BEST PRACTICESto Attract & Retain

Employees inNorthern Alberta

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

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Message from the Chair 4

Develop an Attractionand Retention Strategy 5

Employment Rates 6

Introduction 7

Some Big Examples 8

Why Employees Leave 10

Northern Alberta Perks 11

Northern Alberta Challenges 12

Developing Your Own Strategy 13

Getting Creative 14

Other Strategies 15

Contents

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The Peace region of Alberta is home tovibrant and growing communities. Ourabundance of resources and the workethic and enthusiasm of our people willensure our communities long termsustainable growth.

Our major challenge, however, remainsfinding employees to fill the positionscreated by all the new and growingcommodity developments and thecommercial and retail growth thathappens alongside these developments.

Northern Alberta is a wonderful place tocall home. Our abundant outdoorrecreational opportunities, our beautifulskies, our friendly people and our qualityof life are great benefits of living in thePeace region. Despite all these benefits,many employers find it challenging tofind employees. Perceptions of life, inparticular with regard to the weather, innorthern Alberta and somemisconceptions about “rural” life canmake it difficult to attract people upnorth.

The challenge is even greater foremployers offering jobs in retail andhospitality, were the wages simplycannot compete with the commoditydriven industries. While this will always

remain a challenge there are thingsemployers can do and can offer to theirworkers that may offset the wagedifference.

Numerous studies have shown thatwages, while very important, are not theonly factor employees consider whenseeking employment. Today’s generationis equally attracted by flexibility, both inwork schedules and work location. Otherworkers are looking for unique andinnovative perks that simplify theiralready hectic lives as well as perks thatmake the workplace a more enjoyableplace to be; perks such as free coffee,merchandise discounts and employeesocials.

Surprisingly not all perks need to costthe employer a lot of money; somesimply require a little innovation andflexibility from the employer. We havecompiled some ideas, some fromnorthern employers and some fromaround the globe. All the ideas are worthconsidering. More importantly, we hopethis will get employers thinking aboutwhat they could be offering and doing tomake their workplace, a workplace ofchoice.

– Elaine Garrow, Chair PREDA

Message from the Chair

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An Attraction and Retention StrategyWill Grow Your Company

It can be very simple to adopt a few greatstrategies to attract and retain youremployees. If however, you want toensure long term success, develop a realstrategy, a strategy that grows as yourcompany does and changes to meet thedemands of your employees. Take thetime to calculate what costs you incurthrough lost productivity, advertising fornew employees, and training for newemployees and over time for otheremployees in covering lost employees’shifts. The cost may surprise you.

The Institute for Research on Labor andEmployment (IRLE) at the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley reports theaverage cost to replace an employee forall categories of workers is about $4,000.The IRLE adds that blue collar andmanual workers are replaced for anaverage cost of $2,000, while theaverage cost for managerial andprofessional employees may be as highas $7,000.

Instead of waiting to lose your nextemployee spend some time draftingwhat your strategy will look like, allocatesome dollars to it and don’t forget toengage your employees in thedevelopment process. Don’t forget toinclude some strategies that costnothing. In the case of offering trainingfor employees, look to provincial andfederal grants that may offset your costs.

Look at opportunities where you can costshare incentives with employees. Itemssuch as RSP or RESP contributions can bebased on a 50/50 cost share with amaximum cap each year. And if you areafraid of losing your employees becauseyou trained them remember you’ll likelylose them if you don’t.

Employee retention and attractionshould be as integral a component ofrunning your business as accountingpractices, merchandise handling andcustomer service. Employee retentionand attraction requires effort andplanning. Despite the potential costs ofimplementing a successful strategy thebenefits will out way them.

Develop an Attraction and Retention Strategy

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CAN

NL

PE

NS

NB

QC

ON

MB

SK

AB

BC

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

61.8

53.9

60.4

58.4

56.6

60.0

61.3

65.4

66.2

70.0

60.6

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

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

According to a recent study on employeeloyalty by Monster, a leading online jobsearch website, 82% of employeessurveyed stated they had updated theirresumes within the past six months.Moreover, an incredible 59% say theyare looking for a job “all the time.”

