GMS: Sense of purpose a key solution to industry doldrums, says Hemingway

Educational data from the last several years reveals that young people in Canada are choosing careers other than mining. Forecasts from the industry show that demand for mining-related labour will only increase this decade. It all makes for an industry-wide dilemma and raises questions of how Canada can reach its potential, especially as the “EV revolution” gathers momentum.

George Hemingway, managing partner and Innovation Practice lead at Stratalis Group joined The Northern Miner’s Q3 Global Mining Symposium on Sept. 28 to discuss job trends in mining, cultivating a sense of purpose in employees  and diversity and inclusion.

Finding purpose

The issue of sectors lacking sufficient workforces isn’t unique to mining. Hemingway stated that in his research more broadly, 40% of the workforce was “looking to leave” their jobs in 2023, another quarter plan to leave in the next five years and others would completely change their industry.

But he noted that even though companies might be making more money than before, labour issues can’t be solved only with money.

“I think that people need a reason to wake up in the morning, they need a reason to work, they need a reason that is more than a paycheque,” Hemingway said. “They need to know not just what they do, but they need to understand why they do what they do. The truth is that a lot of folks, given the choice in the work that they have today are relatively discontent.”

The challenge of disinterest or labour shortages will continue in various sectors – including mining – until the industries can effectively communicate the value of the work and connect that with the needs of younger generations, Hemingway explained.

Growing need for collaboration

But he offered another way of looking at data showing declining interest in mining careers, and suggested that a narrow focus on specific occupations misses the bigger picture.

Miners seeking to be on the cutting edge of technology might be recruiting tech wizards, but Hemingway questions if more isn’t needed to tackle problems in a collaborative way.

“I think that what’s going to happen is we’re actually going to need less of the people that we think we need in the jobs that we think we need them in. The real challenge…will be even if you have the right people, even if you have the right technology, are you actually going to be able to transform with those people?”

As an example, he cited tailings management, a complicated process that requires examining the mining process, downstream activities, closure and long-term assets.

“The kind of collaborative mindset that’s needed isn’t necessarily the kind of collaborative mindset we’ve hired for,” he said. “We hire people not to be Renaissance thinkers, but to be experts at what they do. It’s that white collar collaborative thinking and that mindset of hiring people with that mold, that is going to become one of the challenges as well.”

Changing narratives on the environment

Despite some efforts by miners to address public concerns that the industry wrecks the environment, Hemingway said they don’t do enough to “move the needle” and help people trust the industry.

It just doesn’t help align its purpose enough with the values of the public.

“I think that the way that the public perception can be changed for the mining industry, is by taking the focus — ironically — off of mining,” he said.

He gave the example of an energy analyst working for a mining company in greenhouse gas reductions monitoring.

“[If] you ask them, what’s the good they do for society? Why did they do it? Well, someone that is reducing GHGs is protecting the planet. [Or] someone who is working in tailings isn’t just monitoring for static liquefaction or piezometers. They are protecting communities. I don’t think we do a good job at all of helping people bring that message out.”

Diversity of thought

Before the discussion closed, Hemingway turned to the issue of diversity and inclusion, and asked whether mining companies really want to deliver on that.

“Do you really? And why? So, if the answer is, ‘well, because everybody says so. And that’s what the world looks like. And if we don’t do it, we’re going to get in trouble.’ It’s a bit of a challenge, because you don’t actually understand the value of diversity, you don’t actually understand the value of different thinking.”

Hemingway said that diversity initiatives should focus also on diversity-of-thought.

“First having that understanding that people with diverse thoughts, different thinking, different points of view, can actually add value to how you work, and how you improve, and the kind of company you are and actually codifying what the heck that actually means. And bringing that to life is something that most companies don’t do.

“You’ve got to be able to attract that more diverse group that is coming up through the ranks by giving them a reason why your industry is an industry that appeals to them deeply. And then…you have to make it safe to be diverse.”