PREDA: Best Practices to Attract & Retain Employees in Northern Alberta by Smart Marketing & Communications

BEST PRACTICES to Attract & Retain Employees in Northern Alberta

“We have younger employees and often today’s youth want schedules that allow them ﬂexibility – it’s a reality today.”

Contents Message from the Chair

Develop an Attraction and Retention Strategy

Employment Rates

Introduction

Some Big Examples

Why Employees Leave

Northern Alberta Perks

Northern Alberta Challenges

Developing Your Own Strategy

Getting Creative

Other Strategies

Message from the Chair The Peace region of Alberta is home to vibrant and growing communities. Our abundance of resources and the work ethic and enthusiasm of our people will ensure our communities long term sustainable growth. Our major challenge, however, remains finding employees to fill the positions created by all the new and growing commodity developments and the commercial and retail growth that happens alongside these developments. Northern Alberta is a wonderful place to call home. Our abundant outdoor recreational opportunities, our beautiful skies, our friendly people and our quality of life are great benefits of living in the Peace region. Despite all these benefits, many employers find it challenging to find employees. Perceptions of life, in particular with regard to the weather, in northern Alberta and some misconceptions about “rural” life can make it difficult to attract people up north. The challenge is even greater for employers offering jobs in retail and hospitality, were the wages simply cannot compete with the commodity driven industries. While this will always

remain a challenge there are things employers can do and can offer to their workers that may offset the wage difference. Numerous studies have shown that wages, while very important, are not the only factor employees consider when seeking employment. Today’s generation is equally attracted by flexibility, both in work schedules and work location. Other workers are looking for unique and innovative perks that simplify their already hectic lives as well as perks that make the workplace a more enjoyable place to be; perks such as free coffee, merchandise discounts and employee socials. Surprisingly not all perks need to cost the employer a lot of money; some simply require a little innovation and flexibility from the employer. We have compiled some ideas, some from northern employers and some from around the globe. All the ideas are worth considering. More importantly, we hope this will get employers thinking about what they could be offering and doing to make their workplace, a workplace of choice. – Elaine Garrow, Chair PREDA

Develop an Attraction and Retention Strategy An Attraction and Retention Strategy Will Grow Your Company It can be very simple to adopt a few great strategies to attract and retain your employees. If however, you want to ensure long term success, develop a real strategy, a strategy that grows as your company does and changes to meet the demands of your employees. Take the time to calculate what costs you incur through lost productivity, advertising for new employees, and training for new employees and over time for other employees in covering lost employees’ shifts. The cost may surprise you. The Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) at the University of California at Berkeley reports the average cost to replace an employee for all categories of workers is about $4,000. The IRLE adds that blue collar and manual workers are replaced for an average cost of $2,000, while the average cost for managerial and professional employees may be as high as $7,000.

Instead of waiting to lose your next employee spend some time drafting what your strategy will look like, allocate some dollars to it and don’t forget to engage your employees in the development process. Don’t forget to include some strategies that cost nothing. In the case of offering training for employees, look to provincial and federal grants that may offset your costs. Look at opportunities where you can cost share incentives with employees. Items such as RSP or RESP contributions can be based on a 50/50 cost share with a maximum cap each year. And if you are afraid of losing your employees because you trained them remember you’ll likely lose them if you don’t. Employee retention and attraction should be as integral a component of running your business as accounting practices, merchandise handling and customer service. Employee retention and attraction requires effort and planning. Despite the potential costs of implementing a successful strategy the benefits will out way them.

Engage your employees to help you with problems or portions of problems you need to solve in your business, and give them greater responsibilities - the longer they stay with your company.

Employment rate, by region, 2012 (percent) Source: Statistics Canada. Table 282-0002 - Labour force survey estimates (LFS), by sex and detailed age group, annual (persons unless otherwise noted), CANSIM (database).

