People and culture

Focus areas for inclusion

First Nations participation

In 2023, the overall representation of First Nations Australians in the Woodside workforce increased to 5.7% compared to the 2022 figure of 5.4%. First Nations Australian representation in leadership roles decreased to 0.7% in 2023 from 0.9% in 2022. Representation in mid-career and senior roles rose from 0.7% to 0.8%.

There have also been strong hiring indicators with 6.3% of new experienced hires identifying as First Nations Australians, compared to a target of 2%. Our tertiary pathway programs have achieved 17% of the new graduate cohort and 15% of the 2023-2024 Summer Vacation Program participants identifying as First Nations Australians. We have seen 57% of our new externally hired apprentices and trainees identifying as First Nations Australians, and 35% of those converting from apprenticeship or traineeship to Woodside employment also identify as First Nations Australians.

In 2023, we introduced an Indigenous Capability Strategy Advisor role that focuses on strategies to help progress Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent. We saw an increase in Our Voice engagement survey results including the sense of belonging score for Indigenous Australians being the highest it has ever been.

We have for the second year, had two of our employees graduate from the Australian Graduate School of Management Indigenous Executive Leaders Program. Three people completed the Certificate IV Aboriginal Leadership and Mentoring Program, we have now had seven people complete this training program between 2021-2023.

In 2023, we re-energised our approach to Indigenous Australian cultural learning to elevate our performance, including making it a mandatory learning for Australian based employees. During the year, 91.3% of Australian based employees completed training in 2023. We are committed to uplifting the capability of our people leaders as key agents of change. The Indigenous Cultural Learning for Leaders program is a progressive learning journey beginning with a powerful two-day immersion. The program is led by the Indigenous Consulting Group and aims to measurably uplift the skills, knowledge and capability of our leaders to lead culturally safe and inclusive teams particularly with respect to Indigenous employees. Over 350 of our leaders have completed the first stage of the program, with the company aiming for all Australian based people leaders completing this program by 2025.

In 2022, Woodside increased its investment in the Jawun Program by joining the Catalyse tier. This includes annual targets to send employees and executives on immersions to First Nations regional organisations and communities across Australia to share skills and knowledge, support capacity development and build relationships. During 2023, seven Woodside employees participated in six week long on-country secondments and nine Woodside Executives travelled on mini-immersions to the Kimberley, South Australia and Western Sydney. In 2024 we will also participate in the Indigenous Leader in Residence program, welcoming an Indigenous leader from a community based organisation to Woodside for a week of shadowing the cadence of some of our Executives.

Race and ethnicity

In June 2022, Woodside’s Inclusion and Diversity Policy and Strategy was updated to include a focus on race and ethnicity.

The policy states that we are committed to “improving the diversity mix of our workforce to reflect the communities in which we operate. We recognise the different social and legislative frameworks in our different global locations and apply our inclusion and diversity and people management practices in accordance with this. Woodside is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and ensuring people management practices prevent or stop any form of discrimination.”

The racial equity component of our inclusion and diversity commitments is aimed at ensuring we continue to work towards equal access to opportunities across our organisation given the historical barriers in our communities and as Woodside does not currently have proportional racial and ethnic representation at all levels of our organisation.

During 2023, we established a global model of anti-racism and cultural respect. This model guides our approach to driving equity in our workplace and to reducing professional and career barriers for individuals who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour (BIPOC) in communities in which we operate.

In 2023, Woodside launched an equity-based sponsorship program aimed at enabling more fair and equitable access to opportunities for our people. This program is currently being rolled out for United States employees who are people of colour, and we will explore ways in which we can roll this out more widely to other locations in future years.

During 2022-2023, workshops on subtle racism have been run in Australia. They are aimed at unpacking the more ambiguous, indirect, and innuendo-fuelled characteristics of subtle racism. The workshops included challenging peoples’ stereotypes and biases, as well as turning the lens on institutional systems and processes which may be a contributing factor. During 2023, 124 people participated in the workshops.

Following a racial maturity assessment, Woodside began engaging with potential partners to assess delivery of racial equity training to our United States based leaders and Australian based leaders with direct reports based in the United States. Such training is expected to equip our leaders to proactively work against racism and build racial equity through our routines, policies and people processes. During 2023, a vendor was selected to implement the training and a pilot training session was held.

In addition to the above, our Employee Impact Groups held a number of events to better inform our workforce on systemic racism in our communities and to upskill our people on racial equity and effective methods to identify and eliminate racism wherever it occurs.

The United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (known as Harmony Day in Australia), held on 21 March annually, was recognised in the Woodside calendar with activities and education to raise awareness occurring across the globe.

In our Houston office, EmBRace held events throughout the year. Some of these were a month-long celebration of Black History Month with learning opportunities, recognition of Juneteenth with a service activity at Emancipation Park Conservancy in Houston, and Hispanic Heritage Month events that included events focused on cultural celebration, challenging biases, and community volunteering.

Enabling all abilities

During 2023, improvements were made to our recruitment process and a Workplace Adjustment Guide was introduced to better support employees and line leaders to effectively implement appropriate adjustments to enable people to be successful in the workplace.

Our ADAPT Employee Impact Group worked to support inclusion through recognising Neurodiversity Awareness Week and the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. These events included raising awareness via values moments and stories and running sessions to share information about accessibility and supports.

With Navigator now entering its fourth year we have been able to understand observable and tangible examples of improved performance with a sustained and positive momentum. Our employees and their leaders have reported:

• Improved self confidence, self efficacy and authenticity.
• Improved interpersonal skills such as listening, questioning and a willingness to provide constructive feedback and challenge.
• Improved professional and personal relationships.
• Conscious application of a growth mindset in their approach to work, which is positively impacting their willingness to embrace new responsibilities, opportunities, and discretionary effort.

The tools and skills our people now have are having a positive impact on our employee experience and resulting cultural environment.

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