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At RBC, employees pursue a career and a cause

Andrea Barrack, senior VP, corporate citizenship & ESG and Mohamed Zaki, senior relationship manager, commercial financial services, at RBC. Provided

When RBC introduced its new global RBC Communities Together Fund (CTF), Mohamed Zaki says he knew right away he wanted to get involved. He immediately forwarded the message to colleagues to share his excitement.

One of Canada’s largest corporate donors, RBC provides multiple ways for employees to get involved and make charitable donations to help their communities. The CTF initiative features both funding and volunteering while putting employees in the driver’s seat.

A CTF project starts with at least three employees forming a team and identifying a local community partner. Next, they meet with the partner to determine needs and how they can help. If the needs are pressing and tangible, the team can submit an application to RBC for a $1,500 grant for the charity.

“I found CTF very appealing because employees can choose to support a charity that they feel a strong connection to,” says Zaki, senior relationship manager, commercial financial services. “I also appreciated its clear guidelines and flexible structure.”

Andrea Barrack, senior vice-president, corporate citizenship, environmental, social and governance, says CTF offers new possibilities for engaging with RBC’s purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper. For starters, it can help unlock the potential of local charities and foster stronger community connections.

“Large corporate donors typically work with the larger, well-known charities,” Barrack says. “Our employees’ knowledge and understanding of their communities opens the door to smaller charities serving local needs.”

That was the case for Zaki who was eager to partner with a charity serving Toronto’s LGBTQ+ community. “I come from a culture where there is no support for the LGBTQ+ community so this is a cause that I’m quite keen to support,” he says.

After considering two well-established charities, Zaki and his team chose Friends of Ruby. A relative newcomer, it supports all gender nonconforming youth aged 16 to 29 with free counselling, social services and housing in a purpose-built transitional home in the downtown Toronto core.

Team members, including both allies and LGBTQ+ community members, participated in two volunteer events, helping sort donated clothing and packaging over 80 free hot meals. The charity used the $1,500 grant to buy gender-affirming garments to help trans and non-binary youth dress in a way that affirms their identity.

“Friends of Ruby is a smaller organization that’s not well-known but is doing great things,” says Zaki. “We were their first corporate volunteers on site and it makes me proud that RBC gave us the opportunity to support them.”

One unanticipated, but welcome, feature of the CTF is its agility. “The wildfires in Atlantic Canada brought this to light,” says Barrack. “Employees throughout the region wanted to help their friends and neighbours and very quickly put teams together,” she says. “We were able to offer rapid, on-the-ground support for disaster relief and recovery.”

All told, employee teams in the Atlantic region and British Columbia led 35 CTF projects, funneling $52,500 directly to communities that were hit hard during their respective 2023 wildfire seasons.

The CTF, in fact, has proven widely popular. In the first 10 months after it launched in January 2023, more than 2,800 employees in six countries completed 889 projects, helping 822 charities and racking up some 13,600 volunteer hours.

Barrack connects the dots between that uptake and the fact that it’s RBC’s people that drive each CTF project. “Employees,” she says, “increasingly want to work for an organization with values that align with their own.”

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Global News: Caribbean cruise rewards for top workers: Pinnacle of recognition or ‘carbon bomb’?

This article was originally published on Global News by Jamyar Razavi & Andrew McIntosh

Big banks and other financial services companies may need to reconsider recognition of top employees with ‘carbon bomb’ cruises.

Canada’s biggest bank,  RBC , and other lenders may want to reconsider how they reward top performing employees with air travel and luxury cruises, critics say.

That’s because such trips generate significant carbon emissions, which critics, including others in the financial sector, say are at odds with many banks stated climate goals.

Fifteen hundred top performers from RBC were flown to the Caribbean in January on an eight-night all-inclusive luxury cruise aboard a large ship, according to social media posts by participating bank employees.

Pinnacle of employee recognition or ‘carbon bomb’?

The cruises are considered the “pinnacle of employee recognition” for RBC staff from around the world, a now retired RBC regional president said in a LinkedIn posting in 2019.

But such employee recognition programs are also triggering discussion and debate among environmentalists, corporate trip planners and top investment bankers.

Richard Brooks, of Stand.earth , whose non-profit group tracks the climate bona fides of the country’s big banks, likens the RBC flights and at-sea voyage to “a carbon bomb cruise.”

RBC declined to comment on the carbon intensity of its cruise rewards, but said such trips are “an important way for RBC to recognize and reward a select number of employees whose efforts have made an exemplary and positive impact for our clients, communities and colleagues during the past year.”

RBC spokesman Andrew Block also said the cruises offered “a learning and development opportunity.” He did not elaborate.

