Culture by design: workplace culture and accountability workshop for high-risk industries in Western Australia

Harmful workplace behaviour doesn't appear from nowhere. It is built - slowly and often invisibly - by the attitudes that go unchallenged, the jokes that get laughed off, the incidents that get managed quietly, and the leaders who look the other way. By the time serious harm occurs, the culture has been permitting it for years.

This workshop helps organisations understand how that happens - and what it actually takes to stop it.

  • ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP

    Culture by Design: Understanding What Shapes Behaviour is a half-day workshop that uses the culture pyramid framework to show how harmful workplace behaviour develops, why bystanders stay silent, and what it takes to build a culture of genuine accountability.

    The first half of the session focuses on understanding: how gender norms, power structures, and everyday attitudes create the conditions for harm, particularly in male-dominated and FIFO environments. The second half focuses on action: building the practical skills and confidence to call in problematic behaviour in a way that is constructive, effective, and culturally sustainable.

    This is the workshop for organisations that are tired of awareness campaigns that don't change anything.

  • WHAT THIS WORKSHOP COVERS

    → The culture pyramid: how everyday attitudes enable serious harm over time

    → Gender norms, power structures, and how they shape behaviour in male-dominated industries

    → Why bystanders don't act - and what actually removes those barriers

    → Calling in vs calling out: understanding the difference and when to use each

    → Practical skills to address problematic behaviour early, directly, and constructively

    → How to have difficult conversations that actually change things

    → Building a culture where accountability is normal, not an act of bravery

    → What leaders can do differently starting Monday

  • KEY OUTCOMES

    Participants leave this workshop with:

    ✓ A clear understanding of the culture pyramid and how it applies to their workplace

    ✓ Awareness of the gender norms and power dynamics that sustain harmful cultures, particularly in high-risk industries

    ✓ Practical bystander skills - how to intervene early, effectively, and safely

    ✓ The ability to distinguish between calling in and calling out - and the confidence to use both

    ✓ Skills to address problematic behaviour constructively rather than avoiding it

    ✓ A shared framework the team can use to build ongoing accountability

    ✓ Leaders equipped to model the culture they want - not just manage incidents after the fact

  • WHO THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR

    This workshop is designed for:

    → Site managers, supervisors, and team leaders in FIFO and mining environments

    → HR managers and HSE professionals

    → Executive and senior leadership teams

    → Any organisation proactively addressing sexual harassment risk

    → Organisations responding to regulatory scrutiny, complaints, or cultural concerns

    Tailored versions are available for whole-of-workforce delivery, corporate teams, and executive groups. Content, language, and scenarios are adapted to suit your specific industry and workforce demographics.

  • What is the culture pyramid?

    The culture pyramid is an evidence-based framework that shows the relationship between everyday attitudes and serious harm. At the base of the pyramid are the attitudes, language, and norms that most people wouldn't describe as harmful - the comments, the assumptions, the "banter." At the top are the most serious forms of harm: violence, assault, and criminal behaviour.

    The pyramid shows that serious harm at the top does not occur in a vacuum. It is enabled by what is tolerated at the base. Organisations that want to prevent serious harm must address the culture that enables it - not just the incidents that result from it.

    The culture pyramid gives teams a shared, visual framework for understanding this dynamic - and a common language for talking about it without defensiveness or blame.

  • Why bystander training matters in FIFO and high-risk environments

    In FIFO and male-dominated industries, bystander silence is one of the most significant drivers of ongoing harm. Workers who witness problematic behaviour often don't intervene - not because they don't care, but because they don't know what to say, fear social consequences, or don't believe it will make a difference.

    Research consistently shows that bystander intervention is one of the most effective strategies for preventing workplace harassment and violence. But it only works when people have genuine skills and confidence - not just a poster on the wall telling them to speak up.

    This workshop builds those skills in a way that is realistic, practical, and suited to the specific social dynamics of high-risk workplaces.

