Bullying, harassment rife at Chevron

A scathing review into the workplace culture at Chevron has found sexual harassment and bullying are rife in the energy giant's Australian workforce.

Nearly one-third of the workers surveyed said they had experienced sexual harassment while at the company, which most commonly involved suggestive or intrusive comments.

Almost one in 10 workers said they were the targets of unwelcomed touching, hugging, cornering or kissing, while five per cent said they had experienced inappropriate physical contact.

One employee told the independent review, commissioned by Chevron and published on Tuesday, they had been "physically molested during business hours in the office" but when they complained they weren't believed.

"I believe that managers at Chevron continue to disbelieve the prevalence and insidiousness of sexism," they said.

Another worker said they felt like they were "being hunted" and faced inappropriate questions about their private life from their first day on site.

Almost half of the employees surveyed said they had experienced bullying in the past five years. Women reported inappropriate behaviours at higher rates than men.

An employee said they were bullied by one man for more than six years, but despite reporting him multiple times he continued to be promoted.

"It wasn't until approximately 20 other people started reporting his behaviour that management started taking it seriously and I believe his employment was terminated," they said.

Nearly 570 employees and contractors from Chevron's sites in Perth and the Pilbara region were surveyed.

The report made a string of recommendations to address the prevalence of bullying, harassment and discrimination at the company; and to increase the accountability of its leadership.

They include the development of a standalone sexual harassment policy; a review of workplace flexibility and job-share options; and potentially offering paid cultural leave for Aboriginal staff.

Chevron Australia managing director Mark Hatfield said everyone deserved to feel safe, respected and included when they came to work and he apologised to anyone who had experienced inappropriate behaviour at the company.

Chevron is the largest holder of natural gas resources in Australia, including the colossal Gorgon project in Western Australia.

The voluntary review was launched in April, two months before a WA parliamentary inquiry found the state's mining industry had failed to protect women from predatory sexual behaviour.

The inquiry was launched after a number of women came forward to police detailing claims of sexual assaults at major mine sites.

A progress report released by the McGowan government on Tuesday said training had been funded for first responders and those involved in workplace investigations of sexual harassment in the industry.

A community legal centre has also received funding to provide triage and social work support services for harassment victims.

Mining heavyweight Rio Tinto ran a separate inquiry that uncovered a culture of bullying, harassment and racism within its workforce.