Wesfarmers Chemicals, Energy and Fertilisers (WesCEF), based in Western Australia (WA), is part of a leading Australian ASX-listed company, Wesfarmers Limited.WesCEF is a major contributor to the mining, energy, and agricultural sectors, creating products and offering services that support and power some of WA’s largest and most valuable industries. Its portfolio of nine industrial businesses operates in domestic, national and international markets. Its businesses include CSBP, Kleenheat, EVOL LNG, Australian Vinyls and ModWood. It also holds a 75% stake in AGR and a 50% stake in both Queensland Nitrates Pty Ltd (QNP) and Covalent Lithium.

WesCEF services over 250,000 customers across 25 export markets worldwide and employs approximately 1,500 people. Its businesses are recognised as safe, reliable and innovative organisations that are leaders in their respective industries.

WesCEF’s people are central to its success and its greatest asset. Its values of Integrity, Collaboration, Customer Focus, and Accountability form the backbone of the organisation’s culture. These values are role-modelled and reinforced at every stage of the employee life cycle through recruitment, onboarding, performance, reward programs, development, and leadership competency frameworks.

The average tenure at WesCEF is eight years for employees and ten years for leaders. Thirty-four per cent of employees at WesCEF have a tenure of more than 10 years, and 9% have a tenure of more than 20 years. This is a great achievement in a broader industry context of high competition for skilled employees and a booming resources sector in WA.

WesCEF enjoys strong employee satisfaction and promotes a culture of learning for all employees. It focuses on safety, sustainability, customers and community, which also contributes to a collaborative and caring culture. Ensuring the safety of team members, protecting the environment, investing in local communities and strengthening diversity and inclusion are key focus areas that underscore WesCEF’s operations. Its connection to WA and local communities is also unique, as the company contributes significant revenue to the state, creates local jobs, and supports local communities.

WesCEF has a number of education, training and development programs on offer to allow its employees to achieve their potential, optimise individual and business performance, ensure ongoing safety and regulatory compliance, and continually improve the business across all aspects of its operations. A large part of WesCEF’s employee education, training and development programs centre around its technical and core safety competency framework to ensure people are skilled and competent to undertake their role safely.

WesCEF has robust Remuneration and Performance Development Review systems in place to support its employees’ achievement of their best and ensure fair and consistent practices across its businesses. This includes a rigorous process and approvals for job evaluations, which determine pay ranges, annual salary reviews, and bonus allocations.

All WesCEF employees can be recognised for their contribution through the WesCEF Thanks Awards. In addition, teams regularly organise their own events, including morning teas and barbeques, to recognise the contribution of team members throughout the year.

WesCEF also offers its employees a range of different benefits, including allocation of Wesfarmers shares, employee discounts, free flu vaccinations, education assistance, paid parental leave, and salary sacrifice opportunities.

Health and safety are also priorities at WesCEF. The organisation has established goals to ensure a workplace that is free of injury and adverse health impacts; operates to minimise the risk to employees, the public, and the environment; and is acknowledged as best practice in the manufacture of safe chemicals and fertiliser and gas distribution and service. WesCEF has led to a culture with a strong adherence to safety standards, reporting hazards, and ensuring its people feel safe, secure, and supported in speaking up when they see things that could potentially jeopardise their safety or that of their colleagues. This strategy is supported by a range of procedures and initiatives that focus on high-potential risk management, personal protective equipment, mental health and wellbeing, supplier and contractor safety, and community safety. WesCEF regularly communicates its safety performance and initiatives to employees and stakeholders and has developed an excellent, open hazard reporting culture.

WesCEF also prioritises employee mental wellbeing. As such, it has programs and initiatives to help develop and maintain a work environment conducive to its employees’ and key stakeholders’ wellbeing, motivation, and satisfaction.

WesCEF is committed to being an employer of choice and has developed policies, procedures, programs, and a culture based on ensuring a safe, positive, and inclusive work environment that is reflective of the diverse communities in which it operates.

For information about WesCEF, visit wescef.com.au