Our People

Employee Recognition through the Excellence Awards

April 25, 2017

A commitment to excellence, achieved through teamwork, diligence and innovation, is a core value at Teck and part of who we are. Our employees worldwide share this commitment and have expertise across a wide range of activities related to mining and minerals processing. To recognize the accomplishments of individuals and teams, promote our core values and improve employee engagement, we established an Excellence Awards program.

About the Excellence Awards 

The program was established in 2008 and inspired by our sponsorship of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. From hourly workers to senior executives, the Excellence Awards are open to all employees at Teck. In 2016, employees nominated colleagues or teams to recognize their contributions in one of five categories: Safety in the Workplace; Environment and Sustainability; Cost Reduction, Productivity and Innovation; Unsung Hero; and Mentor. More than 680 nominations were submitted this year, and 38 Excellence Awards were granted across the company. The winners included 27 individual award recipients and 11 members of three teams recognized for their outstanding achievements, leadership and innovations across Teck.

“Our company's strength has always been its people and, as demonstrated by the Excellence Award winners and the hard work of employees across the company, I believe Teck is stronger than ever today,” said Don Lindsay, President and CEO.

Excellence Awards and Sustainability  

Like excellence, sustainability is one of Teck’s core values. While the Environment and Sustainability award category recognizes employees for their peer leadership and volunteerism in the community, workplace and environment, the Cost Reduction, Productivity and Innovation category also has a sustainability connection. This award recognizes employees who are efficient and reliable, and whose critical thinking leads to innovative solutions in the workplace.

One of our winners was Bob Cave, a Cyclone Operator at our Highland Valley Copper Operations in British Columbia. When Highland Valley Copper launched Bright Ideas, a new campaign seeking input from employees on how to reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency, Bob Cave was ready to accept the challenge.

Bob offered two ideas about a sump pump: creating an alarm that alerts operators when the sump is in an overflow state, and changing out one of the pumps on a reclaim barge. After Bob’s suggestions were evaluated, both were implemented. Together, these innovations reduce energy costs by about $150,000 per year and contributed to our vision of improving energy efficiency and implementing lower-carbon technologies. The Excellence Award celebrated Bob’s attention to detail and drive to continually improve operations.

The Value of our People

Bob’s story is one of many examples across the company of teamwork, diligence and innovation recognized in the Excellence Awards program. The Excellence Award program not only rewards employee performance and improves engagement, but also acts as a tool to encourage future innovation. 

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First Published on April 25, 2017