Our People are Our Success
At Alcoa we recognise that our people are our success. With employee retention 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. We've certainly found we enjoy 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 a single mum 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 juggling two children, fitness routines for us all, and a household. 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.”
Jamie Delgado
Electrical Engineer, Graduate Program
Kwinana Refinery
Alcoa’s Future Women of Industry program inspired Jamie Delgado to pursue a career at Alcoa.
In 2009, Jamie began work at the Kwinana Refinery as an Electrical Engineer in the Graduate program. This followed her participation in our Future Women of Industry program while in high school in 2003.
Jamie said having previously lived with her family in the North-West and watching her father worked in the mining, she always knew industry was where she wanted to end up.
“I was already going down the path to mining, and did some vacation work up north, but wasn’t sure which discipline to follow. When I came to Alcoa for the Future Women of Industry Buddy Day, I found that the refinery process was really interesting, which helped me identify which discipline I wanted to pursue at university.
“So far, it’s been very interesting working here. I have come through some challenges and learned to network really fast!
“I have to liaise with different groups of people around the refinery and there are so many people to talk to who have years of experience and just know stuff off the top of their heads.
“At the moment I am working on sump level control, alongside the Electrical department and Environmental group.”
Jamie plans to gain her chartered status in Engineering through the help of the Graduate program.
“I feel fortunate to have a job in the current environment, and I think my participation in Future Women of Industry definitely opened my eyes to pursue a career with Alcoa.”
Jane Burton
Operations Trainee
Pinjarra Refinery
Pinjarra Operations Trainee Jane Burton said that the lure of working outdoors was a major reason for her decision to apply for an Operator Traineeship at the Pinjarra refinery.
Jane had previously taken on a variety of different jobs, from managing a supermarket to working on farms and being a gym instructor, before making her leap into Alcoa.
She became interested in a career at Alcoa because her partner worked for us, and she noticed that it seemed like a great place to work.
When Jane saw an advertisement for a Trainee Operator, she jumped at the opportunity and was one of five people taken on for an 18-month traineeship at Pinjarra.
“My traineeship involves full-time work two days, two nights, then four days off as well as TAFE assignments which I need to complete to get my skilled certificate,” Jane said.
Jane says it’s the physical nature of the job, not the pay, that she most likes.
While she doesn’t attend TAFE every week, Jane’s traineeship allows her to regularly take time off to attend courses.
At the completion of her 18-month traineeship in 2009, Jane hopes to be employed permanently as an Operator.
[Please note: 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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