2007 Responsibility Report - English (PDF) - Barrick Gold Corporation

WORK-LIFE BALANCETo retain high-quality employees in today’s competitive labormarket, Barrick works to assist employees in balancing thedemands of their work environment with those of theirpersonal lives. For example, the South American region hasimplemented changes to shift starts at our operations so theycoincide better with the circadian rhythm of our employees.Work-life balance tends to be an issue for many employees atthe Australian region’s fly-in, fly-out operations. So, in 2007,management introduced new shift rosters at the fly-in, fly-outsites in Western Australia to enable employees to spend moretime at home.Human RightsBarrick is committed to observe the fundamental tenets ofhuman rights. This commitment is imbedded in our corporateculture and led us to become a signatory to the UN GlobalCompact in 2005. We are committed to equal opportunity andfreedom from discrimination for all our employees and contractors,to the rights of our employees to freedom of associationand collective bargaining and to providing a workplace whereall individuals are treated with dignity and respect. Pleasesee our website for statistical information on employees andhuman rights at our operations.A diverse workforce encourages creativity and innovation. Wedraw our workforce from many countries around the world,including each country where we operate, with the result thatour workforce is extremely diverse in terms of national andethnic backgrounds. Our focus is to hire locally wheneverpossible, and to develop the skills of our local employees. In2007, the number of expatriates at our operations variedregionally, but globally they represented less than two percentof our employees.The workforce in the mining industry is predominantly male,and many women see this as a barrier to gaining employmentin the industry. At Barrick, our focus is to employ the bestperson for the job; to choose people on merit. Our challenge isto ensure that we are welcoming to women, so that we canemploy the best among a wide candidate base. In 2007 forexample, to respond to this challenge, the Australia Pacificregion held their first Women in Barrick Forum to identify waysto encourage women to seek employment with the Company.Finding Good Employees Means LookingOutside the BoxAustralia is in the midst of a skilled labor shortage whichmeans that Barrick needs to look at non-traditional methodsto identify and attract candidates for professional andtechnical positions at our Australian operations. Onenew approach is the region’s Employee Referral Programadapted from Barrick’s corporate program. This programencourages current employees to identify and refercandidates for vacant positions. A financial incentive forsuccessful referrals rewards employees for their efforts.Our current employees are important ambassadors forthe Company and can often promote our business moreeffectively than an external recruitment agency.Talent Management & Global SuccessionPlanningThe Company has a robust talent management process inplace in all of its Regions. It is an annual process that facilitatesthe assessment and development of our employees.It also helps to identify a high-performing, mobile groupthat we use to build our Global Succession Plan. In orderto prepare the Company for the future, we pair successioncandidates with opportunities that ready them for identifiedsuccession roles. Although some of these developmentopportunities are training based, most are “stretch roles”and often involve special projects. This program offersan accelerated career path for ambitious and mobileemployees while building leadership depth, cultural diversityand offering fresh leadership thinking to our differentregions and sites.Barrick Responsibility Report 2007 23