Parent power

Comment

Publishing Date: 01 Jun 2009 5:13pm GMT
Author: Mining Environmental Management

Sustainability

It was great to hear this month that BHP Billiton is introducing standardised paid parental leave across its global operations.

The company is offering a minimum of 18 weeks paid parental leave and has opted for a system of equality and flexibility, offering the same benefits to both adoptive and birth parents.

BHPB recognises that it can increase its chances of attracting and retaining a skilled workforce by offering better benefits. The mining industry’s ageing workforce has long been identified as a critical issue.

Last year Paul Hébert, executive director of the Federated School of Mines, a new initiative to encourage students into mining, said that in Canada alone, 9,200 new employees need to be recruited in the next ten years, equivalent to 100% of the work force needing to be hired again.

Attracting the next generation of employees is paramount, and BHPB’s new parental policy should put it in a strong position to do just that.