CAN

61.8

53.9

60.4

58.4

56.6

60.0

61.3

65.4

66.2

70.0

60.6

Introduction to Attracting & Retaining Employees According to a recent study on employee loyalty by Monster, a leading online job search website, 82% of employees surveyed stated they had updated their resumes within the past six months. Moreover, an incredible 59% say they are looking for a job “all the time.” This crisis in employee retention and attraction is likely no more prevalent in Canada than in northern Alberta which boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the country and simultaneously is beneﬁtting from the strongest economic growth. Economic indicators, the surge of oil production and the movement of crude-on-rail will likely ensure the northern employment crisis will not lessen anytime soon. Northern Alberta is the economic driver of the Province of Alberta as well as Canada. According to the Northern Alberta Development Council’s (NADC) report Northern Contributions to Alberta and Canada, the region is estimated to have produced approximately 17% or $41 billion of Alberta’s total GDP in 2011.

Approximately 30% of all capital investment in Alberta during the 2005 to 2012 period took place in the north and in 2008 northern Alberta produced approximately one quarter, or $13 billion, of the goods and services exported by Alberta to the rest of Canada. In 2011 corporate Income taxes from northern Alberta totaled approximately $611 million provincially and $922 federally. Meanwhile, taxes and royalties from within NADC region currently accounts for approximately 17% of the total revenue collected by the provincial government. This figure is expected to rise to 30% by the 2014-15 fiscal year. What makes these numbers even more relevant is that northern Alberta, as defined by the NADC, makes up just nine percent of the provincial population. The employee crisis in northern Alberta ranges from the unskilled to highly professional positions, whether that be a chambermaid at a local hotel or a mining engineer at a coal mine, the crisis is real and it is long term.

Northern Alberta employers found short term relief through the temporary foreign worker program, however recent changes to that program by the federal government means that this will soon no longer be an option for employers. Employee retention and attraction is proving a huge headache for employers who need to keep warm bodies in seats and in particular A-players in place to achieve business goals. The pressure is even greater for small and start-up businesses, which often compete for talent against larger organizations with more resources that don’t hesitate to use their financial advantage to lure employees away. Certainly employee compensation or wages is a factor – but when it comes to keeping and attracting employees, there are other benefits and programs offered by some of the larger employers that make a difference; benefits and programs even small and start-up companies can offer.

Big Examples of Innovative Ways to Attract & Retain Employees Attracting and retaining employees in northern Alberta has its own unique challenges. Northern Alberta, like northern regions of other Canadian provinces, has the challenge of overcoming people’s perception of life in the north. Northern regions are often perceived as having colder and snowier climates. Traditionally northern and rural communities often lack many of the quality of life attractions, many people prefer to have close at hand. And perhaps the biggest obstacle to attracting people is the growing surge of people’s preferences to live in larger urban settings.

Many northern municipalities and various government departments are tackling the challenge of changing people’s perception of the north. The NADC has the Opportunity North website (opportunitynorth.ca) devoted to highlighting the beneﬁts of living in northern Alberta. They also oﬀer a bursary program that requires bursary recipients to return to northern Alberta upon completion of their studies. While the program routinely sees an 80 percent plus success rate, they have limited funds to support the bursary program and consequently 8

there are a limited number of postsecondary graduates coming north. Around the world, employers are finding innovate and unique ways to attract and keep employees. While many of the perks offered by these companies come with hefty price tags, many can be modified to meet the needs of northern Alberta employers.

ZAPPOS Ten miles off the Las Vegas strip sits Zappos’ headquarters. Zappos is an online shoe company offering a fun and high-energy place with employees who actually like working there. Zappos’ employee cubicles are decorated with streamers, toys, Mardi Gras beads, and fake jungle foliage. Executives sit in what is called “monkey row”, open cubicles under a fake tree, blow up monkeys, and fake bananas; and everyone has an open door policy. • Zappos features a library stocked with inspiring books for employees and visitors alike. • Employees can take advantage of high-tech napping pods, massage chairs, and a calm and quiet room to relax in. • The company holds Weight Watchers meetings on site and has a reimbursement program and there is also an on-site fitness center that is open 24/7. • Zappos offers free salads, soups, sandwiches, fruits, drinks, ice cream, cereals, and more just waiting for hungry employees to come along. • There is a nursing room onsite for nursing mothers. • No-deductible medical coverage and all primary, routine, and preventative care are covered at 100 percent. • Employees looking at adopting or having fertility issues can receive $6,000 per year in benefits and services. • Employees receive a 40% discount at the Zappos.com website. • Zappos also hosts company paid events like a company picnic and “Take your kids to work” days. • On Halloween day, Zappos is turned into a haunted house and the employees’ children can trick or treat indoors.