  • The connection to psychosocial safety and Positive Duty

    Culture change is not separate from your legal obligations - it is central to them. The Positive Duty under the Respect@Work Act 2022 requires organisations to take proactive, reasonable steps to eliminate sexual harassment and discrimination. The Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) requires organisations to manage psychosocial hazards, including those that arise from hostile workplace cultures and poor interpersonal dynamics.

    Building a culture of accountability - where harmful behaviour is named, addressed, and not tolerated - is one of the most practical and evidence-supported ways to meet both of these obligations.

  • What makes our approach different

    The culture pyramid framework gives people something most workplace training doesn't: a way to see themselves in the problem without feeling attacked by it.

    Rather than framing the session around blame or individual bad actors, the culture pyramid shows how harmful cultures are built collectively - and how they can be changed collectively. This approach is significantly more effective at generating genuine engagement, particularly in workforces that have historically been resistant to diversity and inclusion training.

    Combined with our practical calling in skills and bystander action frameworks, this workshop gives people real tools - not just messages about why change matters.

  • Delivery details

    Format: Half-day workshop (3–4 hours)

    Delivery: Face-to-face, on-site at FIFO locations, mine sites, or corporate offices across Perth and Western Australia

    Group size: Up to 30 participants per session (multiple sessions available for larger teams)

    Customisation: All content tailored to your industry, workforce, and organisational context

    Pairing: Follows naturally from Workshop 1 (Sexual Harassment Prevention) or Workshop 3 (Respect, Boundaries & Workplace Communication) as part of a broader program

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Our workshops cover sexual harassment prevention, psychosocial safety and risk management, respectful workplace communication, and culture change. Each session is designed specifically for organisations in high-risk industries including mining, resources, construction, and FIFO environments.

    Our four core workshops are: Preventing Sexual Harassment in FIFO & High-Risk Workplaces; Psychosocial Safety & Risk: From Compliance to Culture; Respect, Boundaries & Workplace Communication; and Culture by Design: Understanding What Shapes Behaviour.

  • All of our core workshops are half-day sessions, typically three to four hours. Full-day programs are also available and are particularly popular for leadership teams who want to combine two workshop topics into a single site visit.

    We also deliver shorter keynote and conference presentations from 20 minutes to 90 minutes, depending on your event format and what you need the room to walk away with.

  • Yes, and this is one of our core specialisations. We regularly deliver workshops at FIFO villages, mine sites, remote worksites, and shift-based environments across Western Australia. We understand the unique constraints of FIFO rosters, site schedules, and workforce demographics, and we design our delivery accordingly. Travel to regional and remote sites is factored into our program scope - get in touch to discuss your location.

  • Our workshops are designed for groups of up to around 30 participants to ensure genuine discussion and engagement - not a lecture.

    For larger organisations or multi-site delivery, we run multiple sessions across teams, departments, or sites. We also offer whole-of-workforce programs for organisations that need to reach everyone from frontline workers to executive teams.

  • Always. We do not deliver off-the-shelf compliance modules. Every program we run includes a pre-session consultation to understand your organisation's context, workforce demographics, existing culture, and specific risk areas. The scenarios, language, and examples we use in the room are drawn from your industry and your environment - which is why our programs land with people who usually tune out in training.

  • Our primary delivery model is face-to-face, because we believe genuine behaviour change happens in the room - particularly in high-risk industries where the relational dynamics are complex. That said, we can discuss hybrid options for organisations with dispersed workforces or where on-site delivery isn't feasible. Reach out and we'll work out what's practical for your situation.

  • Workshops are standalone half-day or full-day sessions designed to create immediate impact and build momentum. They're the fastest way to get your team engaged and are often where organisations start. Consulting programs are longer-term engagements that go deeper — we assess your organisation's culture and risk profile, design and deliver a bespoke training program, and then review outcomes and provide recommendations for continuous improvement. Many organisations begin with a workshop and expand into consulting once they've seen how our work lands with their people.

  • Our consulting model follows three stages.

