An Online Shop for Employees
Pictured: Grégoire Gaudreault, Pascale Emond, Marie-Kim Bouchard, Elisabeth Guérin (Promographe) and Claudie Lavoie (Promographe).
Since September 23, Rio Tinto’s 4,100 active employees in the region can proudly wear the company’s colours thanks to a new online shop. In addition to meeting employee demand by offering a wide variety of products, the online shop also raises the profile of Promographe, a local company in Alma.
Jérôme Fillion, a member of the work team and Operational Manager at Arvida Works, explained: “The project meets one of the company’s objectives, which is to listen to its employees. So far, nearly half of the employees have placed an order through the new online shop. People are responsive and interested in purchasing items. They want to identify with their work, and it is a great source of pride for us, because the employees are ambassadors in the community.”
Indeed, it was in response to a request by employees that the project was set up with the creation of an advisory committee to oversee it. A basic collection, consisting of shirts, caps, coats, bottles, and tuques, has been introduced, and limited collections will be added according to seasons, activities, and employee needs. There was a hunting collection that proved to be very popular, as all items are currently sold out. The team is currently working on a winter collection that will be launched in November.
Employees received a $75 discount for their first order, an amount that will make it possible for everyone to proudly sport the collections designed and created in the region.
For the work team, which is made up of employees from Procurement, Operations, Human Resources, and Communications, it was crucial to have a local company involved in the project. The partnership with Promographe was created following a competitive bidding process. The Promographe team handles the logistics surrounding the online shop, the inventory, but most importantly all the design and printing of the collections.
“We are very proud of this partnership, which is perfectly in line with Rio Tinto’s values,” said Marie-Kim Bouchard, a member of the work team and Advisor, Communities and Social Performance. “Through this collaboration, we can offer environmentally responsible clothing, woven and manufactured in Lac-Drolet and printed in Alma. Our clothes are also made of organic cotton and/or recycled polyester and delivered in a recycled and recyclable bag.”
The online shop was recently launched and will continue to grow over time, offering a diverse range of products for the 4,100 regional employees who are proud Rio Tinto ambassadors.
www.boutiqueriotinto.com (available to active employees only)
If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the online shop, please email RioTintoCommunicationsSaguenay@riotinto.com.