Dropbox Dropbox, a popular internet data sending application, like Zappos also offers innovate and attractive employee benefits. Dropbox perks include: • Flexible hours and schedules to accommodate employees with real life obligations. In addition to paid annual holidays, each employee receives eighteen days of paid vacation. • Employees feeling under the weather are encouraged to stay home. • Dropbox is equipped with a full music studio and equipment for employees needing to burn off stress. • Dropbox also offers a games room with Starcraft, Dance Revolution, ping pong, and more. • Each and every day at work employees enjoy free breakfast, free lunch, and free dinner. Also available are free snacks and drinks. • Perks off the clock include subsidized gym and commuter programs. The company also has a shuttle service. While these two employers may not fit the norm with regard to employee perks, there are numerous other examples that are being offered across a spectrum of employers. Chicago, IL is the home of Red Frog Events. Red Frog Events headquarters is a camp themed building designed by the same architects who designed Google’s fancy and fun workplace. Some of Red Frog Events perks include: • Zip lines, a rock climbing wall, foosball tables, and adult sized trikes keep the atmosphere lighthearted and can offer a break to employees who need some down time. • Employees work from home at least one day a week.

Valve Software Another company that goes above and beyond for their employees is Valve Software. Like some of the other companies, they offer a laid-back work environment and perks that extend beyond the office. • Employees at this company can drop off their laundry at the on-site laundry service and pick them up when they are clean. • Thursdays are company lunch days, where Valve Software brings in food and everyone gets together and chats in the lunch room.

Google Perhaps the most quoted workplace with regard to employee perks is Google. The IT sector is a competitive industry that works hard to retain its brightest employees and attract the brightest employees from its competitors. Their perks include: • Google allows its employees to use up to 20 percent of their work week at Google to pursue special projects. Employees can take a full day to work on a project unrelated to their normal workload. Google claims that many of their products in Google Labs started out as pet projects in the 20 percent time program. • Google employees can take advantage of a subsidized massage program. For a small fee, the employee can receive a massage from a licensed therapist in a private room. • Google has laundry facilities available to employees on site. The company even oﬀers dry cleaning services. • Employees can schedule an on-site haircut free of charge. Don’t expect to compete with some of these larger companies. Their bottom line is likely substantially higher than most local businesses and many of the strategies can add up. What local employers can do however, is a bit of homework to help build their own strategies. As important as any attraction strategy may be, understanding why employees are moving to other employers is equally important.

Why Employees Leave Employers frequently make the mistake of focusing solely on employee attraction. Of course, this is a necessary part of keeping a healthy workforce but equally key, and often overlooked, is the need to retain the employees they already have. This requires two key strategies; understanding why existing employees stay and understanding why they leave. Most employers do regular performance reviews on their employees. This is an ideal time to review employee satisfaction – ﬁnding out what employees like about their place of employment as well as what they may not like. Surveying your employees on a regular basis allows you to establish what you are doing right and where you may need to make some improvements. Additionally, this process allows the employees to have some input into their work environment, something many employees feel is missing.

Some of the most common cited reasons for employee dissatisfaction and perhaps leaving their workplace include: • “It doesn't feel right around here." This can include any number of reasons ranging from the corporate culture, inter-oﬃce relationships and the physical working environment. • “They wouldn’t miss me if I were gone.” Many employees don’t feel personally valued by their employer. When people don’t feel engaged or appreciated, money alone will not be enough to retain them. • “I don’t get the support or the tools I need to get my job done to the best of my abilities.” Employees inherently want to do a good job; more so they want to excel. Many employees feel as though their boss does not provide them the freedom, the training or the trust required to do a good job. When 10

frustrations exceed the employee's threshold, they leave. • Lack of opportunity for advancement. Advancement can be a challenge for a smaller employer to offer; however, advancement doesn’t necessarily mean a promotion. Advancement can also mean personal and professional growth or increased responsibility. People generally want to see advancement in their work position. • Inadequate employee compensation. While money rarely comes first when employees decide whether to stay or go, people do want fair compensation. A certain percentage of people will always chase the dollar, but the majority of workers look at non-monetary reasons first. Money, however, when combined with other areas of dissatisfaction can provide the tipping point.

