At Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (Al-Pac), company leaders support their 430 team members towards achieving a “healthy” work/life balance that not only provides a good quality of life, but also contributes to workplace productivity.

“We promote a strong work/life balance,” explains Karl Kopan, Communications Specialist for Al-Pac. “We operate 24/7 so helping all of our team members achieve a healthy lifestyle is a full-time reality.”

Al-Pac is North America's largest single-line kraft pulp mill, producing 650,000 air-dried metric tonnes of bleached hardwood and softwood pulp annually. The mill is located 50 kilometres northeast of the town of Athabasca and 200 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

Al-Pac is one of the largest employers in the Athabasca region and hires many team members and contractors locally, including people from Athabasca, Boyle and Lac La Biche, as well as from nearby First Nations communities.

Wellness for All Ages
The average age of an Al-Pac team member is 42, reports Nanci Pawluk, a Pensions and Benefits Specialist in Al-Pac’s Human Resources Team. “As our workforce ages we clearly need to help people focus on staying as healthy and fit as possible. But regardless of age, the principles of promoting health and wellness to all team members are well-founded and a key part of our company culture.”

Al-Pac promotes health and wellness in many ways, and has earned national kudos for its efforts. For example, Al-Pac has been deemed a Maclean’s Top 100 Canadian employer for the last three years. This ranking can be partly attributed to the company’s support of work/life balance for all its team members.

Al-Pac’s Health and Wellness Committee is a key force behind promoting a healthy lifestyle. It is made up of a dozen or more individuals from different parts of the company. 

One of the most popular events organized by the committee is the biennial Health and Wellness Fair. The 2009 fair was held on September 24 and featured 18 services or resources located in the region, including the nearby towns of Athabasca, Boyle and Lac La Biche.

“This type of fair allows all of us to easily connect with local groups, such as sports organizations and health, medical or fitness providers,” explains Pawluk.

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Approximately 80 to 100 team members regularly participate in fitness or wellness activities at work, reports Pawluk, such as using the fitness centre on their own or for scheduled programs, or regularly attending health and wellness related events. Special events attract a larger number of employees, such as the Health and Wellness Fair which attracted about 200-plus attendees in 2009. Another popular event – the annual Spring Fever Run and Walk – attracted more than 150 in 2009.

At the Spring Fever Run and Walk, participants run or walk a 1 km trail located on company grounds with stops along the way to promote more activity: stretching, step aerobics and lawn sports. 

“I think that most of our team members appreciate the various events or activities that our committee organizes,” suggests Pawluk, adding the committee has recently started a weekly on-site fitness class.

“The fitness facility is well used by a good number of team members throughout the year, so the weekly fitness class is an extra. The participants in each weekly class will decide on the type of workout for that week such as step aerobics, Tae Bo, pilates or maybe even belly dancing. The possibilities are endless.”

Here are some other features of Al-Pac’s work/life balance approach:

• year-round fitness centre and walking trails
• four-day work week
• a flexible team-approved leave program
• a lifestyle and health spending account that can be used towards the personal health needs of team members and their families
• four weeks of holidays (the fourth week is flexible; employees can take it as time-off or as extra income)
• “My Time” volunteer program – promotes and recognizes volunteerism performed by employees for community groups, e.g., employees who are involved in local sports teams or youth organizations can receive grants up to $250 for their program to reduce time spent on fundraising and allow more energy to be directed to program work
• Team Member Charity Fund – pays for team member registration fees at sports events or activities that raise money for charitable causes, such as the Weekend to End Breast Cancer Walk, the Easter Seals celebrity golf tournament and more
• company-wide profit sharing
• comprehensive and competitive benefits
• comprehensive training opportunities
• on-site driving range
• on-site 16-hectare trout pond
• on-site baseball field

Social Aspect of Healthy Living
Al-Pac’s Health and Wellness Committee works alongside the company’s Social Club to provide events that have a wellness or active living component.  For example, the club organized a very popular Corn Roast and Car Show in September 2009. Team members walked to the company’s picnic area for lunch and socialized while checking out the vehicles of fellow team members.

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The Social Club also promotes lunchtime beach volleyball during summer months and makes West Edmonton Mall movie and water park passes available for team members to promote spending time with their families. The passes are available at a reduced cost to team members because the Social Club buys them in larger quantities. At occasional special events during the year, the Social Club offers a few passes as prizes.

“Our goal as a Health and Wellness Committee is to involve all team members in active, healthy lifestyles that promote a good work/life balance,” says Pawluk. “Our events and efforts are really a great exercise in teambuilding and the common-sense wellness goals are something that most are willing to support.”

More Resources on Work/Life Balance
Internal communications about work/life balance and wellness are frequent. “Our internal website includes a health and wellness link where the Health and Wellness Committee posts weekly tips on healthy living. We also post a link to http://www.healthyalberta.com/ as an additional resource,” notes Kopan.

Another good resource is the company’s occupational health nurse, explains Kopan. “Team members can get nutritional counselling and suggestions on how to maintain their health. This can include steps or suggestions towards reducing high blood pressure, achieving a healthy weight loss, reducing cholesterol or smoking cessation.”

All team members take part in annual health assessments. Regular blood pressure check-ups and fat percentage tests are also offered as an optional service to team members. Annual influenza immunization clinics are also provided.

In many cases, the nurse will direct people to additional local resources such as fitness consultants, weight loss programs, massage therapists or chiropractors.

Work/Life Balance and Team Member Retention
Due to the fact Al-Pac is a rural employer, Pawluk says team members find it more challenging to access fitness, health and recreational services than if they worked in a large city.

“That’s one of the reasons we emphasize work/life balance and healthy, active living as a key part of our retention strategy. We also offer excellent benefits and a team-based culture, which contribute to making us an employer of choice for many people.”

Pawluk says one of the reasons many new hires choose to work at Al-Pac’s rural location is because they feel they can establish a balanced lifestyle that lets them work while staying connected to the local community and maximizing time with their families.

Whether team members are out skating or walking, ice-fishing, riding ATVs or snowmobiling, camping, or cycling, it’s no secret that physical activity provides great mental and physical benefits to the individuals and their family members.

“The goal is for team members to be able to make the most of their time away from work,” says Pawluk. “Al-Pac sees the benefits of workers that are healthy and happy, at work and at home. When a team member has a good work/life balance it is more likely their productivity will remain high.”

It is for these reasons Al-Pac will continue to come up with new ideas to support a healthy lifestyle among its team members.
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