Over... or beginning?

Hi guys...

It feels kinda weird blogging about finishing up my internship as so many of you are blogging about starting yours. I wish you all heaps of luck and good times - it is a great opportunity to learn about what things are like outside our lecture theatres.

I guess the biggest thing I got out of my internship was the overall experience.

My blogs have all pretty much said the same thing - it is what was happening around me and the opportunity to be a part of it that made my internship so worthwhile. I also wish I had attended the introductory session we had last week before going out into the workplace!

I was at Rio Tinto Iron Ore, based at their global head office in Perth. I was part of their summer vacation program. Placements were all over WA, mainly for engineers and occupational therapists (I was the only PR/Comms student). There were approximately 90 students from all over Australia, which was a great opportunity to make friends with students from interstate universities.

In the weeks leading up to my placement beginning, I was half expecting a call to say, "Due to the current economic situation, we are now unable to offer you this placement."

When I did get a call around this time, I was almost too scared to call back!!

It was about the economic situation – we all had to take compulsory leave over Christmas. Since we all still had our summer jobs, we didn't complain too loudly

And that sets the scene for my placement.

The week before I started, BHP Billiton gave up their aggressive take over of the company.

After a couple of weeks, London announced global retrenchments.

What does that mean? Change.

Change, change, change....

We all read about change management. I was in the middle of it, and I am impressed with how Rio Tinto dealt with it.

I guess it is worth clarifying - a lot of the changes were directives coming from Rio Tinto in London. I can't comment on their corporate decisions, but I was impressed at how the Communications and External Relations team in the Iron Ore global head office (Perth) dealt with the decisions that were being handed down.

It was an environment of budget cutting and job losses. It definitely wasn't the "fluffy stuff" the PR profession is often accused of partaking in. It was hard, sometimes sad, work.

(the whole HR team working on the summer placement program was made redundant – all of the students had been liaising with these women for months)

A lot of the projects I was assigned to got postponed or put on hold. This was frustrating for me, and the people I worked with, as they looked for things to keep me occupied for three months.

In the end, I did a lot of great things - I helped prepare speeches (including one delivered for a Curtin graduation ceremony!!), I have written and updated a large portion of their Community Investment website (check it out... http://www.ciwa.riotinto.com/), I met with community partners, started compiling data and writing annual reviews, I attended brainstorming sessions on how to paint a jet aeroplane (definitely not something I was expecting!!) and got involved with employee and external relations.

I attended the annual planning sessions, fortnightly safety meetings and the annual briefing from the global CFO of the company. My office was beside the global CEO's - which meant personal presentation (and desk cleanliness) was a priority.

The team was great. The resources were amazing - they have plans that relate to almost any possible crisis or issue. From a fatality to dust management, they have created draft media statements, key messages, communication plans for a wide range of worst case scenarios.

Although I feel like I missed my summer at the beach, the three months full time was really worth the effort. I learnt more about the company than I would have otherwise, and also got to development better relationships with the people I worked with. They got to know me, and I got to know them.

Being inside the company was the biggest highlight.

I hope the same goes for all of you starting out. Like someone said in our introductory session the other day - it is okay to fold letters into envelopes. Just make sure you’re taking in the surroundings while you're folding!!

I was told before I started my placement would not lead to direct employment offer. But I am now well placed for a graduate position if I want to go corporate when I finish my degree.

On the topic of career paths… quirky fact!

Did you know..?

From my deductions, most people currently working in the Communications and External Relations department at Rio Tinto Iron Ore come from a government/politics or consultancy background. Definitely something worth considering as we all contemplate "where to next...?"

This probably won't be the last blog from me... I am heading back to work in PR with a state government department over the next few weeks so I will share some comparisons, thoughts and observations with you then.

Good luck!

Amanda :)

The lazy (?) blogger

Hey bloggers,

Into the final stages of my placement, and I am surprised to see I haven’t blogged anywhere a much as I intended to!

I think there are a few reasons – I’ve been working long hours in front of a computer most days, so when I get home the last thing I want is to do it all over again. At uni I am on facebook a few times a day. Since starting my internship, I have been on maybe five times in total - and never during the week. Even my friends have noticed, which I think shows the lifestyle change!

