Saint-Thomas and Saint-Félicien sawmills intern Gabrielle Gauthier’s second blogpost
Hi all,
For my second blogpost, I’d like to share with you something that I take a personal interest in: the place of women at Resolute Forest Products. I had always heard that wood processing facilities were reserved for men and that women weren’t welcome. But, since I joined Resolute as an intern, I can confirm that quite the opposite is true. I’ve come to the realization that the sawmill environment has been adapted for women and that they enjoy working there. Women are even choosing to pursue careers in the wood products industry, and I think that’s an extraordinary step forward.
So today I’ve decided to share with you the story of three inspiring women I encounter every day at the Saint-Thomas sawmill. The first is a student, the second is an electronics technician and the third is an administrative assistant. They all wanted to share their stories and daily lives as women working at Resolute, and that’s what you’ll discover in reading this blogpost.
Introducing Cloé Perreault
Cloé is studying humanities at Cégep and chose to spend the summer working with us at Resolute. She was hired over two months ago and has been working as an entry level mill labour ever since. For Cloé, Resolute is a bit of a family affair. Her father works for the company and her sister also worked here as a student, and that’s what inspired her to apply. She had heard only positive feedback about working here as a student; her sister loved the environment and had very good working conditions.
In recent weeks, Cloé has been training at the packaging station on the production line in order to fill in for employees on vacation and she’s delighted with her job. At the start of each shift, she puts on her individual protective equipment (hard hat, safety glasses and gloves), does her risk analyses, goes to her station, checks her equipment and starts work. She is responsible for the end of the process, so her role is critical to ensure customers receive a quality product. She also carries out housekeeping of the premises so that everything is kept clean, operational and safe.
Cloé likes having a physical job that always involves doing or thinking about something. The days zoom by. When I asked Cloé what she liked most about her job at Resolute, she immediately said there was a great working atmosphere that she really enjoyed. Her colleagues help one another out, and no matter who she works with, she always feels supported by colleagues who have more experience. Cloé wants to continue working at Resolute as a student because she feels comfortable here, she has good working conditions and she has opportunities to advance despite her student status.
Introducing Mélanie Fortin
Mélanie is an electronics technician who has worked for Resolute for more than two years. She always had Resolute in her sights, because she thought it was a good company that would enable her to come back to the region. For Mélanie, it all began when she was still in school and was looking for an internship to complete her diploma of collegial studies. She hadn’t seen any internship postings at Resolute, but after several attempts she was finally hired as an intern and she has never left.
Mélanie told me in an interview that she has always felt comfortable at the sawmill, where she enjoys excellent working conditions and an unmatched work atmosphere. She doesn’t have a set routine because every day is different. She starts every morning by checking her emails to determine what needs to be done during her shift; her work involves carrying out preventive maintenance for all the departments at the facility and evaluating the operation of certain sawmill equipment. The rest of the time, Mélanie serves as a backup, such as when a breakdown occurs at the sawmill or when a motor has to be changed. She is always busy and in the thick of things, but she still receives a lot of help from her fellow mechanics. She finds her job at Resolute fulfilling, as she is part of a large team made up of different personalities, but with all of them working to achieve their goals. She also enjoys being close to home and says Resolute is a place where women can pursue a career and gain relevant experience in the forest products industry.
Introducing Caroline Gilbert
Caroline has been with Resolute for more than five years. She works as an Administrative Assistant at the Saint-Thomas sawmill. She was delighted to be able to join the team in a position that was directly related to her field of study and also to find a job close to home.
Caroline’s work involves a little bit of everything. She serves as the right hand for the sawmill’s human resources, management personnel and production supervisors and is also involved in health and safety management. Specifically, she manages benefits, tracks compliance with the annual budget, and manages hiring and employee mobility along with the sawmill’s HR Supervisor. In an interview, she told me that she felt she was part of a big, wonderful family at Resolute, which makes it easier to achieve her professional goals. She feels it’s a company that truly cares about the well-being of its employees and she appreciates that very much. As a young mother, she greatly appreciates her job flexibility and she firmly believes that once this stage of her life is over, she’ll be able to develop and grow within the Company. Caroline intends to pursue her career at Resolute because she feels at home here as a woman, she sees opportunities for personal growth and she has good working conditions and benefits.
Caroline has been with Resolute for more than five years. She was delighted to join the Saint-Thomas team as administrative assistant, a position that was directly related to her field of study and also to find a job close to home.
Caroline’s work involves a little bit of everything. She serves as the right hand to the sawmill’s human resources department, management team and production supervisors and is also involved in on-site health and safety management. Specifically, she manages benefits, tracks compliance with the annual budget, and manages hiring and employee mobility along with the sawmill’s HR supervisor. In an interview, she told me that she felt she was part of a big, wonderful family at Resolute, which makes it easier to achieve her professional goals. She feels it’s a company that truly cares about the well-being of its employees and she appreciates that very much. As a young mother, she greatly appreciates her job flexibility and she firmly believes that once this stage of her life is over, she’ll be able to develop and grow within the company. Caroline intends to pursue her career at Resolute because she feels at home here as a woman, she sees opportunities for professional growth and she has good working conditions and benefits.
In short, I hope this blogpost has shed some light on the place of women in the forest products industry in 2020. I also hope you enjoyed the story of these three women; they all have different jobs and backgrounds, but all have Resolute tattooed on their hearts.
Thanks for reading and see you soon!
Gabrielle Gauthier
