Progress
Time spent by Alcoa Fjarðaál employees on volunteer programs supported by the company.
Alcoa Employees are encouraged to participate in various volunteer programs in their community. Alcoa has established three international projects to support independent organizations and service institutions. Alcoa employees around the world take part in these projects. Bravo was cancelled in 2016 and Alcoans in Motion in the year 2018.
Action is an abbreviation of "Alcoans Coming Together in Our Neighborhoods." The idea is based on one employee who works with an organization that needs extra hands to perform a specific task. In cooperation with the volunteer committee, the employee schedules work on the task and encourage colleagues to participate. Other members of the organization are also encouraged to attend to their families.
Work is continuous for four hours. If ten or more employees participate, Alcoa Foundation will pay ISK 300,000 directly to the organization to cover raw material costs such as paint etc. During 2018, employees initiated five projects to support eight organizations and raised ISK 2.1 million. Two hundred eight people participated in the projects, of which 84 were Alcoa Fjarðaál employees.
Alcoans in Motion involves the effort of employees to get together and join in outdoor activities like hiking up a mountain, swimming or cycling a certain distance or whatever they would do to move together. They decide which charity receives the $ 3,000 Alcoa Foundation contributes to each project. In 2018, Alcoans in Motion was counted with Action Projects, and therefore specific numbers are not published.
Bravo: While Action aims at teamwork, Bravo focuses on individual contributions. Alcoa employees who volunteer more than 50 hours to their organizations per year may apply for Bravo grant to Alcoa Foundation. Since Alcoa Fjarðaál started operation, Alcoa Foundation has paid out 1,126 Bravo-grants to organizations in East Iceland, and the amount is approaching 40 million ISK. In 2016, Alcoa decided to direct grants to group projects rather than individual efforts, so Bravo was cancelled.
Figure 1. The number of Alcoa Fjarðaál employees participated in Bravo, Action and Alcoans in Motion projects from 2007 to 2020. Note that from 2018-2019 there was only Action project. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there were no Action projects in 2020 or 2021.
In 2016 Alcoa decided to direct grants to group projects rather than individual efforts. Consequently, the Bravo project was cancelled, and in 2018 Alcoans in Motion project was merged with Action projects.
Figure 2. Percent of Alcoa Fjarðaál employees who participated in Action, Bravo and Alcoans in Motion projects 2007 - 2020. Note that from 2018-2019 there was only Action project. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there were no Action projects in 2020 or 2021.
The number of volunteer hours Alcoa Fjarðaál employees contributed to the community through Bravo and Action projects is shown in Figure 3. In 2011 and 2012, each employee could apply for Bravo-grant for up to 3 clubs which explains the higher number of volunteer hours.
Figure 3. The number of volunteer hours donated by Alcoa Fjarðaál employees through Alcoa volunteer programs in 2007 - 2020. Note that from 2018-2019 there was only Action project. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there were no Action projects in 2020 or 2021.
Alcoa Fjarðaál did not start volunteer programs until 2007, since it was not considered wise to add to employee workload during construction phase.
Updated: April 12, 2022
Source: Alcoa Fjarðaál, 2022.
Metrics, Targets and Monitoring Protocol
What is measured?
Time spent by Alcoa Fjarðaál employees on volunteer programs supported by the company. (Project effect: direct).
Monitoring protocol
Number of volunteer projects is monitored and information collected at the end of each year.
Targets
60 percent of employees participate in Alcoa volunteer programs.
Possible countermeasures
Not applicable, only monitoring.
Changes of indicator
This indicator was originally number 9.1. It was then named Involvement in Local Community and can be found under that number in documents of the project from 2005 and 2006.
The indicator number has been changed twice.
| Year | Nr. | Indicator name |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4.2.3 | Involvement in Local Community |
| 2007 | 1.5 | Involvement in Local Community |
Baseline
Alcoa Fjarðaál did not start volunteer programs until 2007, since it was not considered wise to add to employee workload during construction phase.
| Action | Bravo | Samtals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of employees involved | 50 | 59 | 109 |
| Proportion of staff involved | 14% | 16% | 30% |
| Number of hours worked in voluntary work | 200 | 5.529 | 5.729 |
Rationale for Indicator Selection
The Kárahnjúkar and Fjarðaál projects will result in a significant increase in local populations both from employees and from businesses supporting the projects. It will be important to help new inhabitants integrate into existing communities. Alcoa can assist this process by encouraging active employee participation in local community activities.
From phase I/II report on indicators and baseline from April 2005