This crisis in employee retention andattraction is likely no more prevalent inCanada than in northern Alberta whichboasts the lowest unemployment rate inthe country and simultaneously isbenefitting from the strongest economicgrowth. Economic indicators, the surge ofoil production and the movement ofcrude-on-rail will likely ensure thenorthern employment crisis will notlessen anytime soon.

Northern Alberta is the economic driverof the Province of Alberta as well asCanada. According to the NorthernAlberta Development Council’s (NADC)report Northern Contributions to Albertaand Canada, the region is estimated tohave produced approximately 17% or$41 billion of Alberta’s total GDP in2011.

Approximately 30% of all capitalinvestment in Alberta during the 2005 to2012 period took place in the north andin 2008 northern Alberta producedapproximately one quarter, or $13billion, of the goods and servicesexported by Alberta to the rest ofCanada.

In 2011 corporate Income taxes fromnorthern Alberta totaled approximately$611 million provincially and $922federally. Meanwhile, taxes and royaltiesfrom within NADC region currentlyaccounts for approximately 17% of thetotal revenue collected by the provincialgovernment. This figure is expected torise to 30% by the 2014-15 fiscal year.What makes these numbers even morerelevant is that northern Alberta, asdefined by the NADC, makes up just ninepercent of the provincial population.

The employee crisis in northern Albertaranges from the unskilled to highlyprofessional positions, whether that be achambermaid at a local hotel or a miningengineer at a coal mine, the crisis is realand it is long term.

Introduction to Attracting & Retaining Employees

Northern Alberta employers found shortterm relief through the temporaryforeign worker program, however recentchanges to that program by the federalgovernment means that this will soon nolonger be an option for employers.

Employee retention and attraction isproving a huge headache for employerswho need to keep warm bodies in seatsand in particular A-players in place toachieve business goals.

The pressure is even greater for smalland start-up businesses, which oftencompete for talent against largerorganizations with more resources thatdon’t hesitate to use their financialadvantage to lure employees away.

Certainly employee compensation orwages is a factor – but when it comes tokeeping and attracting employees, thereare other benefits and programs offeredby some of the larger employers thatmake a difference; benefits and programseven small and start-up companies canoffer.

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Attracting and retaining employees innorthern Alberta has its own uniquechallenges. Northern Alberta, likenorthern regions of other Canadianprovinces, has the challenge ofovercoming people’s perception of life inthe north. Northern regions are oftenperceived as having colder and snowierclimates. Traditionally northern and ruralcommunities often lack many of thequality of life attractions, many peopleprefer to have close at hand. Andperhaps the biggest obstacle toattracting people is the growing surge ofpeople’s preferences to live in largerurban settings.

Many northern municipalities andvarious government departments aretackling the challenge of changingpeople’s perception of the north. TheNADC has the Opportunity North website(opportunitynorth.ca) devoted tohighlighting the benefits of living innorthern Alberta.

They also offer a bursary program thatrequires bursary recipients to return tonorthern Alberta upon completion oftheir studies. While the programroutinely sees an 80 percent plus successrate, they have limited funds to supportthe bursary program and consequently

Big Examples of Innovative Ways to Attract & Retain Employees

there are a limited number of post-secondary graduates coming north.

Around the world, employers are findinginnovate and unique ways to attract andkeep employees. While many of theperks offered by these companies comewith hefty price tags, many can bemodified to meet the needs of northernAlberta employers.

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ZAPPOSTen miles off the Las Vegas strip sitsZappos’ headquarters. Zappos is anonline shoe company offering a fun andhigh-energy place with employees whoactually like working there.

Zappos’ employee cubicles aredecorated with streamers, toys, MardiGras beads, and fake jungle foliage.Executives sit in what is called “monkeyrow”, open cubicles under a fake tree,blow up monkeys, and fake bananas; andeveryone 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.