Employee Perks that Work in Northern Alberta While it may be a bit of a stretch for northern Alberta employers to offer perks commonly found in the likes of Google and Zappos, many employers are finding innovate and affordable ways to attract and retain employees of their own. Every year Alberta Venture Magazine runs an edition featuring the best places to work in Alberta. Their July 2013 edition awarded the City of Grande Prairie first place in the 101 to 750 employees’ category. The other finalists included Entrec, BrandAlliance and Vermilion Energy. The City of Grande Prairie has approximately 500 employees and up to 750 employees in the summer when summer crews are hired. They have a wide range of employees from executives in suits to laborers in coveralls. The City of Grande Prairie offers recreational activities such as kayaking and wall-climbing activities, sushimaking, and crafting of Valentine’s Day cards, throughout the year. But perhaps the most popular: gun shooting. One afternoon the City of Grande Prairie took the 30 staff that signed up to the Wapiti Shooters Club gun shoot. One of the city councillors brought 15 or 20 different handguns and the registered employees spent the afternoon at the gun range. Afterwards, a number of staff members became more interested and joined the club. And it didn’t end there. Later in the spring they had shotgun shooting as well. Other perks offered at the City of Grande Prairie: • Employees get bonuses (a percentage of their salary) after five and 10 years of service.

• Each employee gets a health and wellness account of $500 per year. • Training opportunities, beginning with junior supervisors. If a person starts as a junior supervisor, they can take an ‘essentials skills for supervisors’ course’. After they graduate from that, they take ‘advanced skills for supervisors,’ and then they can apply to ‘into the leadership institute.’ The leadership institute is a year – long program in which employees are encouraged to work on practical applications. The City’s efforts seem to be working. Over the past four years the city has experienced an average staff-turnover rate of just over six per cent. As for Entrec, BrandAlliance and Vermilion Energy, well their perks include: • On long weekends Entrec holds an employee barbecue. • Entrec also offers employermatched retirement contributions and restricted shares to key employees. • With operations in Canada, France, Australia and the Netherlands, Vermilion offers employees different cultural experiences through work. • BrandAlliance offers monthly massages and a treadmill with a computer so employees can exercise while working. Like the City of Grande Prairie, the Town of Rainbow Lake has an aggressive employee policy program to attract and retain employees. The remote location of Rainbow Lake requires them to be progressive to attract employees. Among many other benefits, the Town of Rainbow Lake offers:

• Travel allowances for up to four family members • Two additional days annual leave to cover travel time • A housing benefit including most utility costs • Recognition of various religious holidays Other northern municipalities also offer a variety of perks: • Northern Sunrise County has a complete fitness facility on site. • Saddle Hills County offers a child care subsidy of up to $420 per child for County employees living within the municipality. • A number of municipalities offer preference for dependants of existing employees when filling summer jobs. Like municipalities, industry in northern Alberta is also looking to new and innovate ways to attract and retain their workforce.

Challenges for Small Town Northern Alberta

Attracting employees to rural, northern Alberta is a challenge for even the largest employers. The Alberta Government offers its’ northern employees a northern benefit totalling an additional $6,000 per year as a northern bonus. While that incentive certainly helps to attract and retain people to take northern positions, it is an expense that smaller employers cannot afford.

Manning is a community of about 1400 people located three hours north of Grande Prairie and an hour north of Peace River. There is no Walmart, no year-round swimming pool, no indoor running track and no Tim Hortons. There is a pretty downtown ﬁlled with a variety of small retail stores, a movie theater, a gentle river ﬂows through town and the community is friendly and welcoming. Yet the labor shortage seems to have not had as great an impact for two local retailers.

But some employers in smaller communities seem to have found a way to keep and attract their employees. The Town of

Manning Value Drug Mart The challenge of attracting and retaining employees is exacerbated for smaller employers, in particular if you are located in a rural setting. So why does the Manning Value Drug Mart have a hiring waiting list? Well owner Kevin Albrecht says ﬂexibility is key to keeping and attracting employees.