Brooks thinks RBC and other big banks and financial services companies who offer such trips should reconsider them, saying what was considered “normal behavior” 5, 10 or 30 years ago may no longer be appropriate amid a climate crisis.

Like many corporations, RBC calls itself a  climate leader , and sees its role as “helping our clients reduce their emissions and achieve their climate goals,” according to its website.  The bank describes its own climate actions in  an annual report.

But Brooks suggests big banks like RBC must go further than helping their clients and look at how they spend their own money more closely.

“It’s a practice that several of the banks do,” Brooks said of the cruises and trip rewards. “There’s insurance companies that we’re aware of. We found out, also do similar types of things. It’s really speaking out of both sides of their mouths,” Brooks said.

Cruising’s economic power and carbon footprint

Cruising, as it turns out, is both a global economic powerhouse but one of the most carbon-intensive types of travel,  according to Bryan Comer , an analyst with the International Council on Clean Transportation, and numerous other analyses, including from Bloomberg News and emissions tracking firm Climate TRACE.

Globally, the cruise industry says it generates over $150 billion in economic activity a year, supporting 1.17 million jobs paying more than $50 billion in salaries and wages, according to the Cruise Lines International Association, the industry’s main group.

But most cruise ships still burn a form of bunker fuel that spews what’s known as ‘black carbon.’ This substance accelerates global warming by trapping more heat on the ground. It also can form deposits over snow and ice, accelerating glacier melt.

Newer-generation cruise liners are better and burn liquified natural gas, which is about 25 per cent cleaner than bunker fuels.

This includes the new and world’s largest cruise ship, the Icon of the Seas, whose maiden voyage sailed from Miami on January 27. RBC staffers were on a different luxury cruise ship.

Burning liquified gas to power a cruise ship can, in turn, release methane, which is a much more potent gas than carbon dioxide when it comes to global warming, according to Environment  Canada  and the  US Environmental Protect Agency .

The cruise industry, though, says methane slips are being tightly monitored.

Mackinzie McFarland, a spokesperson for Cruise Line International Association, pointed to research from SEA-LNG, a group that advocates for decarbonizing the shipping industry, that concluded that methane slip “levels have fallen four-fold since the early 2000s.”

McFarland also pointed out that gas, more commonly known as liquified natural gas, is still the cleanest, widely-available fuel.

The cruise industry says it is changing its polluting ways and improving operations, pointing out, for example, how modern cruise ships convert waste to energy, or how next-generation cruise ships are 20 to 25 per cent more efficient than their older counterparts.

In 2021, Pacific Northwest ports that cater to cruise ships sailing in Vancouver, B.C., and Seattle, unveiled a cross-border pact to cut emissions. Measures include more electric plug-in facilities in ports so ships can use short electric power and turn off their bunker fuel engines.

Luggage and food loading vehicles are also increasingly electric, instead of gas-powered.

None of those improvements, though, considers the fact that most cruise passengers fly to ports of departure and back, boosting emissions to carbon-heavy adventures.

Changing culture for corporate giveaways

Marie-France Lajoie, the founder and president of Montreal-based Zeste Incentive, says her corporate customers are much more attuned to their environmental footprint than in years past. In many cases, their own employees are pressuring management to be more environmentally-focused.

She personally doesn’t recommend cruises to clients and sees them less in her world since she learned how much pollution and carbon emissions they can generate.

“I’m not throwing stones at anybody. I travel, and I fly. We are providing memories and experiences that people don’t have every day and sometimes you have to leave the country for them,” Lajoie said.

Yet Lajoie said more of her clients are seeking less carbon-intensive outings. Though she offers snowmobiling trips in her mix, she now offers traditional dog sledding adventures in the Laurentians. Or bike trips through the Niagara wine country in Ontario.

“We are doing more activities that pollute less, like electric boat outings, hiking and e-bike trips, and fewer car rentals,” she said. “I think you can reconcile the two. Still have reward trips, but also make them more green.”

If  foreign travel is involved, Lajoie said corporations can now add corporate social responsibility components locally with tree planting and community park and garden work..

RBC’S response 

In a written statement to Global News, RBC spokesman Andrew Block stated: “As part of our commitment to doing our part in addressing climate change, RBC has established goals to reduce emissions associated with our operations, including travel. We’ve committed to sourcing 100% of our electricity from renewable and non-emitting sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our operations by 70% by 2025.”

What other banks and credit unions are doing

RBC is not the only large financial services company that flies people on lavish corporate getaways to incentivize staff to deliver top sales and operational performances. So, Global News asked other major Canadian banks whether they also offer cruise rewards.

Laurentian Bank used to offer cruises for employee performances, but stopped the practice “at least 10 years ago,” spokesperson Merick Seguin said.

