our people
Workplace Development and Retention of Initiatives
Process Operator Training (Internal) A best practice in Syncrude's bitumen upgrading area has been carried over to the Aurora mine; process operators working at the mine now sign a contract to learn specific skills and qualifications by a set date. The student-like experience is reinforced through interim skills assessments and a final exam. Panel operators have also been afforded new skills development opportunities thanks to new manuals and CD-ROM textbooks and the installation of a learning simulator that can mimic upsets in process units. The aim is to offer career development opportunities to employees and to foster a greater sense of job and facility ownership that builds site-wide reliability and safety.
Employee Tuition Refund Program This program supports professional development for regular employees who desire learning opportunities in fields of study that are relevant to Syncrude's business. Eligible courses must be provided through accredited Canadian colleges or universities. The program provides a 100 percent refund on tuition, textbooks and materials, and mandatory fees for approved post-secondary courses, to a maximum of $3,500 per year per employee.
The Initial Professional Development Program The IPDP is a core Syncrude workforce strategy and significant opportunity for new employees to grow. It replaced the Graduate Development Program in 2007, following a participant survey and extensive appraisal of practices regarding the development of new graduates. The IPDP is designed to help new employees with post-secondary educations make the most of their skills, abilities, and career ambitions at Syncrude. The new program provides an inclusive work environment that supports learning and each employee's unique talents. It will evolve with experience to assure maximum impact.
Mentorship Program Imparting the fruits of experience and hard-earned wisdom to a younger generation is a process encouraged throughout the Syncrude organization. At Syncrude's Research Centre, for example, employees are developing measures to actively transfer skill and knowledge through the work of the Research Mentorship Committee, which is supplying the tools and resources needed for mentorship to flourish. It is helping Research Centre employees reach their full potential through such initiatives as a "buddy" system, and also furthering the evolution of new ideas and goals through group study and problem solving.
Impact 21: Improving the Rewards for Excellence Syncrude's Impact 21 program motivates our employees to reach business goals by paying financial rewards to them when Syncrude achieves or surpasses targets in safety, reliability, production, costs, and energy efficiency. In response to employee feedback, the program was changed and improved in 2007, and the changes were communicated to employees.
Shift Changes After a thorough review that included consultation with more than 1,400 employees, Syncrude adjusted and simplified its 24-hour schedule for shift workers. The option preferred by the majority of employees is a schedule of three day shifts and three night shifts followed by six days off. The single 24-hour shift schedule provides predictability for employees and their families and is expected to improve communications between teams on the worksite.
Plans to streamline the maintenance day shift were also completed in 2007 for implementation early in 2008. Affected employees were consulted (almost 90 percent shared their views) and most believe the change to reduce the number of shift schedules will be healthier and better for family life, as it allows for more frequent rest periods than the schedule previously in place.
Employee Performance Management A system to identify contribution objectives, assess the performance of administrative, professional and technical (APT) staff, and link the development needs of these employees with expectations, was introduced in response to employee feedback. The Syncrude Performance and Management and Development System provides an improved framework for employees and their leaders to set clear performance expectations, provide feedback and foster continuous improvement, while supporting Syncrude's core values. It also improves the linkage between performance, compensation and advancement.
