PRAIRIE VIEW
WELCOMING WOMEN By Chelsea Stebner
Breaking down one of the industry’s biggest barriers
N “HERE’S TO STRONG WOMEN. MAY WE KNOW THEM. MAY WE BE THEM. MAY WE RAISE THEM” – UNKNOWN
Chelsea Stebner is a co-owner/ operator of Parr Auto Body, a collision repair facility located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She can be reached at chelsea@ parrautobody.com.
ow, hear me. Before anyone gets their hackles up about feminism, about gender equality, about all the media and current trends out there. Just stop. This is not about any of that. It’s about hiring the right person for the job and the opportunities out there for diversity in our workplaces, for growing our labour force and for building great businesses. If you had the opportunity to hear the women’s panel at CCIF 2018 in Vancouver, you’ll know that it is a shift in attitude, a shift in perspective, an understanding of working together to better our industry and other trades as well. Did you know that almost 50 percent of Canada’s labour force are women? Did you know that only 6.4 percent of trade jobs in Canada are held by women and that one percent of them are in the automotive field? I grew up in this industry surrounded by men. As a matter of fact, after my first two years in the industry I took a break and went into a great paying government job that quite frankly was a full office of women and I couldn’t wait to get back to collision repair! I have had such a positive experience working in collision repair, with many great mentors, many of them being male, that I want to encourage and welcome young women into the collision repair world. To speak directly to young women interested in collision repair, I have a bit
of advice: know what you want and be open to opportunity. One of the points I want to drive home is this. Say YES. Say yes to training, to volunteering, to public speaking opportunities, to sitting on a board, to writing a column in a magazine. Basically, be prepared to get outside your four walls and get uncomfortable. Change never happens when we neglect to look outside the box. It is our responsibility to push ourselves for more that will open more doors. To the men out there with wives, sisters, daughters – ensure your steadfast support of these women so that they can succeed in their chosen field. Looking for a place to start? Ensure that you are supportive with a listening ear, helping find balance, sharing the load and being an encouraging presence in their lives. If you’re their leader provide training, development and a safe environment for learning and growing. In your business, if you want to build relationships and to create a nurturing, compassionate team, consider hiring more women. But before you do that, ensure your culture is positive and open so that it is an easier step in the right direction. Understand that your culture is built on a solid foundation of leadership and great direction, values, vision, great policies and procedures about work flow, job descriptions and great health and safety programming. As a leader, your attitude is everything to your team. FEBRUARY 2019 COLLISION REPAIR 53