Although I was not able to physically travel abroad to Australia, CIBS and Professor Sanders did an amazing job at bringing Australia to Wehner! Going into this class, I thought the US and Australia were relatively similar in their cultures, but it became obvious very fast that I was mistaken. One of the biggest differences is how devoted to sustainability the Aussie nation is, both in their personal and corporate lives. They have the highest recycling rate in the world and are continuously implementing new strategies on how to preserve the habitat of their exquisitely native species as well as the homes of their native aboriginals. Businesses within Australia show the same incentive of protecting their nation by centering their actions around the relatively new Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report allowing them to not only be financially sustainable but socially as well.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic only enhanced Australia?s dedication to providing a safe haven for its citizens. Last March, Australia immediately went into a nationwide lockdown closing its borders to foreigners after seeing the outbreak in neighboring countries. While this allowed for them to have a death rate four times less than the average global rate, it has put a strain on their businesses and economy.
We were given the opportunity to get an inside look as to what this entailed during our Q&A with Civeo, an Australian mining company. In our discussion with Lesley, one of the HR managers, emphasis was put on how the lockdown has strained Australia?s workforce due to a lack of mobility. This was especially detrimental to Civeo as most of their employees travel all over the continent and world for their job. The shortage of staff led to an increase in mental health and wellness issues for the workers who could continue to fulfill their duties as they felt the pressure to maintain the company’s normal workload. However, Civeo has been quick to implement strategies that are helping to resolve this issue such as establishing A and B teams- something that might be sticking around permanently now.
In reflection on our activities and the interactions we had with Aussies via zoom, I think it can be easily said that the ordinary Aussie life in comparison to the US is a more stable and well-rounded one. Whether it?s because 80% of the population lives near the beach or everyone calls one another ?mate?, Aussies are by far some of the most relaxed, genuine, and down to earth people one may ever meet.
