WA’s resources companies will need to take ‘genuine action’ against perpetrators, Employii founder says

WA’s mining giants will need to crack down on perpetrators of sexual harassment if the sector is to see any meaningful change, a Perth human resources professional has said.

Ella Burke, who founded HR advice platform Employii in 2021, said it was crucial for resources companies to move beyond box-ticking training programs and focus on taking “genuine action”.

“It will be really interesting to see the changes that happen over the next 6-12 months and how the big mining companies respond to it,” she said.

Her comments come after an explosive parliamentary inquiry into sexual assault and harassment in the State’s resources sector recommended an industry-wide register of offenders to protect FIFO women.

Ms Burke said with ongoing skills shortages negatively impacting the resources sector, there was a chance that companies would let perpetrators off the hook.

“For example, if someone is in a position where they’re the only person in the State that does that role, what is the company going to do if that person is the problem?” she said.

“Are they going to just shift the person who spoke up or will they actually address the problem with the perpetrator?”

Ms Burke said it was vital that mining companies focused on creating a culture where bystanders were encouraged to speak up about sexual harassment.

“Companies have a responsibility to reinforce that through their messaging and by doing things that actually get people to understand the issue,” she said.

Ms Burke said she was motivated to start her business, Employii, after a friend was sexually harassed by a senior director when she was a university student.

“She came to me at breaking point. She didn’t know where to go ... she said she was just a graduate and would be fired if she complained,” the 27-year-old said.

“The more I spoke to people, especially university students and graduates, the more I realised everyone had a HR story … most were about sexual harassment and underpayments.”

Employii assists both employees and employers with HR queries, along with offering a range of career services.

The business works with several WA universities including Curtin, The University of Western Australia, and Murdoch.

“We put together programs to educate students, so they know which behaviours are not appropriate. We want them to have the confidence and skills to spot red flags and know where to go for help,” she said.

Ms Burke said she regularly uploads videos on social media with HR tips and tricks for young people, who cannot afford to engage the services of professionals.

She said a recent video she had posted about last month’s landmark FIFO inquiry had been met with a number of vulgar comments.

“In one video, I referenced a statistic from the inquiry that 74 per cent of women in FIFO have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace,” Ms Burke said.

“There were some horrible comments saying the statistic wasn’t true and putting the blame on the women ... it showed how real the problem is.”

Ms Burke said it was evident from the comments that there was a lack of understanding about the differences between sexual harassment and sexual assault.

“It reminds us that we’re definitely not there yet ... it’s concerning. Inaction is not good enough anymore,” she said.

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