Subway Cyril and Penny Gorman own and manage three Subway Franchises; Grimshaw, Peace River and Manning. The Manning Subway is a Subway Café model and in addition to offering the usual Subway fare they offer an extensive selection of speciality coffee second to none.

Manning Value Drug Mart has a mixture of full and part-time employees, the majority have been there long-term. “We have a number of students who work here part-time”, said Albrecht. “Many of our students are active in school sports and they need a work schedule to accommodate that.”

The Manning Subway has been open for almost three years and employs nine staﬀ, both full and part-time, many of the employees have been there since the opening of the store. So, what is the secret to attracting and retaining employees in this small rural town? Flexibility.

That accommodation may be a challenge for some employers but Albrecht deals with that upfront when hiring. “We ask upfront what their schedule is like and ensure we can accommodate that,” says Albrecht. “There are no surprises for us – we know when we hire a student that they have a speciﬁc schedule.”

“We try and cater to the employees time needs,” says Cyril. “We have younger employees and often today’s youth want schedules that allow them ﬂexibility – it’s a reality today.” Employees can ask for speciﬁc shifts and when possible, they usually end up with them. Employees can also swap shifts with other employees.

Manning Value Drug Mart offers more than flexibility. Employees at the store receive their birthdays off with pay. At Christmas time all employees get a little gift – a way of saying thank you, says Albrecht. And they treat all their employees, whether it be a cashier, an accounts clerk or a pharmacy technologist with respect. They have a company philosophy that employees embrace and it ensures them long service employees and a waiting list to work there.

The Manning franchise also holds an annual Christmas party, part of its eﬀorts to build a family atmosphere at the workplace. Other incentives include perks like free meals while working and a matching contribution to employee RSPs. “It’s all about team work,” said Cyril.

Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd Located some 20 km north of the Town of Peace River is Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd (DMI), an integrated forest products company that was first established in western Canada in 1969. DMI has become one of the top pulp producers in North America. The company employs over 600 people in British Columbia and Alberta (about 300 in Alberta) and conducts business with additional 600 woodlands, log and chip haul contractors. DMI has been in business here for some 23 years and employs a variety of workers including everything from engineers to operators, technologists to accountants, and purchasers to administrative assistants. DMI, like many forest product companies, is challenged in keeping their employees due to the ability of oil and gas companies in the region offering more lucrative salaries. In order to retain and attract employees DMI has taken their retention and attraction strategy quite serious. What hiring and retention incentives does DMI offer? • Hiring incentives including full relocations; • career transitioning with 100 percent educational funding; • a second mortgage program for those relocating to our area; • defined benefit pension plan; • flexible benefits; • four-day work weeks for administration and maintenance; • an internal scholarship program. DMI, however, also looks after the “little” things that make a big impact. Things like four BBQs a year, social events like golf and dodgeball, a computer loan program, medical travel for employees and their families, workplace aesthetics and even free coffee.

A Few More Ideas

There is no one idea that is perfect for everyone, nor is there one perfect strategy. It is important for each employer to understand their employee needs and their capacity to deliver incentives that are within their means. Some other incentives worth considering: Flexibility Flexibility can take many forms. Some employees would prefer working from home, a plausible options for some jobs. Studies show allowing workers to work from home, not only increase employee satisfaction it also increase productivity and reduces oﬀ time due to sickness.

Developing your own strategy

Regardless of the nature of employment your business offers, there are steps you need to consider in order to develop and offer strategies you can employ to not only retain your employees but to also understand why you may be losing your employees. Here some simple tips in developing your strategy. Track retention If you don’t measure it, you won’t know how you are doing and it won’t improve. If you don’t know why you are losing your employees you will not fully understand what you need to change to reverse this problem. Monitoring and questioning your long-term employees as to why they choose to stay will give you a better understanding of what your employees are looking for. Equally important is interviewing your employees that are leaving and finding out not only why they are leaving but what their new employer is offering that you are not. And if you don’t know where you stand relative to your industry, then you’re probably one of the worst. Train front line supervisors Good supervisors are crucial to retention. Know your supervisors and know what their strengths and their weaknesses are. Offer them opportunities to improve their skills, remember they need to be part of your retention strategy. Hire right in the first place This may be a challenge in northern Alberta where we are often happy to just get an applicant for our job posting. When you do get a good applicant focus on their job skills and their potential and you’ll get a better fit, which is more likely to lead to long employment tenure.

