cue lunches in the summer and other activities like bowling evenings. It even has a few sports teams that staff is encouraged to join. The company is currently planning to host a few more events that include staff and their families, so that the children of the staff get to join in some Beaver Truck Centre fun. Southall also says taking care of new hires that are from out of town is extremely important to the company and that it goes a long way. “We do a fair amount of recruiting overseas and Beaver Truck Centre always makes sure that they are taken care of,” he says. “We provide accommodations and financial assistance to ensure that they are able to establish themselves. When you invest care and time, the entire family prospers.” When West-Can Human Resource Solutions is recruiting from outside the community, the staff always ensures that they sell employees on the amenities of the city itself. “When you’re drawing people from outside the community, you have to remember that these people have a fear of the job and a fear of the community,” explains Silversides. “I like to take people on a bit of a tour around the community and ask them what’s important to them, to their spouse, their kids and then try to sell them on what Brandon can offer. It can make a huge difference.” Other tools to recruit potential employees, adds Silversides, include social media, the company website, industry publications, and trade associations. Asking existing employees or people already in the industry for referrals is another resource. Silversides adds his company will often offer these folks a financial bonus if their referral ends up being hired. “I liken recruiting to fishing,” he says. “The more hooks you have in the water, the better the chance of landing good employees.”
Walk the talk Silversides says good employee recruitment and retention is a matter of good communication. “It gets down to having really basic communication with your employees,” he explains. “Treat people fairly like you’d like to be treated. If you look at the surveys of what’s driving employee retention, it’s not just the wages. Sure, money helps. But it’s all about empowerment, team building, and having your people feel involved.” Silversides emphasizes owners and managers need to stay connected to their people; they need to pay attention to detail. “An employer can get caught up in the day-to-day business and not really get a chance to step back from the business and take a look,” he says. “The employer needs to ask himself if there are any fires that need to be addressed, to see what is, and what isn’t working. He needs to get the pulse of where his employees are and how happy they are.” This, adds Silversides, can be achieved by talking regularly with the staff. “Employers or managers can’t afford to lose contact with their staff,” he continues. One employer who stays very close to her staff is Sue Swarbrick, owner of Budget Blinds. 18
••• Brandon Business Review ••• 2016
Those businesses interested in workforce development have a variety of resources available to them. Third-party agencies like West-Can Human Resource Solutions is one route. Another is through local business organizations, like the Brandon Chamber of Commerce.
Bonnie Nay-Draper Entrepreneurship Manitoba
The Chamber developed a special Workforce Development Committee (WFDC) in the fall of 2013. “Our mission is to act as a catalyst to achieve a workforce that meets the evolving needs of the community,” states Bonnie NayDraper, chairperson of the WFDC. “We have benefitted from a strong, driven, and diverse committee over the past two years and are confident the drive and focus will continue.” One of these committee members is Karen MacDonald, vice-president of People and Planning at Assiniboine Community College. “During our first year, we went through a strategic planning exercise around the awareness of workforce development and helping businesses understand the resources available to support it,” explains MacDonald. “This year, we took a step back to try to determine what our members are saying about recruitment and retention. That way, we can offer more effective solutions.” Examples of work completed to date by the WFDC include: assisting in the development of reports related to the changes and impacts of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and Worker Compensation Board; assisting with and providing ongoing support for a trailing spouse strategy through the city; providing a platform for associations that supports training and development of under-employed groups in increase awareness of opportunities and available resources; refining the role and mission of the WFDC; and this year, hosting 12@12’s, openforum discussion sessions with target groups around the topic of workforce development. “Through past and future consultations, the committee is garnering a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities surrounding workforce development, which includes recruitment and retention,” says Nay-Draper. “Input and feedback from the business community is critical to understand the root cause of these issues and determine options and solutions.”