Working The Hydro Way
"When The Hydro Way values came out we took them off the wall and put them into everything we could. The values became a sort of litmus test for management decision-making and were used in coaching and counseling actions.
Respect is a big thing here, having people help decide things that are important to them. We reviewed, changed and re-educated our near-miss process when we found out through the Hydro Monitor feedback that employees were confused and stressed by a new methodology we were using. We established a Near Miss action team, made up of volunteers to discuss all the issues and how to address them.
Having a say
During the start-up when we were deciding what the shift structure would be, we had a vote on the options. Having the employees decide between shift patterns allowed them to have a stake in the decision.
Decisions need to be good for the employees and the business, of course, but you can usually get to that. The choices are not always popular but having a say in what happens helps and when employees themselves come up with options that are good for business and for people it is a “win, win” for everyone!"
We try to have a good work-life balance here. People can switch shifts or come in for each other. People often have multiple obligations outside of work these days such as aging parents and young children.
We allow as much leniency as we can and still run the business.
