Valuable experience and manager support, but significant cultural and leadership issues remain.The good thingsSupport, coaching, and mentorship from my direct HSEQ Manager were genuine and highly valuable.
Some field staff were engaged, supportive, and committed to doing the right thing.
The challengesDespite being a small organisation (≈35 employees across WP, WED, WIS), there was a disconnect between operational risk and the actions of Senior Leadership and Executive Management.
Reporting lines and governance were ineffective; executive decisions were made without consulting direct line managers, and effort or performance had little influence if personal alignment with SLT was lacking.
High staff turnover, low morale, and limited psychological safety were common. HSEQ risks and concerns were often minimised, delayed, or deprioritised, with little acknowledgement, empathy, or accountability from SLT and Executive Management.
There was no flexibility regarding work arrangements: no working from home or remotely, forced Christmas shutdowns, and no ability to purchase additional leave, accrue negative leave, or otherwise manage leave to cover the shutdown.