SOCIAL
FOSTER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
At Algoma, we prioritize fostering growth and ensuring a safe, inclusive workplace for our shipboard and shoreside teams.
Training and Mentorship
Professional Development
We invest in the growth and development of our employees, offering scholarships for cadets and financial aid for continuing education. We actively sponsor students from these 5 marine schools, hoping to enable students to gain practical experience onboard our diverse fleet of vessels.
Employee Engagement
Algoma actively engages with its employees by conducting regular engagement surveys, leveraging valuable feedback to enhance the employee engagement plan. Our commitment extends to community and employee enhancing initiatives, including United Way campaigns, annual management check-ins, year-end performance reviews, and tailored conferences for both shipboard and shoreside staff.
Ensure a Safe and Healthy Workforce
The well-being and safety of our employees is always Algoma’s top priority. This commitment is most recently exemplified in continuous improvements to our online training platform that includes safety, environmental compliance, and diversity modules in 2023.
Algoma diligently fosters a culture of safety, injury prevention and inclusivity. Due to our effective safety training and incentives, we achieved record-breaking safety statistics in 2022 (2023 to be released) – a testament to our unwavering dedication to providing a safe, supportive, inclusive, zero-injury work environment. Algoma recognizes the need for all employees to feel safe at work, and values diversity. Our programs promote health, wellness, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). To further enhance inclusivity, we are developing a DEI roadmap, including awareness training and have established a dedicated DEI Council.
Injury Prevention
Training
To enhance our training efforts, we are expanding our LMS (learning management system) platform to include safety modules and policy signoffs. This system enables employees to access training from anywhere.
Gold Flag Rewards
Algoma has instituted the Gold Flag program, an initiative designed to commend vessels that consistently uphold the highest operational standards for at least 12 consecutive months. This program aims to recognize and incentivize excellence in safety performance, incident reduction, and customer value delivery. The Gold Flag program underscores Algoma's commitment to maintaining a superior level of operational excellence across our fleets.
Safety Management System
The underlying foundation of our safety culture is our Safety Management System (SMS), which has been certified to the global marine industry’s International Safety Management Code and the International OHSAS 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series standard for several years. These standards are designed to help organizations improve employee safety, reduce workplace risks and create safer working conditions through implementation of systematic risk assessment and management procedures. We have put many measures in place to keep our crews safe, including the tools below, and our safety team continually promotes the use of these and other tools.
Training and Drills
Safety training, drills and exercises that prepare employees to confidently prevent, mitigate and respond to hazards and incidents in our daily operations are a critically important component of our safety management culture. While scenarios such as vessel groundings, fires, pollution, and serious medical emergencies are rare, it is crucial that our employees are trained and prepared to keep themselves and their crew members safe should such an event occur. The company’s Marine Emergency Response Plan is practiced through scheduled drills on board and followed by a critique to review the effectiveness of both crew and shoreside response and promote continuous improvement.
Strive Together Newsletter
In the spring of 2023, Algoma launched a monthly safety newsletter, Strive Together, containing up-to-date, educational information such as: hazard ID’s, close calls, preventative measures, environmental updates, and safety alerts and tips.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Algoma’s commitment to fair and equitable treatment and inclusion of all employees is reflected in our Employment Equity and Respect in the Workplace policies. These policies, along with our other existing practices and procedures, are being reviewed in depth to identify areas for improvement. These efforts will further foster an inclusive workplace culture where employees feel confident to bring their unique and valuable talents and perspectives to the table.
Community
Algoma Central Corporation’s commitment to the community was on full display when we sponsored the 1,200-seat arena at the new Walker Sports and Abilities Centre at Canada Games Park in May 2022. The arena, now called the Algoma Central Arena, is home to Brock University’s intercollegiate hockey programs, local hockey games and tournaments, and is fully accessible and para-sport capable.
Algoma continues to prioritize community engagement, exemplified by our $210K donated to the United Way in 2020/2021. Our ongoing commitment includes facilitating annual United Way campaigns, supporting various Days of Caring®, and organizing and supporting food drives in Ontario, strengthening the communities where our employees and their families reside across Canada.
Health and Wellness
Algoma is dedicated to the well-being of our employees and recognizes the importance of addressing both mental and physical health needs.
This is why we emphasize employee well-being through comprehensive benefits packages that cover medical, dental, vision, and mental health services. Workshops and resources are provided to promote a healthy work-life balance, addressing stress management, mindfulness, and personal development. Algoma’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) further supports employees and their immediate family members with confidential assistance in various areas such as:
- mental health and well-being
- family planning
- addiction counseling
- workplace challenges
- relationship management
Access to these services is provided at no cost, ensuring that employees and their families have the necessary support for their overall well-being.
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