High performance

Helping employees reach their fullest potential is job number one for Michael Sandaluk.

As a human resources advisor with Shell Canada, he is responsible for finding and retaining the best and the brightest workers in upwards of 650 positions at the Scotford upgrader and refinery near Fort Saskatchewan.

Growing up, Michael was undecided about what he wanted to do with his life. That is, until he spoke to others in the personnel field and saw what they did. “I knew I wanted to be in a job where I got to work with people, and HR seemed like a perfect fit,” recalls the 28-year old.

To make that dream a reality, Michael went to the University of Alberta, graduating in 2001 with a major in psychology and a minor in classics.

After a brief stint at Coca-Cola, he joined the Shell HR team in 2004 where he has found his niche. Michael’s job of attracting a broad range of employees is made easier by the benefits Shell provides: a strong total compensation including pay and pension benefits, a career with continuous learning and development opportunities as well as an exceptional work environment emphasizing the highest values of diversity, ethics and personal responsibility. He proudly points out that Shell Canada was named by Macleans Magazine as one of the top 100 employers in Canada.

At home in Sherwood Park, Michael enjoys time with his wife Colleen—a 2004 Sizzler—and their two young children. He is also an active volunteer for the United Way, and the Cross Cancer Institute, explaining that “…although nobody in my family has died from cancer, it’s an illness that affects so many other people that I wanted to help as much as I could.”

For Michael, Shell Scotford isn’t only about upgrading and refining bitumen from Alberta’s oilsands, but also about upgrading and refining the skill sets and values of its employees—part of his mission for his colleagues and his goals for himself. √

Photo by Teresa Wallsten