I also haven't had too much to write about the work. I have learnt more about my writing style, and how systems work within large companies, but it is a quiet time of year, so there hasn't been a lot to write about.

Mostly, I have also gone to blog, or make comments on other people’s posts, and then stopped myself.

It sounds funny, but I am very hesitant to write about the company, because I am worried I might say something that is misinterpreted or confidential. And those thoughts have made blogging really challenging for me. I scrutinise everything I write at least ten times!!

Communications and External Relations is strategic communications. Especially in a time where the company is receiving so much media attention, I would rather say very little than say the wrong thing.

I guess, from that point of view, my time here is reinforcing the importance of professionalism and confidentiality.

Many people within the company see Communications and External Relations as the people who might know what is going on in times of uncertainty. We were warned to be careful of speaking in the lifts or in cafes around the building, because gossip can soon become gospel if it appears to be from a credible source.

While I am just a student, being the most inexperienced one here has made my fear of being the ignorant one to stuff up more real. I think it has really prevented me from sharing a lot in this forum. I am not lying when I say I have posted what I thought to be completely innocent material with the faint thought of “what if?” What if it ends up in The West? What if I thought what I said was innocent but unknowingly have said something I shouldn’t have?

It is irrational - I am only a student, and not that important, but I figured I would throw my thoughts into the blog to find out your thoughts. I guess it also touches on the issue of ethics within PR. How much information is public property, how much do you retain?

I find it really interesting how I have been feeling, and wondered if anyone else was in the same boat. I am quite happy to share my thoughts and experiences about my time here verbally with people I meet, but hesitate when it comes to a written record.

I guess in hindsight, I should have consulted more with my manager as to what I was posting – but she never brought it up, and she is so busy that has only just occurred to me as I typed this. Another solution would have been to not name the company in the first place… but one lesson I have definitely learnt from the company during my stay is retrospect doesn’t count for a lot in the real world!!

Let me know your thoughts!

Good luck to those beginning and finishing their placements as we head back to class.

:-)

Website = Problems

Hey bloggers!

I hope everyone is enjoying their placements and well done to those wrapping them up!

I have two weeks to go, and I am enjoying my final weeks and trying to get everything finished off.

One project in particular is taking a little longer than I had hoped - the website.

I have never had smooth sailing with websites.

From initial design to regular updates, the recurring theme for me has been patience. You need a lot of it.

The biggest lesson I have learnt is no matter what, be nice to the IT guy. I don’t know their language or their world, and even if I think they are lazy or not doing their job, I really have no choice but to trust them – they are the almighty gatekeeper to the brave world of cyber space.

The Community Investment team I am working with has an internet (.com) site and a mirroring intranet (.org) site that hasn’t been updated for a few months. My project was to update the stories that are waiting to be uploaded, and then write new articles for more recent events like the Great Bike Ride and Movember.

After the first day, I (somehow??) deleted the file off the CMS I had been working on and lost everything. Not the best way to impress colleagues in your first week…

After we got this fixed, the problems haven’t stopped.

I upload to the internet, the changes are visible. The next day the changes have been mirrored to the intranet, but have dropped off the internet. Every time we fix one problem, another one jumps up!

The good news is the intranet is looking fantastic.

The bad news is even the IT guys are scratching their heads.

Today we found out the guy we have been working with internally has been retrenched – I am not sure whether to sigh in despair or relief. Either the process starts over, or the fresh start could be the quick fix we need???

So, the first project I wanted to get done quickly has become the on going project that plagues my work days!!

But, what it has taught me is these problems are not specific to smaller business or not-for-profit organisations. No matter where you are working, or how big the budget, IT issues happen everywhere.

I would love to hear about any IT issues at other placements?

Take care!

Amanda

Extraordinary times

Hello fellow bloggers…

The summer break is almost over, and I still am not sure where the time has gone?
I started my three month placement in December, and it is hard to believe there are only a few weeks left.

