Flexible working a game changer

Over the years David Ruddell, BHP's Vice President for Planning and Technical in Minerals Australia, has seen how BHP's approach to flexible working has changed and experienced the positive impact it’s had on our Company culture.

“If I go back in time, not that long ago, there was a feeling of needing to be present and be visible in the workplace. It is very different now – culturally, we have a deep level of trust. The focus is on getting the work done, wherever you are. It’s not about keeping up appearances,” said David.

In last year’s internal employee survey, over 60% of David’s Planning & Technical team felt they worked flexibly compared to the BHP average of 45%.

“Flexible working means a lot of different things for different people – it might mean job sharing, working part-time, returning from parental leave, different start and finish times or simply working from home now and then.

“It also not just for parents with children. We all have commitments outside of work, we might have aging parents that need our support, external interests we are keen to pursue or we might work better at different times than others,” said David.

In my team, there are a range of flexible working arrangements in place – some are formal, others informal and some ad-hoc. Importantly, it’s about supporting team members to work flexibly, balancing the individual need with the business requirements.

“For me and my team, the real benefit is a total cultural change with everyone being more trusted, respected, more productive and, most importantly, more engaged. This is absolutely reflective of an inclusive and diverse workplace, somewhere that everyone enjoys coming to work. It is simply fantastic and great to see the impact flexible work is having on the culture at BHP.”

This article was originally published by BHP.