    In Tier 1 - Assess, we conduct leadership consultations, anonymous staff surveys, and risk assessments to understand what's actually happening in your organisation beneath the surface.

    In Tier 2 - Educate, we design and deliver a bespoke training program built entirely from your Tier 1 findings - tailored to your workforce, structure, and risk environment.

    In Tier 3 - Review, we collect evaluation data, analyse outcomes, and provide actionable recommendations for policies, reporting pathways, leadership capability, and ongoing culture development. The full program typically runs across five to six months, with optional ongoing advisory support.

  • Yes. While we are based in Perth and have deep expertise in the Western Australian mining and resources sector, we deliver programs nationally. We have worked with organisations across Australia including government agencies, universities, and national industry bodies. Travel and logistics are factored into program scoping - contact us to discuss your location and needs.

  • The Respect@Work Act 2022 introduced a Positive Duty on employers - meaning organisations are now legally required to take proactive, reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment from occurring, rather than simply responding after the fact. This is a significant shift from the previous complaint-driven model. Organisations that fail to meet their Positive Duty obligations can face regulatory action from the Australian Human Rights Commission. Our programs are specifically designed to help organisations understand and meet these obligations in a way that is practical and embedded in real workplace behaviour - not just policy documents.

  • Psychosocial hazards are aspects of work that can cause psychological or physical harm — including sexual harassment, bullying, excessive workload, poor leadership, and lack of role clarity. Under Australian work health and safety laws, employers now have a legal obligation to identify and manage psychosocial hazards with the same rigour as physical safety risks. For organisations in FIFO and high-risk industries, psychosocial risk is particularly significant given the conditions of remote work, long rosters, gender imbalance, and power dynamics common in those environments. Our Psychosocial Safety & Risk workshop translates these obligations into practical leadership tools your teams can use immediately.

  • A workshop is an important step toward meeting your Positive Duty obligations and demonstrates proactive action — but compliance is an ongoing commitment, not a single event. The Positive Duty requires organisations to take measures that are proportionate to the size and nature of their workforce. For many organisations, this means a combination of training, policy review, reporting pathway improvements, and leadership accountability frameworks. Our consulting programs are designed to support organisations through that full journey. We are happy to discuss what a reasonable and defensible approach looks like for your specific organisation.

  • All programs are delivered by Kate Raston and Nicolette Beard - the co-founders of We Are Consulting. Kate holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and a Graduate Diploma in Sexology and is a qualified sexologist and advocate for gender equity. Nicolette holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and a Graduate Diploma in Education and is a trusted educator and facilitator with deep experience in public health and adult learning. Together we bring over 18 years of combined experience and have worked with more than 30,000 people across Australia. You will not be handed off to a junior facilitator - you get us, every time.

  • Most workplace training providers deliver generic, compliance-focused content that people forget by the end of the week. Our programs are different for three reasons. First, our content is built from over a decade of large-scale behaviour change education — we understand how to shift attitudes and actions, not just deliver information. Second, we specialise in FIFO and high-risk environments, which means our scenarios, language, and approach are genuinely relevant to the people in the room. Third, we are small and deliberately so — every client works directly with us, and every program is tailored to their organisation. That depth of engagement is something larger providers simply cannot replicate.

  • Yes — it is one of our primary areas of expertise. We have delivered sexual harassment prevention and respectful workplace training to mining services companies, hospitality and village management organisations operating on FIFO sites, and resources sector bodies across Western Australia. Our work in this space includes multi-site delivery programs, on-site facilitation at operating mines, and engagement with workforce demographics that are typically hard to reach through conventional training approaches. Client testimonials and case study detail are available on request.

  • The simplest first step is to book a free 30-minute consultation. We will talk through your organisation's current situation, what you are trying to achieve, and what kind of program would make the most sense for your workforce and budget. There is no obligation and no sales pressure — just an honest conversation. You can book directly through our website or email us at admin@joinweare.com.au.