Valve SoftwareAnother company that goes above andbeyond for their employees is ValveSoftware. Like some of the othercompanies, they offer a laid-back workenvironment and perks that extendbeyond 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.

DropboxDropbox, a popular internet data sendingapplication, like Zappos also offersinnovate and attractive employeebenefits.

Dropbox perks include:• Flexible hours and schedules to

accommodate employees with real lifeobligations. 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 fitthe norm with regard to employee perks,there are numerous other examples thatare being offered across a spectrum ofemployers.

Chicago, IL is the home of Red FrogEvents. Red Frog Events headquarters is acamp themed building designed by thesame architects who designed Google’sfancy and fun workplace. Some of RedFrog 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.

GooglePerhaps the most quoted workplace withregard to employee perks is Google. TheIT sector is a competitive industry thatworks hard to retain its brightestemployees and attract the brightestemployees from its competitors. Theirperks 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 asmall 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 ofthese larger companies. Their bottomline is likely substantially higher thanmost local businesses and many of thestrategies can add up. What localemployers can do however, is a bit ofhomework to help build their ownstrategies. As important as any attractionstrategy may be, understanding whyemployees are moving to otheremployers is equally important.

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Employers frequently make the mistakeof focusing solely on employeeattraction. Of course, this is a necessarypart of keeping a healthy workforce butequally key, and often overlooked, is theneed to retain the employees theyalready have. This requires two keystrategies; understanding why existingemployees stay and understanding whythey leave.

Most employers do regular performancereviews on their employees. This is anideal time to review employeesatisfaction – finding out whatemployees like about their place ofemployment as well as what they maynot like. Surveying your employees on aregular basis allows you to establishwhat you are doing right and where youmay need to make some improvements.Additionally, this process allows theemployees to have some input into theirwork environment, something manyemployees feel is missing.

Some of the most common cited reasonsfor employee dissatisfaction and perhapsleaving 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

Why Employees Leave

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 majorityof workers look at non-monetary reasonsfirst. Money, however, when combinedwith other areas of dissatisfaction canprovide the tipping point.

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While it may be a bit of a stretch fornorthern Alberta employers to offerperks commonly found in the likes ofGoogle and Zappos, many employers arefinding innovate and affordable ways toattract and retain employees of theirown.

Every year Alberta Venture Magazineruns an edition featuring the best placesto work in Alberta. Their July 2013edition awarded the City of GrandePrairie first place in the 101 to 750employees’ category. The other finalistsincluded Entrec, BrandAlliance andVermilion Energy.

The City of Grande Prairie hasapproximately 500 employees and up to750 employees in the summer whensummer crews are hired. They have awide range of employees fromexecutives in suits to laborers incoveralls.

The City of Grande Prairie offersrecreational activities such as kayakingand wall-climbing activities, sushi-making, and crafting of Valentine’s Daycards, throughout the year. But perhapsthe most popular: gun shooting.

One afternoon the City of Grande Prairietook the 30 staff that signed up to theWapiti Shooters Club gun shoot. One ofthe city councillors brought 15 or 20different handguns and the registeredemployees spent the afternoon at thegun range. Afterwards, a number of staffmembers became more interested andjoined the club. And it didn’t end there.Later in the spring they had shotgunshooting as well.

Other perks offered at the City of GrandePrairie:• 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 forsupervisors’ course’. After they graduatefrom that, they take ‘advanced skills forsupervisors,’ and then they can apply to‘into the leadership institute.’ Theleadership institute is a year – longprogram in which employees areencouraged to work on practicalapplications.

The City’s efforts seem to be working.Over the past four years the city hasexperienced an average staff-turnoverrate of just over six per cent.

As for Entrec, BrandAlliance andVermilion Energy, well their perksinclude:• On long weekends Entrec holds an

employee barbecue.• Entrec also offers employer-

matched 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 Townof Rainbow Lake has an aggressiveemployee policy program to attract andretain employees. The remote location ofRainbow Lake requires them to beprogressive to attract employees.

