our people are our success
At Alcoa we recognise that our people are our success. As employee retention becomes a major issue for Australian businesses, we are proud that more than 60 per cent of our employees have worked with us for more than 10 years.
We have a strong workplace diversity and equal employment program and continue to be recognised, by the Federal Government’s Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency, as an Employer of Choice for Women.
Karen Wood
Information Systems Consultant
Point Henry
Alcoa has a Managing Director who practices what he preaches. Alan Cransberg, who has worked for Alcoa for 28 years, is a father of four and has made it very clear to employees that if their child has a special school assembly, then they shouldn’t be at their desk. With this leadership, gaining loyalty and commitment from employees, as well as developing a sound platform of mutual respect is undoubtedly enhanced.
At Alcoa, it’s believed that embracing women and providing flexibility for working mums makes good business sense. In an increasingly tight labour market, the company has found it enjoys a much greater talent pool of female staff by offering a level of flexibility.
Karen is an Information Systems Consultant, based at Alcoa’s Point Henry Smelter in Geelong, Victoria. Karen has worked for Alcoa for 20 years and is involved in systems analysis and development, project management, systems support and database administration. Karen is married with two daughters and utilises Alcoa’s flexible hours policy and work from home arrangements.
“When I returned from maternity leave after my first daughter, I remained full time but did two days from home. After my second daughter I choose to go part-time and Alcoa supported that. Initially I was only working three days a week but I was soon offered more time. But, when I explained that I would need to get extra childcare and it would therefore not work for me, Alcoa offered me the chance to work a number of hours from home for a trial period. I was happy with that, it worked well, and I recently increased my home hours from five to eight.”
“Having a flexible employer means I can volunteer at my elder daughter’s school and that helps give her a sense of importance. I walk her home from school and we can then catch up on the day, instead of me rushing home at 5 or 6 o’clock to cook tea, do housework and only get half the picture of what is going on in her life.”
“It’s hard enough juggling two children and a household when my husband works long hours, sometimes seven days a week. The arrangements I have in place with Alcoa give me flexibility and the ability to fit it all in.”
“My girls will only be young once, so I want to make the most of it.”
Craig Walkemeyer
Director-Projects, Australia and Asia
Booragoon Corporate Head Office
The work-life blend is embedded in Alcoa’s culture. Craig Walkemeyer is the Director-Projects for the Australia and Asia region, based in Western Australia, and a good example of the company’s commitment to a sustainable balance of work and family life.
In 2007/ 2008 Craig spent 18 months working part-time, down from a full-time load, in order to spend more time with his wife and five children who range in age from 6 to 17.
“I have been able to become much more involved in my children's activities, and have had the opportunity to enjoy more time with my wife. I’ve also become more involved in the community with voluntary positions on the Board of Management and Parents and Friends Association at my children’s’ school.”
“Being able to work part-time for a while was very important to me, and it meant I could rebuild family relationships that I had allowed to deteriorate over time.”
Craig said when he decided he needed to make the temporary change to part-time; contemplating a change in employer was not on his radar because there was never any hesitation from Alcoa in making his situation work.
“Right from the start Alcoa was very supportive and there was no fixed time limit set on when I had to return full-time. We worked together on a strategy that suited both the company and me.”
“Alcoa has a very strong commitment to work-life balance. This was demonstrated by putting actions in place that gave real meaning to the policies and guidelines that exist for employees.”
Wai Lim Kong
Experimental Scientist
Kwinana Refinery
By taking the issue of work/ life balance seriously, Alcoa knows it stands a far greater chance of attracting the right people who are best placed to assist in delivering the bottom line results. For these reasons, encouraging diversity and providing opportunities for women to realise their career potential have been central strategies for Alcoa.
Wai Lim has been part of the Alcoa team since 1992. She works in research and development under the Technology Delivery Group at the Kwinana Refinery. Wai Lim is married and is the carer of her elderly mother, who also lives with her. She works part-time and has the flexibility to work from home when the need arises.
“Part-time works for me because I need to give support to my mother. She’s in her 80s and started to need my assistance due to her health. Being a carer takes a lot out of you and my work arrangements allow me the extra time I need for myself and my family.”
“If my mum has an appointment at the doctor and the appointment falls in my normal work time, I have the flexibility to come in for half a day or work from home.”
“I don’t work from home a lot, but when I do I just need to inform my supervisor that I won’t be on site but will be available on the phone and online and it’s never a problem.”
Jo Ferrie
Communications Advisor
Work From Home
Alcoa’s return to work rates following maternity leave remain high at around 90 per cent and data suggests that the organisation’s ability to offer part-time work for women returning from maternity leave has had a significant impact on the retention of women. The company offers 13 weeks paid maternity leave as well as paid paternity leave of one week.
Jo Ferrie is a Communications Advisor for Alcoa based in Western Australia and has worked for the company for nearly 10 years. Prior to having children, Jo worked full-time with Alcoa in various roles. After returning from maternity leave, Jo now works entirely from her home office on a part-time basis.
“When I decided it was time to start a family, Alcoa recognised I had a lot to offer and the company supported me during maternity leave and encouraged me to return to work by offering a flexible work arrangement. Working from home was Alcoa’s suggestion. I had seriously considered working part-time, but my role before maternity leave wasn’t a role suited to part-time or job sharing arrangements. The company saw that I had and still could, contribute a lot and my manager suggested I take on a part-time, work from home, project based role.”
“The arrangement has provided a great work and family balance. Working from home gives me the flexibility to be there for my children, while still contributing to the company.”
“I have dedicated days in which I am in my home office. I also log-on in the evening once my children are in bed to keep track of any developments and to complete any urgent work that may need a faster turn around than my two day work cycle.”
“For the type of work I do, it doesn't make a difference whether I am in the office in a pinstripe suit or at home with my slippers on!”
[Working from home arrangements depend on the job role and are not able to be offered to all Alcoa employees.]
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newspaper & magazine articles
The Age - Opportunities Galore
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The Australian – Outdoor work was lure at Alcoa Refinery
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Mining Chronicle – Women in Mining
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HR Magazine – Alcoa gets Proactive
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Human Capital Magazine – Boom Times
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