The average tenure of our employees is more than nine years, and our voluntary turnover rate was approximately 5.0% in 2023.
We continue to look for new ways to promote and improve our inclusive culture, including taking deliberate action to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion, is considered in our employee benefit plans.
Family Leave
We understand the importance of supporting our employees through the exciting process of welcoming a child. Upon birth or adoption, primary caregivers are provided 16 weeks paid leave. This benefit includes 14 weeks paid leave as well as 10 business days of paid parental time-off to be used within the first year of the birth or adoption. Secondary caregivers are provided 10 business days of paid parental time-off.
We recognize the necessity of extending eligibility of the benefit beyond the birth parent to include adoptive parents and secondary caregivers. This exciting enhancement reinforces our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace, ensures the well-being of our employees, and maximizes flexibility for unique return-to-work needs.
“Great policy change and great to see ‘primary and secondary caregiver’. As an adoptive parent and a member of the LGBTQIA community, this makes me proud of Ovintiv and the steps we are taking as a Company to be more inclusive.” – Michelle, Production Analyst
Family Forming Benefits
Ovintiv recognizes that forming a family can take many different paths. We provide enhanced coverage for fertility treatment, adoption assistance and surrogacy assistance to support our employees through their journeys of growing their families. The addition and enhancement of these benefits provides employees with market-leading benefits that are inclusive of everyone.
Intern Program
Ovintiv proactively attracts, identifies and develops talented and diverse interns that create a pool of potential New Graduates. Interns are employed in office and field-based roles across a variety of disciplines such as engineering, land, geosciences, information technology and accounting. Interns are provided the opportunity to work on meaningful projects, learn new skills, take part in operational field trips, and present their final projects to the Company.
New Graduates Program
The experience Ovintiv provides through our New Graduates Program and career development is not only meaningful to participants but adds significant value to the Company. Ovintiv’s New Graduates develop skills, knowledge, and a professional network through on-the-job technical training and social opportunities. Our program is home to graduating students in engineering, land, geosciences, information technology and accounting, among others. While every stream differs slightly, the focus is on building a breadth of knowledge and gaining exposure through rotations or project work. One program offered each year for all New Graduates is our New Graduates Boot-Camp, an immersive, multi-day experience that includes technical presentations as well as sessions with senior leaders, the executive leadership team and Board members. With regular networking opportunities throughout the year, the New Graduates are encouraged to get to know each other and build connections within the Company.
New Grads Meet our Board
In early 2023, Ovintiv New Graduates gathered in Denver for a significant career and culture-building opportunity to share their experiences as a group with our executive leadership team and Board members. Our Board, who is interested in our recruiting practices and talent development, joined the event to better understand our programs and appreciate how Ovintiv is differentiating itself from industry peers. Our New Graduates were able to share their experiences with the Board, who in turn provided professional feedback and career advice to the graduates. It was a significant and mutually beneficial opportunity for our program participants to engage with and receive guidance from Company leadership, while also imparting their own generational insights into the program, Company and industry.
Partnering with CareerWise
We recently announced a new partnership with CareerWise, a Denver-based organization dedicated to fostering youth apprenticeship programs. Through this collaboration, we are creating new opportunities for a unique educational experience and potential career pathways for talented, young individuals. We have welcomed current high school students to our Denver office to gain practical skills, industry knowledge and exposure to real-world business operations. We aim to make this an enriching experience for both our apprentices and our organization.
Peer Networking
We use mentoring circles as our informal peer-to-peer mentoring program. Through this initiative, we match co-workers interested in connecting and collaborating to develop personally and professionally. We also provide a voluntary Random Coffee program, which randomly pairs two interested employees to meet for either an in-person or virtual coffee session, during which they learn about each other’s teams, roles, operating areas and other interests.
Executive Engagement
We are committed to ensuring employees have regular opportunities to engage informally with the executive leadership team through hosting casual breakfasts or lunches in our corporate locations, social events after in-person town halls and Q&A sessions with executive leadership team members.
Learning Opportunities
Learning takes on different forms to ensure it fits employee and organizational needs. Formal instruction can include external training and conferences, or third parties brought on site to deliver specialized content.
We also employ a learning management system, to offer training content through a single, easy-to-use platform. Within this system, we host more than 130 courses with both computer-based and instructor-led options.
Commercial Rotation Program
In 2023, we announced a new opportunity for staff seeking to enrich their development by participating in an 18-24 month rotation program in commercially related roles. The program is designed to expand participants’ networks and exposure across the organization while reinforcing our culture of innovation.
Citizen Innovator Program
The Citizen Innovator program is one of several employee upskilling initiatives within our Finance team that includes curated training (in design thinking, data and analytics, custom app design, automation, and project/change management), mentoring, and hands-on experience to develop innovative solutions that automate or streamline workflows. The inaugural cohort presented their capstone presentations to senior Finance leadership at the end of 2023 and helped their peers realize the ‘art of the possible’. The successful program is entering its second year, with a new cohort eager to develop their ideas into projects.
DIY Toolbox
Our IT team empowers employees to optimize and innovate at any scale. In 2023, the team unveiled a DIY Toolbox designed as a resource-rich hub that equips employees with the tools necessary to translate ideas into reality. This includes access to applications and training, approved data sets, ways to connect with innovators across the Company and a showcase of solutions that teams throughout the Company have developed.
Bot Wars
In 2023, our IT team celebrated the successful launch of Ovintiv’s inaugural Bot Wars competition. Bot Wars is a gamified, team-focused program that allows employees to learn Robotic Process Automation (RPA) skills and streamline actual business processes. Inspired by popular TV competitions, Bot Wars empowers teams to build and show their Power Automate projects to a panel of judges. They are judged on categories such as Process Improvement, Problem Solving, Ovintiv Team Spirit, Cost Reduction and Future Potential.
“Bot Wars empowers the user and demystifies new technology, so everyone can apply automation to their day-to-day workflow.” Tarek, Bot Wars participant
Innovation Workshops
Innovation Workshops have been introduced to encourage leaders and employees throughout the organization to develop mindsets and skill sets to support and enhance our culture of innovation.
Mental Health Conversations
At Ovintiv, we’re having conversations related to the importance of mental health awareness. In 2023, we welcomed special guest speaker Tyler Smith, survivor of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, to talk about his mental health journey and how he inspires others to care for their own well-being. We also hosted Mental Health and Resiliency Workshops with an advanced care paramedic who completed a tour in Afghanistan. In addition, we continue to offer Mental Health First Aid courses to teams across our organization. These courses were successfully piloted by our Canadian operations team in 2021 and aim to teach employees and managers about common mental health conditions and reduce stigma associated with them.
Each year we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month. Our 2023 events featured speakers at each of our corporate offices to talk about the youth mental health crisis, trends around pediatric mental health and how we can positively impact individuals struggling with mental and behavioral health.
Fitness For Work
We require employees to be in a condition to carry out their day-to-day job duties safely and effectively without putting themselves, their co-workers, the public or the environment at risk. We consider employees unfit for work if injury, illness, physical or psychological health issues, fatigue or the use of alcohol or drugs could result in the reduced ability to perform work safely or effectively.
