Arclin performance applied: employee loyalty in North Bay.

In an age where employee poaching is rampant, Arclin's North Bay plant features an average employee work life of 22 years, hearkening back to an older time where loyalty is both valued and rewarded.

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Despite being the company's largest Canadian industrial resin plant, manufacturing adhesives and resins for the housing and automotive industries, management at the North Bay plant manages to keep a close relationship with its workforce through a variety of initiatives.

"Overall, the plant has tremendous respect for its employees," Mark Dokurno, plant manager, says.

"We're very insistent on emphasizing safety both on and off the job, and it's something we're fiercely proud of."

With an average age of 40, and a number of workers in their 50s, the growing age of the company's employee base has sparked a series of ergonomic changes to better serve the workers.

In the past, workers could spend eight hours of a 12-hour shift climbing, walking and lifting as part of overseeing the manufacturing process. In light of the aging workforce, however, the company has moved to automate and computerize much of the plant so as to reduce ergonomic injuries. Following the switch, workers now spend less than 30 minutes "in the field," and the plant hasn't seen a single lost-time injury in three years.

The change to computerized controls has also mandated a separate wave of considerations, with ergonomic experts being regularly brought in to ensure the operations represent the healthiest possible work environment. Changes are routinely made to keep things safe, whether it's as expansive as changing the layout of the computerized controls, or as simple as replacing the chairs.

This concern for employee safety even extends beyond the plant. Dokurno says the company is adamant about providing its workers with safety equipment for off-the-job tasks, even if it's as straightforward as providing hearing equipment to protect their ears when mowing the lawn.

"We actually have far more people book off for off-the-job injuries than for anything sustained in the plant. This is especially true in October and November when our guys start strapping on their skates on weekends and come limping into the plant come Monday."

In fact, a love of sports is extremely common throughout Arclin's workforce, and it's something that the company fully endorses. From baseball in the summer to hockey and curling in the winter, Arclin sponsors employee teams to encourage them to develop a strong team spirit and a solid sense of camaraderie. This support extends to their families as well, as the company often sponsors a number of children's teams, not to mention a family-oriented fishing tournament.

With an eye on maintaining overall physical health, Arclin also features a fully equipped fitness centre in-house. Rowing machines, stair-steppers, treadmills and free-weight machines are all available for employees and their families. Dokurno says some of the equipment has had to be changed in recent years, with some lower-impact exercise equipment being swapped in to accommodate the aging workers.

Employee bonuses are also part of the larger picture at Arclin. While half of the decision is based on the performance of the North American and Canadian operations, half is dependent on the employees' ability contribute to the safety and efficiency of the North Bay plant. If set goals are met, employees can expect an annual 10 per cent bonus.

It's features such as these that have presented Arclin with the reverse of the challenge seen by most modern workforces. Rather worrying about employee retention--"I can't remember anybody ever actually quitting," Dokurno says--the company instead has its hands full coping with the sheer amount of interest from potential employees.

As an example, Dokurno points to the company's decision to open four new positions in the North Bay plant. After posting the job openings internally, word of mouth spread like wildfire, and management soon found itself buried beneath 120 resumes.

"We hadn't even posted it outside the company," Dokurno says. "It was just employees telling people they knew who in turn wanted to join up."

www.arclin.com

QUICK FACTS

Arclin

Plant manager: Mark Dokurno

Head Office: North Bay

Established: 1994

Employees: 66

By NICK STEWART

Northern Ontario Business