Jakarta, MINE – The Indonesian mining industry is entering an important chapter in its history. Downstreaming, digitalization of the mining process, demands for sustainability, and governance arrangements, which ultimately require accelerated changes in the structure of work in the field and at the operations center. But in this dynamic, one thing is increasingly clear: the success of a transformation is determined not only by technology and capital, but by the experience of the people working on it.
The character of the mining sector is relatively unique. Much work is done far from the center of family life. Long rotation systems, work safety pressures, remote work environments and high-risk technical processes make employee physical and emotional well-being a strategic aspect. On the other hand, the new generation of talent brings different expectations, placing life balance, personal growth and a sense of meaning as part of work values.
This situation is giving rise to a paradigm shift: the company–employee relationship is now evolving from a mere “employment contract” to a “lifestyle contract,” where workers not only want a stable income, but also a space to live, grow, connect, and contribute.
For this reason, mining companies need to reorganize their HR management strategy to be more empathetic, sustainable and in line with operational realities.
Flexibility in the Mining Industry: Not Location, But the Rhythm of Life
When the issue of flexibility is widely interpreted as work from home in other sectors, the mining industry requires a different definition. Mining operations and smelters still requires physical presence and strict safety standards. So flexibility in the mining sector is not about where to work, but how the work is carried out so that it is in line with the rhythm of workers’ lives.
Flexibility can be realized through more humane work arrangements, targeted welfare support, as well as space for workers to continue to build social relationships and identities in the work environment. The implementation will be different at each site, but the essence is to adapt the design of the work experience to the real needs of employees, not just the organizational structure.
An approach like this not only increases retention, but also strengthens the mining industry’s transformation readiness, because organization the healthy one is organization who are able to adapt.
Designing an Employee Experience Based on Empathy and Added Value
To create a consistent and impactful employee experience, mining companies need to adopt a human-centered design approach (human-centered design). This approach views the employee’s work journey as customer journeywith key experience points that must be designed in a structured manner.
This experience design process generally includes three strategic steps:
- Listen and Empathize
Understand employee needs, concerns, aspirations and identities by group and operating context. For example, local workers, rotational workers, professional talents, as well as young, new graduates. - Creating Relevant and Contextual Solutions
Including a clear career development path, mentorship tiered, strengthening supervisor-as-coachto facilities community-building in the environment site. - Enabling and Measuring Continuously
Employee experience should be monitored, tested and improved continuously, not a one-shot program.
With this approach, the transformation of the mining industry will not only provide added economic value, but also result in human and social growth that is more evenly distributed in the mining area.
As a global consultant focused on people strategy, mining industry sustainable. The approach used is based on design thinking (design thinking), employee engagement data, work journey mapping, and culture design organization that supports performance and well-being.
Through a human-centered approach, Mercer helps organization reimagining the work experience to align with industry ambitions, business needs and employee aspirations, making mining not only a strategic sector for the national economy, but also a viable place to grow and contribute.
Source: www.tambang.co.id