“We conducted a review and asked ourselves whether this was the best way to reward our staff after considering several factors. We decided to go towards different ways of recognizing the work of our employees,” Seguin said. That includes special training workers covet, depending on the bank unit they work in.

“Air travel is reserved for business needs,” Seguin added.

National Bank of Canada (NBC) said it plans to reduce its emissions 25% by 2025, through energy efficiency initiatives and unspecified policies governing employee travel. The bank would neither confirm nor deny it offers cruises. “Nothing to add,” spokeswoman Stephanie Rousseau replied when asked.

Vancity Credit Union stated its business has focused on people and the planet “long before ESG was common parlance.” It said it does not offer rewards like cruises or vacations to its employees, saying its rewards program is “entirely financially based.”

“All employees share in the success of our business annually through our profit-sharing rewards program,” Vancity spokesperson Shannon Miller said. “Some roles, such as mortgage brokers or wealth advisors, have incentive plans tied to revenue targets – those incentive programs also lead to financial rewards.”

Maggie Hall, a spokesperson for Equitable Bank, said the lender “doesn’t segregate top performing employees from others with incentivization like corporate outings, vacations or team-building exercises, nor do we offer reward packages with this kind of incentivization.”

Team-building exercises for its business are always local, she said.

TD Bank responded, but declined to say if its offers flights and cruises. Other majors, including BMO, CIBC, and Scotiabank, didn’t respond to our queries.

Changing the culture 

Tom Rand, an independent investment manager and founder of ArcTern Ventures in Toronto, has written three books explaining the ways the global economy should and can be decoupled from highly-polluting sources of energy.

Rand says all of us must now change how we think and act about the environment – and the RBC cruise example simply demonstrates how oil and gas are so intricately woven into our everyday lives, to the point that most people don’t even think about it.

“It’s easy to point fingers at big bad banks and say ‘there’s a problem,’ but we all consume fossil fuels,” Rand says.  “This is not about villains and heroes. This is about how all of us are complicit in the problem and we all need to think about what leadership means.”

Big trips ‘tricky’ for employers

Jana Tulloch, Founder and CEO of Tulloch Consulting, a human resources consulting firm, said big trips as incentive awards for top performers are tricky for employers.

Both younger and older workers have climate change “foremost in their mind as a really critical issue that must be addressed,” she said, but not everyone shares that view.

“You can go from an individual who thinks that a trip like this is great because, you know, it’s a nice and free trip. ‘I get to go on a cruise’,” said Tulloch, based in Vancouver.  “And then another individual who would just be kind of really abhorred about the idea of that and what it can do to our environment and not be supportive of it. ”

Tulloch said urges clients to think about broader branding and employees’ views when considering recognition rewards to ensure people practices match company values.

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Royal Caribbean recruiting up to 10K workers in 2024 to meet record cruise demand

R oyal Caribbean is looking to recruit as many as 10,000 workers worldwide this year to staff its ships and private destinations as demand for ocean cruises hits fresh records.

The number of people taking cruises hit an all-time high in 2023, and with the surge in demand and larger vessels, labor needs are growing.

Tourism boards and port operators from around the world said Royal Caribbean — which already has a workforce of close to 100,000 — is looking to hire worldwide.

The company confirmed to Reuters that it’s anticipating hiring around 10,000 workers this year.

According to the company’s annual filing, its sea-based workforce last year — which comprises of staffers on its cruise ships — totaled about 88,700 employees, 6% lower than the year prior.

The giant’s land-based workforce, meanwhile — which is comprised primarily of port operations and corporate office roles — including at its private destinations consisted of approximately 9,500 full-time employees in 2023, up 17% from the year prior.

“The recruiting strategy follows the business strategy of moderate capacity growth,” a company spokesperson told Reuters.

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) in April was reportedly approached by Royal Caribbean in regards to recruitment and hiring, a request it hadn’t received in the past, said Natasha Chalwell, BVI Port Authority marketing director.

But the cruise giant isn’t only focused on the Caribbean: The company also approached West Africa’s Gambia Tourism Board in April with an interest in hiring more workers, a spokesperson said.

For reference, Royal Caribbean currently employs about 700 workers from the nation, which is the smallest on mainland Africa.

Royal Caribbean’s influx in hiring comes at a time when it’s adding three new ships to its fleet, the company rep added.

Earlier this year, the company debuted the world’s largest cruise ship, dubbed Icon of the Seas .

The $2 billion behemoth reportedly  lived up to the over-the-top  hype surrounding its launch, which included buzz that it spans 20 stories and boasts eight distinct neighborhoods.