My placement is with Rio Tinto Iron Ore, in the Communications and External Relations Department, working primarily with the Community Investment team.

The work is fairly standard, but it is the current business environment that is making my placement a once in a life time work experience opportunity.

There have been more “D” days in my time at Rio Tinto than I think most people would have (or want!!) in their entire careers.

The first was December 10, when the global head office announced there would be 14,000 job cuts world wide. With the global operations for Iron Ore in Perth, the local threat was immediately felt.

I think our department was a text book example of how you deal with the nasty business of retrenchments.

A team meeting was held within an hour of the global announcement to ensure employees understood what it meant for them, and we were given any information that was available. Job cuts would be made after Christmas, and people were encouraged to think, but not worry, about the situation over the Christmas break.

On going meetings ensured the team was briefed. While Community Investment focussed on cost cutting – which will be another blog – Media Relations went into over drive.

Gervase Greene, the Rio Tinto Iron Ore Manager for Media and Communications, was on the phone non stop following the announcement. And after every “D” Day, his phone cord would tie him to his desk for another day. He is fantastic at his job.

When we returned from the Christmas break, there were rumours about when the retrenchments would start. They started about two weeks in (“D” Day #2), and lasted for two weeks.

January 15 was the biggest announcement, especially in terms of media coverage. The under ground operations at Argyle Diamonds, a Rio Tinto business unit, were stopped indefinitely and hundreds of contractors and employees lost their jobs.

I was at the airport, with the television film crews (7 and 10) when a number of the redundant workers flew into Perth. It was interesting to see the employees react to the film crew. Some avoided them, some wanted to make their voice and story heard. The TV crew sought out workers that were carrying their children to get a more emotive shot. Most workers understood why the retrenchments had occurred, and although they were not happy with losing their jobs, accepted that the boom and bust cycle was just another part of the mining industry.

That night the shots were on most of the local television stations, and we got a lot of media in the following days.

I think it is interesting to note that as a team, we felt we weathered the media storm very well. While we had big presence, it was a fair coverage of the situation. Negative by the subject
nature, but fair in the way the company was positioned.

A former employee who was interviewed on 720 the following day shared the sentiment that while he was in a bad position, it is part and parcel of working in the industry. We have also been approached by radio stations to do a feature on the positive things we are still working on in the affected mining towns, offering a positive slant on the company despite the situation.

However, a week later BHP Billiton retrenched hundreds of workers, particularly in Nickel operations at Hopetoun and Mount Keith (where my father works). In the lead up to this announcement, BHP Billiton played down the possible retrenchments, saying it was unnecessary because they did not have Rio Tinto’s high level of debt.

Employees at Mount Keith were not supposed to, and did not, have any idea of the scale of retrenchments that were planned. As a result, when the axe did fall, BHP Billiton was given a very hard time by the press, and the employee sentiment did not reflect the same understanding as Rio Tinto’s. They were berated in the media, both state and national, for days. Issues surrounding the Hopetoun operations continue.

What did I learn?

Be open and honest with all stakeholders, including the media, but importantly employees. An expected and well managed issue will be received far better than one that is unexpected. (i.e. Rio Tinto retrenchments vs. BHP Billiton)

Employee relations are paramount – if employees wanted to get in front of the Channel 7 camera to complain about the company, the media could turn it into a frenzy. If an employee can stand there and say the situation is terrible, but the company did its best, the media will report it on the first night, and look for another story the next day.

At Ravensthorpe for example, there was out cry from a range of stakeholders (state, local and national government, media, community, etc.) about the situation. A week later BHP Billiton announced some compensation would be available. Stakeholders are grateful but still want more. Had BHP Billiton announced these compensation packages with the original announcement of closure, this would have positioned their company as far more compassionate and community aware, and I believe they would have been better presented in the media.

On a personal note, one of our team members was retrenched. She left this week, and was one of the younger team members who had only been here a few months. While the first round of job cuts is over, there is a strong feeling there is more to come in February or March. No one feels “safe”, but the shared feeling is the best way to safe guard yourself is to keep working hard.

That’s all for now, will post again soon!

Amanda