Empowering Women: Sodexo’s Safety Measures for Remote Workforce Lodging
There is no denying that some of the world’s most male-dominated workplaces are the energy and mining industries. In Canada, women make up only 19% of the labour workforce in mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction[1]. Since many of these workplaces are in remote locations, these women face a variety of challenges, including higher stress levels, maladapted lodging accommodations and pervasive harassment.
For most workers on site, remote camps — sometimes known as lodges — are a home away from home. The size of the site varies from one project to another, with some major camps accommodating up to 4,500 workers and hospitality and services staff. With guests staying weeks or even months at a time, there can be a true sense of community.
Yet, less than a decade ago, most remote workforce lodgings were still called “man-camps” and at the time, most women on site worked in the lodges as housekeepers and front desk agents. Lodges were built around simplicity, most times forgoing any safety concerns for women on the site — shared bathrooms, poorly lit passageways, faulty locks and an obvious lack of support services to report safety concerns and harassment.
44% of women can find it hard to adapt to the culture of mining, twice as hard as men do (23%)[2].
On remote sites, personal safety is at the front of women’s minds. There is a perception that women are victims of harassment and gender-based violence. It is not just a perception.
In camps with a culture of silence and toxic behaviour, harassment can be a regular occurrence. Since support services for ensuring personal safety are not readily available, the lack of assistance can result in a lack of reporting. Where to go and whom to report to may not always be clear. Due to the remoteness of some of these sites, mental ill-health is common, and the lack of support services can exacerbate minor issues.
In organizational climates in which silence is the norm, men are 50% less likely to be committed to interrupting sexist behaviour at work[3].
In Canada, most remote camps are on Indigenous lands. This history of bad behaviour has had real consequences on communities, with violent crime statistics higher than in metropolitan centres.
Despite alcohol prohibition at many lodges, workers would venture into nearby towns for drinks and fun. With no personal stake in the community, disruptive behaviours like fights and property damage became commonplace. Complaints rarely led to police action. These workers contributed significantly to the local economy, making locals hesitant to jeopardize the cash flow. Unfortunately, assaults on community women occurred far from the mainstream population, and reporting was ineffective.
For improvements to happen, they need to occur institutionally. At Sodexo Canada, we consistently collaborate with our clients, local communities, guests and on-site team to identify improvements.
We are committed to achieving a world-class health and safety culture, and we believe everyone has a role to play to minimize risk to people and property. As we ensure the safety of our workers, we aspire to provide comfort and care in a safe environment for guests at the lodges we operate.
Feeling safe while working away from home is essential to Sodexo’s quality of life culture. We recognize that it is difficult to be away from family and friends while working and we provide opportunities to participate in activities that may improve guests' well-being.
Leanne LeBlanc, Senior Sodexo Energy and Resources Health, Safety and Environment Manager, says:
I can recall my first experience staying overnight at a remote worksite. Saying it was uncomfortable is minimalizing it. How you felt and your entire thought process would be almost on a survivalist kind of level.
You were tired, you were stressed, you were worried. It was hard being so far away from home, and not having cellular service to make a quick phone call in the evening to your husband.
I would think that most women in camps would have one of those stories about how uncomfortable and unsafe they felt. How they felt marginalized.
Now, it is quite different from what it felt like back then. The units are so much larger and open. I'm happy to be part of a process to correct things, like working with the team in British Columbia and seeing the changes we made to improve personal safety and not just for women, but for marginalized groups, for new Canadians, for our LGBTQ2S+ groups.
If someone feels unsafe, we want to do something to help them become more comfortable and be able to just concentrate on their work.
We have a dedicated team building from their decades of experience putting together concrete actions specifically to improve safety for women, starting with large camps in Kitimat, British Columbia, Northern Ontario and Northern Manitoba.
These actions include:
We firmly believe that everyone should feel safe in the workplace, without exception. Therefore, on May 5, 2024, we launched on one of our sites a Gender-Based Violence pilot program to coincide with the commemoration of Missing and Murdered Women and Girls (MMIWG), also known as Red Dress Day. Our initiative focuses on education and awareness, as well as a comprehensive action plan aimed at ending Gender-Based Violence and reducing critical incidents. The program has been successful so far, and our client plans to expand this initiative to include all contractors on-site.
We are committed to supporting employees, enhancing employer responsiveness, and creating a safe workplace, upholding our standards and values. Through education, awareness and partnerships with all stakeholders, we build a culture of prevention with zero tolerance for unwanted behaviours, limiting the number of occurrences.
By working in a collaborative spirit with the clients, Indigenous communities and partners, team members and guests on assessing known risks on site, the team works on finding solutions and corrections needed on site to improve personal safety for everyone.
Employers now know that employees who feel cared for, comfortable and safe are more productive, likely to stay for longer and perform more safely on the job. Genuine hospitality in camp provides value to all.
Ask us how we can improve your camp operations with our culture of safety.
[1] "Women in male-dominated industries and occupations (quick take)" from Catalyst.
[2] "Why women are leaving the mining industry and what mining companies can do about it" from McKinsey & Co.
[3] "Interrupting sexism at work: How men respond in a climate of silence" from Catalyst.