From daily donations of hot food each day to Martu Patrol, to creating a culturally safe workspace, Compass Group and its subsidiary ESS has been putting its commitment as a signatory of the Cultural Compact first in its work in Newman.
You may be familiar with ESS as the company behind Kalgan’s Rest Village, Whaleback Village and a number of other food and support operations across the Pilbara, but did you know how much they give back to the local community?
A vital supporter of Martu Patrol, ESS provides hot, nutritious food to the community service, to ensure street-present young people have access to a good meal, every night of the week.
The organisation is a proud signatory of the This is Our Dream Cultural Compact, which aims to bring individuals and businesses together to start doing business in a new way to the benefit of all.
Compass Group National Manager of Social Inclusion, Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion Erin English said the Cultural Compact has helped the organisation position itself to meet its cultural goals.
“Cultural awareness and education are a huge piece the company recognises,” she said.
“We have ingrained cultural awareness into our induction process so that all new team members going into any site in Newman understand the history behind the Newman town area and what the Cultural Compact actually means.”
As signatories of the Cultural Compact, Compass Group has also made efforts to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees feel supported at work by creating an environment that is supportive of culture.
The company also provides education on Acknowledgement of Country, while regularly inviting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to talk to staff and provide cultural training.
“It is really important for Compass Group to be able to formally commit to something like the Cultural Compact, which has such a positive impact in the community,” Erin said.
“We have a longstanding relationship with the mining sector in Newman town and the surrounding area, so it is important that we commit to the Cultural Compact long term, all the way from our executive leadership team, who signed the Cultural Compact, to staff on the ground.
“We’re making an effort to ensure that direction permeates throughout the business so that everyone understands how significant the area we are working on is and that they understand the history of it and how privileged we are to work here.”
Erin said the organisation is continuously looking at how it can implement new ways of learning and understanding.
“There are lots of opportunities to explore, and more connections and conversations we can have in exploring different needs in the area that we maybe haven’t realised,” she said.
“I’m excited to have that long-term commitment to the Newman town area, as we’re going to be there for quite some time.”
To find out how you can commit to creating a better future for all, head to culturalcompact.com.au
