Women make up around half of the workforce throughout Canada (Statistics Canada), but female representation at Hudbay is only 16% (a percentage that is consistent across the mining industry). Mining careers, especially those at the operating sites, are often not actively pursued by women, and Hudbay has long recognized the challenges of attracting and retaining top female talent.
Although the Company has initiatives in place to address this challenge and increase female representation throughout the business, two female employees in our Manitoba Business Unit aimed to accelerate these efforts by launching the Hudbay Women’s Network (HBWN) in 2018.
Landice Yestrau, an environmental scientist, and another female colleague began discussing in 2017 how to address the systemic barriers women face when pursuing a career in mining. In their free time, they conducted a study and submitted a proposal to company leaders to increase networking opportunities for women through the formation of the HBWN.
“Our expectations were low when we submitted our proposal, so it was a bit surprising when management was genuinely very supportive,” said Yestrau. “We thought we would face more hurdles than we did. Both the leadership in the business unit and the corporate office consistently support us and make sure we have the resources we need to distribute information, gather statistics and provide resources. It was really great and still continues to be so.”
Today, the HBWN provides a forum for women to share insights and experiences, participate in educational and career development events, and support both each other and opportunities for women at all levels at Hudbay. Since the launch of the HBWN in April 2018, its membership has grown from 10 to 100. The HBWN held several events during the year, including a speaker series called “Learning the Business”, and it hosted a public event to promote the empowerment of women in the industry. The group is also starting a larger conversation on workforce matters that are of particular interest to women, such as flex hours and other small changes to the workplace environment that better support women.