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Talisman strives to be an employer of choice in the oil and gas industry. As such, the Company recognizes it must earn the loyalty it expects from its employees. The Company is committed to treating its employees ethically and fairly and to ensure: no discrimination on the basis of gender, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, religious belief, race, colour, ancestry or place of origin; fair and competitive compensation; fairness in performance appraisals and job advancement; promotion of a harassment-free workplace; confidentiality of employee records; and compliance with local employment laws in conjunction with internationally recognized best practices.
As of December 31, 2004, Talisman employed 1,870 full-time equivalent (FTE) permanent employees worldwide. In 2004, Talisman also added 179 FTE positions and employed over 1,383 temporary and contract employees worldwide.
In 2004, Talisman began formally tracking North American, UK and Norway contractors who require access to Talisman systems and buildings. Information regarding contractors in Malaysia and Indonesia is currently maintained on local systems. Talisman has committed to reporting global workforce statistics, including our contingent workforce, to more accurately reflect our total staffing requirements. In 2005, Talisman will implement our Human Resources Management system in Malaysia.
Talisman’s historically low global voluntary turnover rate of 4% continued in 2004. In comparison,the industry average4 for Canada was 10.1% in 2003.
Talisman’s work assignments are diverse and challenging and we constantly seek new skill sets to meet the needs of the Company, now and in the future. Talisman endeavours to find the best possible candidate for all positions. In doing so, we choose the most effective source to meet our business requirements, considering internal candidates, candidates from the local market, or, when appropriate, the global market.
Talisman hires students for a variety of temporary jobs year round. Upon completion of their studies, we frequently hire them for new graduate positions. In Canada, Talisman hired 102 cooperative education and summer students with geo-science, engineering, commerce and general backgrounds for our Canadian operations. Talisman (UK) hired six placement students and summer students. Additionally, one summer student was hired in our Norwegian operations. Globally, Talisman hired 21 new graduates as FTE employees in 2004.
Diversity is an important consideration in the development of Talisman’s global workforce. Broad skill sets and experiences are essential to achieving our corporate goals. Where possible, Talisman hires employees locally as part of our commitment to invest in the communities where we operate.
Talisman defines harassment as any unwelcome conduct that detrimentally affects the work environment by creating an uncomfortable, offensive, humiliating, intimidating, threatening or otherwise hostile work environment. Talisman is committed to a workplace free of harassment, discrimination and intimidation. Our Harassment Policy provides employees guidance on how to identify and eliminate all forms of harassment and is available to all employees on the Company’s internal website.
Talisman’s training and development efforts focus on developing employees in their current and future roles. In 2004, Talisman invested approximately $3.2 million globally on technical, educational and personal development. Personal development programs in 2004 included project management, supervisory fundamentals, business writing, negotiations, presentation skills and interpersonal communications. To find out more about employee utilization of training and development programs, see page 20 and 31.
Talisman’s technical training program for its geological and geophysical employees includes classroom and field courses (some involve visiting ancient rock exposures, such as those found in the Rocky Mountains, and around the world). By seeing these examples in person, our employees can better interpret well and seismic data when they are back in the office. Talisman offers a progression of courses, from basic technical training to investigations of complex subjects from world-class experts.
Recognizing that leaders play a key role in developing and improving the performance of their employees, in early 2004, Talisman implemented a global ‘Coaching for Success’ e-learning module to introduce coaching concepts to Talisman leaders. Seminars and workshops were held in Canada, the UK and Malaysia to further enhance the coaching capabilities of Talisman leaders.
In 2004, Talisman introduced a cost-sharing model that finances the cost of undergraduate and post-graduate degrees as well as accounting designations in Canada and the UK. In all, 83 employees utilized the education assistance program.
Talisman hosted five training and development exchange employees from Malaysia and the UK in various positions at our head office in 2004. In Malaysia, Talisman currently has eight coventurer employees training within its operations. In addition, five UK employees participated in short-term assignments in Norway, 15 Canadian, UK and Malaysian employees began various international expatriate assignments and three Canadian employees are on short-term assignments in Malaysia, Indonesia and Trinidad.
Offering a competitive Total Rewards package is integral to Talisman’s success. Though the type and design of reward plans vary by country, they are designed to be market competitive and support the alignment of employee performance with business success and increasing shareholder value. Depending on the country of operation, components of Talisman’s Total Rewards package could include salary, bonuses, long-term incentives, as well as health, insurance and pension benefits. Learning opportunities and career development are also key elements of our Total Rewards program. Talisman annually benchmarks its compensation and benefits plans against the marketplace by participating in surveys around the world. In 2004, Talisman provided approximately $324 million to employees in Total Rewards. Click here for a breakdown of remuneration by country.
Talisman’s Canadian benefit program provides employees with the flexibility to tailor their benefit choices to meet individual needs. Using self-service functionality, employees’ are actively involved in the design of their personal benefits program and manage their benefits requirements through state of the art technology. Employees use the on-line tool to enroll and change benefits as well as view their information.
In 2004, 95 investment and pension information sessions were held for Canadian employees and a survey of 324 permanent Canadian employees was conducted to gauge the understanding of the Canadian pension plan. The survey results will be used to develop information sessions in 2005 and beyond.
Consistent with local practice in the areas where we operate, Talisman recognizes all public holidays and respects employees’ religious beliefs. Further, we review local workplace terms and conditions and develop compensation and benefits programs and workplace practices that are competitive with the local market, while being aligned with corporate philosophies. National staff in our international operations participate in a “pay-for-performance” system that links individual performance with Company results, a fitness club membership subsidy, revised Annual Leave Entitlement that grants additional days leave based on years of service, and a Service Award Program that recognizes service milestones. Program availability varies from location to location.
There are currently 83 Talisman employees in either part-time or tele-working arrangements in Canada and the UK. Tele-working uses remote computer access and telecommunications technology to enable employees to work part time from a home-based office. To further adapt to employees’ lifestyle arrangements, Talisman has flexible work hours in Canada, the UK and Norway.
Talisman believes in helping employees reach their personal health and well-being goals. Our fitness subsidy program reimburses a portion of membership fees for all permanent employees attending recognized fitness facilities of their choice. In 2004, 445 employees in Canada, 68 in the UK, 23 in Norway and 15 in Malaysia utilized the program.
In 2004, Ian Duncan, a Chemical Engineering student from the University of Alberta, joined Talisman’s Monkman operations for a one-year co-op term where he helped manage the annual maintenance program. Told that he would need a haircut for safety reasons, Ian suggested that he would shave his head bald for $100 and donate the money to charity. With a little encouragement, Ian agreed to shave his eyebrows too and the donation increased. Thanks to donations from employees and contractors in the area, Ian donated $4,000 to the local Cancer Walk Relay.