Icon of the Seas can accommodate nearly 10,000 passengers and crew at full capacity, who are invited to enjoy a 17,000-square-foot on-board water park or book an upscale reservation at the 38-seat Empire Supper Club, an eight-course dinner complete with cocktail pairings and live jazz. 

All the while, the gargantuan ship is sailing on week-long itinteraries from Miami to Caribbean destinations like Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis and Cozumel, Mexico, among others.

Come July, Utopia of the Seas is scheduled to sail every Friday and Monday from Port Canaveral, Fla., to Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas. 

The forthcoming ship can accommodate 5,668 guests at capacity and offers 21 dining options, five pools, a zip line, ice-skating rink, basketball court and two rock-climbing walls.

Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, meanwhile, is anticipated to set sail in the summer of 2025.

The company’s website touts the ship as having “over 40 ways to dine and drink,” plus “six record-breaking waterslides” and “seven splashy pools.”

Royal Caribbean said its bookings hit a record in the first quarter of 2024, boosting quarterly revenue to $3.73 billion, up 29%.

At the same time, the Miami-based company’s stock price has doubled over the past year to hit a new record.

Exclusive: Royal Caribbean recruiting thousands to meet surging demand

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I'm a CEO who ran my company from a cruise ship for a month. It requires a lot of discipline, but I'd do it again.

• Tony Fernandes, CEO of UEGroup, managed his company from a cruise ship for 21 days.
• Fernandes experienced challenges with slow internet and communication but found workable solutions.
• Despite the hurdles, he finds value in being offline at times and plans to continue cruising.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tony Fernandes, a 60-year-old founder and CEO of UEGroup based in San Francisco, about his experience working remotely on a cruise ship. It's been edited for length and clarity.

My wife and I are in the post-kid, post-pet phase of our lives. Our kids have gone off to college and we had a beloved dog and house rabbits that have passed away. After they passed, that really opened up a window for us to travel — and we did — but extended travel is new for us.

In November, I embarked on a trip where I spent several weeks leading my company from a cruise ship with my wife. We ultimately circumnavigated the globe on two different cruises and with air travel. Leaving California, we went through Europe, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan.

It's been a cool experience. But I found that while working on the ship , you do need some discipline — especially on a 21-day cruise.

You have to create a time for work and a time for play

We didn't realize it, but when we upgraded our internet, it upgraded our drinks package. So, it turned out we could get bottles of Moët & Chandon Champagne for free.

We had a couple of lunches and dinners where we enjoyed Champagne , but we also developed a rhythm where we had work time and playtime. It wasn't rigid — but there were times when my wife, who does finance at UEGroup, and I knew we had to get things done.

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Working can set you apart from people who are on vacation. That doesn't mean you can't work in your bathing suit or have a beer before you start your work, but it puts you on a slightly different footing than some of the other people on the cruise.

Expect very slow internet service

One thing I didn't realize prior to the trip was that the cruise ship had only one satellite connection shared by thousands of people. The internet was oppressively slow at times.

For our next long trip, I'm looking into getting a data satellite phone so I can put an antenna on my patio facing the right direction for the satellite. I've still got to figure it out, but there were times when it was really important for us to communicate, and we couldn't.

We're now very mistrustful of statements the cruise lines make about the quality of their internet. For example, we upgraded our Internet, but it turned out the cruise line's definition of upgrading was that we could have more than one device, not that there was any better speed or reliability. You've got to read the fine print about how they define an upgrade.

I would also recommend asking what kind of download and upload speeds to expect.

Create a backup plan for meetings and other communication challenges

Internet access can be unpredictable even with research and planning ahead, so we had backup people for important meetings back at the office. If we weren't able to show up, there was someone prepared with the slide deck. I can't say it didn't create awkward moments at times — and it is one of the downsides — but you can plan for it the best you can.

When my wife was dealing with a bank and needed to get a two-factor authentication code without working SMS, there wasn't much she could do. So, that was a challenge as well.

At some points, I was forced to go ashore and buy SIM cards to leverage local cell service, but this requires research. Depending on the country there might only be one cellphone service that works there, or you might be able to get SIM card brands that work for a larger area.

Being offline can end up being a good thing

I find it hard to be offline, but because the connectivity was so bad sometimes, it just forced it to happen. We were in the middle of nowhere, and it wasn't going to change. In a way, being offline was good because I could just tune out.

My wife and I plan to cruise more in the future and even recently bought a home in Portugal near a cruise port that we're going to commute to using cruises as much as possible.

When we did the math, taking a cruise from California to Portugal was less than two business-class air travel tickets. Plus, you get meals, entertainment, and no jet lag — it seems like the way to go.

If you live or work on a cruise ship and would like to share your story, please email [email protected] .

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