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South32

4.2
  • #7 in Mining, oil and gas
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

South32 Reviews

Based on 17 surveyed graduates working at South32. Read on to get an insider’s view on life as a graduate.
4.2
Based on 17 reviews

Pros & Cons

  • Great graduate program from a process engineer perspective. Very well structured with objectives and development plans clearly laid out. Learning a lot very quickly and surrounded by a supportive team in the shift engineering crew where I feel comfortable asking questions and interacting with colleagues.
  • Respectful and professional environment with load of support available at every level.
  • You are given a lot of responsibility very early on in the grad program, which forces you to learn quickly and gives you a feeling of ownership over what you're doing. You definitely don’t feel like you are doing "useless" projects as a graduate.
  • South32 is a diverse workplace. Safety is their number one priority as described in break through #1 (Everyone goes home safe). They also offer flexible working hours.
  • The flexibility of the work schedule is great along with how friendly everyone is. People are open and honest and it’s easy to ask for help when needed.
  • Some work can be monotonous and sometimes it's hard to see what value you are adding to the job.
  • Work/Life balance can sometimes be sacrificed due to production needs.
  • The only thing I would say (not South32’s fault) is that the work clothing is not suited to female bodies which makes things difficult and uncomfortable. This seems to be a manufacturer fault.
  • I don't think there is a "worst thing" as such; however, a challenging aspect of the new position is the lifestyle adjustment that is required for any FIFO worker.
  • Living away from home (interstate).

What Insiders Say

8.2
Career Prospects
8.2
Career Prospects
Good initiative and hard work seems to allow people to move up the ranks.
8.1
Corporate Social Responsibility
8.1
Corporate Social Responsibility
I have seen South 32 to be sincere, focused on achieving long term goals based on sincerity, responsibility and ethics while managing resources for the associated and relevant markets. All the training received and the company's standard procedures I have read and applied to this date on surface and underground are the manifestation of their values Care (care about people, the communities we're a part of and the world we depend on.), Trust (deliver on our commitments and rely on each other to do the right thing.), Togetherness (value difference and we openly listen and share, knowing that together we are better.) & Excellence (We are courageous and challenge ourselves to be the best in what matters.).
8.1
Culture
8.1
Culture
Cooperative and supportive behaviour by all the staff on the ground and underground so far during work. Attended one office related after hours meet up and it was good. No complains or any reservations so far.
8.6
Diversity
8.6
Diversity
From my perspective, compared to previous organisations, South32 is focused on promoting diversity with respect to women, ethnic minorities and the LGBT community.
8.3
Satisfaction
8.3
Satisfaction
The work itself is extremely intellectually stimulating. As a chemical engineer, I can't recommend a more interesting place to work and if you can learn the process here, you'll be able to make it anywhere! Additionally, the shift engineer role deals with short-term production bottlenecks so you do get to experience being in the "thick of it" as you work to solve urgent problems.
8.0
Management
8.0
Management
Yes the management interaction is very good, weekly/fortnightly 1 on 1 meetings as well as frequent catchups throughout the week. Dedicated to ensuring graduates have all the resources they need to maximise their learning.
8.0
Office Work Environment
8.0
Office Work Environment
Site office so high-visibility clothing is the go to. Our uniforms are really comfortable though and we get a great assortment of jackets for the cold weather in winter. Site itself is about a 30-40 minute drive from Australind/Bunbury which isn't the best but if you carpool it is more than manageable. Office itself is quite nice - only thing missing is a cafeteria.
8.2
Recruitment
8.2
Recruitment
Interview was good, I felt that I was able to ask questions and that they asked the correct questions.
7.5
Salary
7.5
Salary
The companies shift allowance is very generous (~$25k additional annually) There is a good social club that runs sundowners, sports tickets, tipping competitions etc which I am apart of.
7.9
Training
7.9
Training
Training is good, they even offer it to graduates because a person that is trained is better than one that isn't.
7.9
Work Hours
7.9
Work Hours
12 hour shifts on a sportsman's roster. I work blocks of 4 or 5 days on, followed by 4 or 5 days off, aligning to get 2 weekends on and 2 off each month. I really enjoy the roster at the moment being young and having minimal commitments to family/people outside of work. Flexibility is great too, swapping shifts with colleagues is relatively easy.
8.3
Sustainability
8.3
Sustainability
South32 is one of the biggest emitters due to the coal used in the Powerhouse) but there are plans in place to change this (decarbonisation glidepath). For example, coal to gas conversions, new capital projects to reduce steam demand, etc. It’s a pretty exciting time to work at a refinery in general if you're interested in decarb since the action to reduce our footprint has really picked up.