An agile cooperative
Agropur's employees demonstrated incredible dedication in 2021 and pulled together to get through another challenging year. Thanks to their efforts, we were able to remain operational, maintain sufficient stock levels to meet consumer demand and ensure that the communities counting on us weren't let down.
Occupational health and safety: a top priority
The pandemic highlighted the critical role played by food producers and processors. To help keep these essential workers safe, Agropur stepped up its health and safety practices. This included introducing a comprehensive series of measures to prevent workplace outbreaks of COVID-19. At our industrial sites, shifts were adjusted to limit contact between workers. Cafeterias and break areas were reorganized to facilitate physical distancing. In the spirit of prevention, we also made changes to the way we deliver goods to merchants' loading areas. Finally, remote work arrangements were extended whenever necessary for those whose tasks can be completed from home.
Employee engagement
At Agropur, we believe that communication is the key to more informed decision making. Throughout 2021, our staff members were invited to share their thoughts on various initiatives concerning the organization. Agropur Talk is a virtual event held every quarter to bring employees and senior management together. It provides workers the opportunity to ask questions. Meanwhile, unionized personnel from our production plants are regularly invited to attend in-person meetings. Here, they can discuss the company's situation and performance, as well as the key challenges and success stories specific to their workplaces.
Agropur also invited all of its employees to take a survey on their experiences at work and an impressive 78% responded. The survey findings indicate that the pandemic and labour shortage have affected engagement among hourly employees, but salaried employees continue to report strong levels of engagement.
Getting settled into a new organization and staying motivated at work can be challenging, particularly during a public health crisis. The Human Capital team has prepared action plans to mitigate these challenges, facilitate onboarding for new hires and increase employee retention.
Professional development
Providing training is another strategy to retain workers. That's why Agropur offers a number of professional development programs. High-potential executives and professionals have access to a program designed to help them develop the business acumen and financial knowledge needed to lead an organization like Agropur. It aims to help emerging leaders hone key professional skills while ensuring their alignment with the organization's values.
For managers, we've created a program that focuses on leadership and team management skills. It covers topics like effective communication, problem solving and decision making.
Through our continuous management process, salaried employees are provided with coaching, feedback and clear information about what's expected of them. The program aims to align each individual's tasks with our strategic plans, while also encouraging discussion and empowering employees to take charge of their own development.
Mentoring is another one of the strategies we use to develop promising talent. In 2021, we rolled out an online version of our mentorship program. Another one of our practices is to offer internships to students or recent graduates. In the summer of 2021, Agropur welcomed 150 interns.
Diversity, equity and inclusion
At Agropur, collaboration means working together in a spirit of trust and cooperation. It also means creating inclusive workplaces that are representative of the communities we serve. The Cooperative wants all of its employees to be able to reach their full potential and attain their professional aspirations regardless of their gender, age, ethnic or cultural origin, religion, sexual orientation or disability.
In 2021, Agropur set up Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committees whose members represent several different geographic regions and the following target groups: women, Indigenous people, visible minorities, religious minorities, LGBTQ+ employees and people with disabilities. People have already expressed a lot of interest in these committees. They will guide our efforts and help us develop effective action plans to address any imbalances within our workforce.