.
In fact, the initial round of internships have been so successful that
we have requests from across Technology for interns in other teams and
we will be expanding the next round of the program.
We’re also sponsoring several high school students to study for their
International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB)
certificates, which are internationally recognised by the technology and
software testing sectors. Two so far have passed their exams with flying
colours, with five others due to take their exams.
And in July last year, we began holding site visits at our Integrated
Remote Operations (IROC) and Technology Remote Operations Centres (TROC)
in Perth for younger students with ASD to give them early exposure to
high-profile and accessible roles within the technology and resources
sectors.
When children and young adults are first identified as being on the
spectrum, it’s common for them to feel anxious, often scared, that they
won’t have access to the same education, experience the same levels of
independence, or enjoy the same career opportunities as their peers
without a disability.
It’s not hard to see why.
Australia’s record of integrating people with a disability into the
workforce has been poor – ranking 21st out of 29 OECD countries2 – and
the participation rates for adults with ASD (aged 15-64) are as low as
42 per cent, compared to a rate of 83 per cent for those without a
disability3.
More than 164,000 Australians (about one in every 150) are
living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), representing a large,
talented, willing and able section of the workforce
More than 164,000 Australians
(about one in every 150) are living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD),
representing a large, talented, willing and able section of the
workforce – 83 per cent of whom are below the age of 254 – which
Australian businesses haven’t figured out how to tap in to.
Our collaboration with organisations and institutions within the autism
sector is essential for the expansion of our inclusion and diversity
program into areas of neurodiversity. This exposes us to diversity of
thought, skills, experience and perspective that must endure if we are
to become a successful digital organisation of the future.
Read Song Yi Loo’s story here, http://news.curtin.edu.au/stories/schoolboy-crushes-international-grad-level-exam/
1Autism in the Workplace http://bcec.edu.au/assets/bcec-autism-in-the-workplace-report.pdf
2OECD, Sickness, Disability and Work, Breaking the Barriers, page 51
3Australian Bureau of Statistics, Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, 2015
4Australian Bureau of Statistics, Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, 2015
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