Offer employees opportunity to greater pay, recognition and responsibility Not everyone can rise to CEO, but every employee can build skills. Find a way to recognize those skill and challenge employees to gain even more skills and utilize them. That makes not only a better employee, but one who feels a sense of accomplishment, success and job satisfaction. Look for ways to increase flexibility in work conditions Can you accommodate non-work responsibilities and desires of your employees? Overly rigid work rules can drive good workers away. Additionally studies consistently show people are not all nine to five people. Morning people prefer early shifts and night owls would likely perform better on a late shift. When possible accommodate your employee’s schedules. Look for stressors People who enjoy their workplace are likely to stay. Watch for stress factors – things that seem to stress out employees and affect their work performance and happiness. Is there something you could do to reduce these stress factors? Re-evaluate your benefits package This doesn’t mean increasing your benefits, but does the company package meet the needs of your employees. All too often, very senior managers make the decisions on what is included in the employee package often based on what think is important to them, not the 30somethings who may be your employee demographic.

Flexibility may mean allowing employees flexible work shifts to coincide with their internal clock, their kid’s school schedule or some other need. Again allowing employees to work schedules when they are most alert increases productivity. Community Service Days Employees have lives outside of work. Many employees have passions or causes that they devote time to in their community. Consider allowing your employees time off with pay (during your quite times), to participate in a community project. Projects can vary and be at the discretion of the employee. Building trails at a local park, helping with track and field events for at a local school, donating your accounting skills to a local charity or even mentoring and tutoring students at a local elementary school are all examples. Not only is this a great retention strategy it also makes your business a great community sponsor. English as a Second language Foreign workers are a common reality in northern Alberta. Work with your local college or Adult Literacy organization and offer English as a Second Language on-site during lunch hours. Not only does this improve your employees communication skills it also improves your customer service. Nap time People get sleepy at work, with potential negative impacts on productivity and safety. A cot or sofa in the lunchroom is a great way to allow employees to catch a catnap and consequently perform better at work. Pressed for Time Everybody is pressed for time these days. Offering incentives that save employees time in their day-to-day life not only makes them happy it may make them more productive. Possible ideas include pick-up and delivery laundry service, on-the-job meals or provide your employees transportation to get car repairs or tires changes. Services provided can be cost recovery; the point is to provide a convenience that appeals to the employee.

Getting Creative

Retention Strategies: Getting Creative with Your Part-Time Employees Part-time employee retention is one of the biggest challenges businesses face today. Part-time employees are often school students only in it for a relatively short term, parents wanting work while their kids are in school or seniors wanting to fill some time and make some extra spending money. Often part-time employees have other commitments in their lives that usually only allow them to work part-time, so creating an environment which captures their full engagement and encourages a long term relationship can sometimes be difficult to figure out. Part-time employees are a reality. According to Statscan part-time employment has increased over the last three decades and many experts believe this is a rising trend. The part-time

employment rate has increased from 7.1% in 1976 to 11.6% in 2012. Fulltime employment rates have remained fairly constant during the same time, being at 50.0% in 1976 and at 50.2% in 2012. According to Human Resources Canada part-time employment rates increased most notably among youth aged 15 to 24. Almost half (47.3%) of the employed 15to-24 year-olds worked part-time in 2012, compared with one in ﬁve (21.1%) in 1976. Depending on your business, there are many ways to improve employee retention in your part time employees, which will allow for a little fun and creativity. Get your employees excited about working at and staying at your company with some creative part-time employee retention strategies.

Have your employees choose a reward system Rewarding your employees for hard work is a proven and necessary strategy for making employees happy and keeping them. Naturally you should already be verbally praising your employees for achievements as a means of positive feedback and reward, but consider engaging your employees’ for input on a rewards system that will motivate them. Rewards will only work if your employees care about them, so asking them for ideas is a sure way to get them thinking about achieving the suggestions they want. Be sure to give them parameters and ideas so that they don’t dream up unrealistic expectations. Tell them to think along the lines of a pizza luncheon, a casual Friday, extra time oﬀ or ﬁrst choice in shift selection – anything that you are able to give them without hurting your business.

