Jade Singleton travelling in Russia.
If anyone had told my younger self that I would get the chance to work with an international mining project team in South America or to be Study Project Manager on a Russian project, I would not have believed them!
My career journey has been filled with fabulous opportunities, from technical roles to people-focused jobs, however I still feel like my story is only just beginning.
Alongside all the experiences, there have been many challenges I’ve had to overcome – both professionally and personally.
I will never forget a moment during my time in Russia when I visited a mine site, and they were doing multiple blasts in the mine on the one day.
Half of the blasts went off and then there was a misfire. I was the only female on the viewing platform at the edge of the large open pit, and the group of Russian men with me started speaking animatedly and loudly to one another.
My interpreter explained, once prompted, they were talking about how it was bad luck to have a female on a mine site! I was shocked but strangely fascinated. As the only female on the mine, this experience opened my eyes to some of the cultural differences the industry faces in countries all over the world.
In 2019, I successfully applied for the role of Cultural Change Lead at an operation in the Southwest of WA. I learnt a lot in this role, as I led the change for that entire operation in shifting the culture to a more positively engaged, diverse and trusting one.
This was a massive responsibility. I found the skills that allowed me to succeed in this role weren’t necessarily the ones I learnt in the classroom, but rather the skills I experienced through travelling, working and life skills picked up along the way.
Venturing to countries where English isn’t the first language, learning about different cultures and people, working in diverse groups and how to connect and understand someone, even if you don’t speak the same language, helped me succeed in this role.
One of the first projects we launched was The Inclusion Network, which involved a group of volunteers from all areas of the operation, who wanted to make our workplace more inclusive for all employees.
We brainstormed, voted on and implemented initiatives that could help shift the dial to encourage a more inclusive workplace.
Some of the initiatives we implemented included forming a site newsletter, communication boards, family day, keeping in touch days and listening forums.
We also implemented a program called Mythbusters. The initiative was developed to give employees from all corners of the organisation a chance to anonymously raise concerns, ask questions and share any myths or rumours they may have heard by writing them on paper and placing it in a physical locked box in various site locations.
When we reflected on how most communication was shared with the workforce through emails, we realised there was a huge disconnect as most of our employees didn’t have access to a computer and therefore email communications weren’t even reaching them.
The commitment from the leadership team was that all respectful queries would be answered, and myths busted in the form of a monthly newsletter that was printed and made available around site.
At the start it was challenging to get employees to take it seriously and we had some silly questions. However, the more we respectfully answered each one, the better the questions and concerns became as employees started to realise the leadership team was listening and keeping its promise of providing answers.
From there, it was about looking at the organisation in its entirety and identifying what areas were working well and could be replicated and how we could ensure there was a common thread and cohesiveness between all the different working groups.
At the end of the day, if we want diverse workplaces, it all starts with creating safe spaces for employees to speak up and at the same time educating ourselves as leaders to better understand other’s perspectives.
Here are my top tips for graduates navigating change and wanting to contribute to diverse and safe workplaces.
1. Be brave and open to new opportunities that align with your interests.
For me, I’ve always had an interest in different cultures so travelling to such a unique country while I was juggling motherhood and part-time work was scary and exciting. But I knew that if I didn’t step out of my comfort zone and take on these new challenges, I wouldn’t have developed the life experience and cross-cultural connections that allowed me to grow in my career and be a champion for diversity.
2. If you haven’t already, begin networking and collaborate to grow your circle.
Be curious and listen to those around you, be open and inclusive to what people share. The mining industry is cyclical and the challenges you may be facing now are often not new! Don’t take anything for granted, always take the time to upskill and learn from those around you.
3. Embrace change and pay it forward, inspire the next generation of future leaders.
Change is everywhere, it’s inevitable, but it’s how you deal with it that makes you stronger.
I believe the mining industry needs to improve how we inspire the next generation. There’s still this misconception out there that mining is a very masculine industry (which it is and we are improving), but there’s so much more to it than trucks and dirt. We need all sorts of people with various skillsets to come and work for the resources sector so that together we can solve the challenges society is facing and fill our future talent pipeline.
In fact, it’s an exciting time to get into resources. We are right on the verge of a real shift, a real change in thinking and in the way we do things. As we enter this new era and look for ways to move forward, we need a diversified set of brains behind those changes. With greater experience and learning comes even greater success.
Written by
Jade Singleton, Area Manager (Surface) at Mining Plus and Chair, Get Into Resources Inc.
Graduating from Curtin with a Bachelor of Mining Engineering (Hons) & Bachelor of Commerce, Management in 2001, Jade has since gone on to work for large resource companies doing FIFO, DIDO & office-based work. This diverse experience has also enabled her to do private consulting. She is also a WA Committee Member for the National Association for Women in Operations and is passionate about mentoring the next generation and helping graduates realise their true potential and achieve success.
