Helping more than 200,000 contractors live better lives
Aramco program looks to enhance contractor well-being
The Contractor Well-Being Program looks to enhance well-being within both the worksite and the accommodation through key deliverables.
Kingdomwide, there are more than 300 contractor camps, housing more than 200,000 contractors supporting company operations. Contractor’s well-being is essential to their performance and covers physical, mental, and social health.
The Contractor Well-Being Program will enhance well-being within both the worksite and the accommodation through key deliverables, including introduction of compliance requirements, training, assessments, awareness resources, and counseling services.
Improving contractor well-being delivers advantages at both the individual and corporate level. As such, the program’s goals have been defined and include reducing accidents and injuries, reducing health care costs, improving productivity, improving engagement, enhancing corporate reputation, and demonstrating corporate social responsibility.
How to take the course
To date, more than 250 company and contractor employees who are engaged with contractors and their well-being have completed the training. Eligible employees engaged with contractor camps and who are interested in taking the course can obtain more information by emailing “EP Contractor Well-Being” from the company’s Outlook.
The program is administered and coordinated by Environmental Protection (EP), which sets standards and ensures compliance, provides training to company representatives, and develops resources. EP also works with proponent department representatives who interface with their assigned contractor company’s staff to develop a well-being network of formal and informal representatives both within Aramco and the contractor workforce.
This network is key to ensuring that the contractor well-being program reaches every member of the company’s contractor workforce.
Courses and resources
A key element in the development of this network has been the delivery by EP of the QPR Gatekeeper Training Course (BET 40130707). The course teaches the evidence-based methodology of “Question, Persuade, and Refer,” which prepares participants to detect potentially self-destructive behavior, to persuade subjects to refrain from self-harm, and to make referrals to a specialist for treatment.
Other mental health services are planned to be launched by year’s end. This includes a 24/7 Mental Health Hotline and WhatsApp service for immediate help and support on suicide prevention.
This service will be offered in English, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Tagalog, Bengali, and Chinese languages. In conjunction with the mentioned hotline, a video mental health counseling platform has been launched and will be availed through a web-based portal as well as a mobile application in native employee language.
Coming soon in 2022
After extensive trials and development of the program in collaboration with Project Management this year, EP plans to roll-out the program across the company in 2022. This will include expanding QPR training to cover all eligible proponents.
The coming year will also witness the implementation of additional services, including the following program elements:
• Well-being awareness events across Aramco contractor camps addressing behavior change. This element will be delivered through health programs covering mental well-being, stress management, task management, tobacco cessation, sleep, diabetes prevention, weight management, physical activity nutrition, and meditation.
• Online materials and resources to support the mental, physical, and social well-being of Aramco contractor employees. Resources will include best practice educational material offered in the employees’ respective languages.
• Physical or online well-being assessments conducted at Aramco contractor camps. The objective of these assessments is to evaluate the performance of the program and identify areas of success and opportunities for improvement.
As 2021 comes to an end, EP will build on the success in the delivered accomplishments to launch the corporate roll out. EP remains focused on leading the way by implementing a world-class program that will ensure all contractor employee’s well-being, and support company performance and environmental, social and corporate governance rating.
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The Contractor Well-Being Program will enhance well-being within both the worksite and the accommodation through key deliverables, including introduction of compliance requirements, training, assessments, awareness resources, and counseling services.