Permanent and temporary employment rates, 1997-2012 (percent of population 15 years and over) 50

40 Permanent Employment Rate Temporary Employment Rate Source: HRSDC calculations based on Statistics Canada. Table 282-0080 - Labour force survey estimates (LFS), employees by job permanency, North American Industry Classiﬁcation System (NAICS), sex and age group, annual (person), CANSIM (database); and Statistics Canada. Table 282-0002 - Labour force survey estimates (LFS), by sex and detailed age group, annual (persons unless otherwise notes), CANSIM (database)

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 14

Other Strategies

Infuse your workplace with creativity Appeal to the interests of each employee. Encourage your employees to use his or her creative interests to your advantage. Ask the artistically inclined to create new signage or decoration for your shop, a new menu item of the week, or to use their research skills to find a new product to bring into the store. Giving each employee a “special project” utilizing their skills will make him or her feel more invested in and appreciated in your company. Sit down with each employee and determine what excites them about your business so you can build on that interest and get them excited about contributing to your company. Create some (friendly) competition Competitions can be a great way to have fun on the job while maintaining a strong work ethic. Choose a specific item in your shop or on the menu and see which employee can sell the most of that item in a month or a week. Get your employees excited about the contest by offering prizes and rewards and get them involved in the planning and judging process. The more involved employees feel and the more fun they can associate with the work, the more likely they are to stick around. Celebrate Celebrate birthdays, holidays (while being sensitive to religious preferences), and major milestones in your employees’ and their families’ lives (graduations, engagements, passing exams, etc.). Give your employees a personal card to congratulate them even throw a small party to make them feel special. These

personal touches will show employees that they are appreciated and will make work feel more like a family to them. Encourage employee to employee recognition Set up an anonymous kudos system to encourage employees to give each other “kudos” (a small note, sticker, etc.) when they notice exceptional customer service or do something worthy of recognition that you might not have been around to see. Encourage this kind of support and recognition amongst your employees to create an environment in which your employees feel supported, celebrated, and recognized and ultimately a part of a family. Keep them engaged Boredom is a huge factor when it comes to employee satisfaction. You may think that your part-time employees are looking for a job that will let them earn money and otherwise coast (and that may be true of some of them), but personal growth and challenges are huge motivators to stay at a job and maintain employee happiness Engage your employees to help you with problems or portions of problems you need to solve in your business, and give them greater responsibilities - the longer they stay with your company. This will give them a sense of upward mobility and growth, which will make them feel the job is worthwhile and in the process you are grooming your employees to actually become bigger assets in your company, which fosters a team spirit and makes work easier on everyone…including you!

Other Attraction & Retention Strategies • Offer a competitive benefits package that fits your employees’ needs. Providing health insurance, life insurance and a retirementsavings plan is common in retaining employees. But ask your employees what perks they want. A 19 year old is not likely thinking of retirement but may be thinking of saving money in an RSP for post-secondary. • Other perks, such as flextime and the option of telecommuting, may enable you to keep an employee who is attending post-secondary but still wants a part time job. • Provide some small perks. Free bagels on Fridays and dry-cleaning pickup and delivery may seem insignificant to you, but if they help employees better manage their lives, they’ll appreciate it and may be more likely to stick around. • Encourage cross training among your employees. This allows employees to broaden their skills and prepare them for advancement from within while also ensuring your business is well covered in the case of the loss of an employee. • Ensure open communication between employees and management. Hold regular meetings in which employees can offer ideas and ask questions. Have an open-door policy that encourages employees to speak frankly with their managers without fear of repercussion. Ask your employees what they like about working for you. • Stock options and partnerships were once the realm of Wall Street firms. For many rural businesses succession planning is as big a challenge as finding employees. Consider using share options as an incentive for your high performing employees. What better way to retain your employees than by making them an owner. • Make sure employees know what you expect of them. It may seem basic, but often in small companies, employees have a wide breadth of responsibilities. If they don’t know exactly what their jobs entail and what you need from them, they can’t perform up to standard, and morale can begin to dip.

Peace Region Economic Development Alliance 10128 95th Ave, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0L4 Ph: 780.527.6232 preda@peacecountrycanada.com peacecountrycanada.com