With energy employers competing for experienced field talent, they may be overlooking one of their most important retention tools: benefits designed around how their people actually live and work.
Energy companies run on people working in very different settings: head offices, regional operations centres, remote sites and camps.
For those in the field, that can mean 12-hour shifts, two weeks in camp, a rotational schedule or being hundreds of kilometres from family.
Yet employees working in very different conditions are often given remarkably similar plans.
For energy companies trying to attract and retain experienced operators, tradespeople, supervisors and other field personnel, that disconnect deserves more attention.
Research into fly-in/fly-out workers in Alberta’s oil sands has documented the pressures associated with rotational work, including long shifts, camp living, isolation, time away from family and demanding work environments. The University of Alberta’s Mobile Work and Mental Health study also identified a need for broader, more flexible and trusted mental health resources for these workers.
That makes employee benefits more than just an HR line item. For a field-based workforce, how benefits can actually be accessed may be just as important as what appears in the benefits booklet itself.
Consider a worker halfway through a 14-day rotation.
They may have extended shifts, limited privacy, an irregular sleep schedule, and few opportunities to attend appointments during traditional business hours.
A mental-health benefit may look generous on paper. But can that employee access confidential counselling remotely after their shift? Is virtual care available when and where they need it? Is the process simple enough that someone working long days will actually use it?
The same question can be asked about paramedical services, prescription coverage, disability support, health spending accounts and family resources.
A benefit that is difficult to use isn’t necessarily much of a benefit.
And mental health deserves particular attention.
The Canadian Mental Health Association has highlighted the unique challenges facing energy workers who fly in and out of remote locations, including stress, loneliness, strained relationships and barriers that can prevent workers from seeking support.
For employers, that creates an opportunity to rethink benefits around accessibility, flexibility and the realities of the workforce, rather than simply comparing premiums and coverage maximums.
Calgary-based benefits advisor WellnFlex argues that benefit programs should begin with the organization and its employees rather than a standard package.
Its approach includes assessing workforce needs, company objectives and budgets before designing programs that can combine traditional health, dental, vision, life and disability coverage with health or flexible spending accounts, retirement programs and wellness solutions.
That philosophy becomes particularly relevant in energy, where one company can have executives in Calgary, operations personnel in Grande Prairie, and crews rotating through remote sites.
Those employees may not value, or even access, benefits in the same way.
Every one of those roles is essential. Field operations depend on the engineers, logistics, finance and HR teams supporting them, and a well-designed plan should serve all of them in ways that fit how they work.
The objective isn’t necessarily to spend more. It’s to make existing benefits dollars work harder by directing them toward coverage and services employees can realistically use.
That distinction could become increasingly important as experienced field personnel evaluate employers on more than hourly rates or salaries.
We can all agree that compensation will always matter. But so does what happens when a worker needs help at 9 p.m. in camp, when their family needs support while they’re away, or when the accumulated strain of rotational work starts following them home.
For energy employers reviewing their workforce strategy, perhaps the better question isn’t simply, “How competitive is our benefits package?”
It’s: “Would our benefits still feel competitive if we had to use them from a remote worksite?”
That may be the question worth asking before the people who keep your operations running start asking it themselves.
Is your current benefits plan built around the way your workforce actually works?
Talk with WellnFlex about reviewing your current program and identifying where it may be falling short for your employees, wherever they work.
Start the conversation with WellnFlex
WellnFlex is an independent, Calgary-based employee benefits and retirement advisor helping Alberta businesses build plans that fit their people. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all products, WellnFlex provides clear, transparent guidance and acts as a long-term partner, with responsive service, honest advice, and proactive plan reviews that keep benefits aligned with employee needs, legislation, and business growth.
Learn more at https://wellnflex.com/contact-us/
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