Among many other benefits, the Town ofRainbow Lake offers:

Employee Perks that Work in Northern Alberta

• 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 offera 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 themunicipality.

• A number of municipalities offer preference for dependants of existing employees when filling summer jobs.

Like municipalities, industry in northernAlberta is also looking to new andinnovate ways to attract and retain theirworkforce.

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Attracting employees to rural, northern Alberta is a challengefor even the largest employers. The Alberta Government offersits’ northern employees a northern benefit totalling anadditional $6,000 per year as a northern bonus. While thatincentive certainly helps to attract and retain people to takenorthern positions, it is an expense that smaller employerscannot afford.

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

Challenges for Small Town Northern Alberta

Manning Value Drug MartThe challenge of attracting and retainingemployees is exacerbated for smalleremployers, in particular if you arelocated in a rural setting. So why doesthe Manning Value Drug Mart have ahiring waiting list? Well owner KevinAlbrecht says flexibility is key to keepingand attracting employees.

Manning Value Drug Mart has a mixtureof full and part-time employees, themajority have been there long-term. “Wehave a number of students who workhere part-time”, said Albrecht. “Many ofour students are active in school sportsand they need a work schedule toaccommodate that.”

That accommodation may be a challengefor some employers but Albrecht dealswith that upfront when hiring. “We askupfront what their schedule is like andensure we can accommodate that,” saysAlbrecht. “There are no surprises for us –we know when we hire a student thatthey have a specific schedule.”

Manning Value Drug Mart offers morethan flexibility. Employees at the storereceive their birthdays off with pay. AtChristmas time all employees get a littlegift – a way of saying thank you, saysAlbrecht. And they treat all theiremployees, whether it be a cashier, anaccounts clerk or a pharmacytechnologist with respect. They have acompany philosophy that employeesembrace and it ensures them longservice employees and a waiting list towork there.

SubwayCyril and Penny Gorman own andmanage three Subway Franchises;Grimshaw, Peace River and Manning. TheManning Subway is a Subway Café modeland in addition to offering the usualSubway fare they offer an extensiveselection of speciality coffee second tonone.

The Manning Subway has been open foralmost three years and employs ninestaff, both full and part-time, many of theemployees have been there since theopening of the store. So, what is thesecret to attracting and retainingemployees in this small rural town?Flexibility.

“We try and cater to the employees timeneeds,” says Cyril. “We have youngeremployees and often today’s youth wantschedules that allow them flexibility –it’s a reality today.” Employees can askfor specific shifts and when possible,they usually end up with them.Employees can also swap shifts withother employees.

The Manning franchise also holds anannual Christmas party, part of its effortsto build a family atmosphere at theworkplace. Other incentives includeperks like free meals while working and amatching contribution to employee RSPs.

“It’s all about team work,” said Cyril.

Daishowa-Marubeni International LtdLocated some 20 km north of the Townof Peace River is Daishowa-MarubeniInternational Ltd (DMI), an integratedforest products company that was firstestablished in western Canada in 1969.DMI has become one of the top pulpproducers in North America. Thecompany employs over 600 people inBritish Columbia and Alberta (about 300in Alberta) and conducts business withadditional 600 woodlands, log and chiphaul contractors. DMI has been inbusiness here for some 23 years andemploys a variety of workers includingeverything from engineers to operators,technologists to accountants, andpurchasers to administrative assistants.

DMI, like many forest product companies,is challenged in keeping their employeesdue to the ability of oil and gascompanies in the region offering morelucrative salaries. In order to retain andattract employees DMI has taken theirretention and attraction strategy quiteserious.

What hiring and retention incentivesdoes 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 likefour BBQs a year, social events like golfand dodgeball, a computer loan program,medical travel for employees and theirfamilies, workplace aesthetics and evenfree coffee.

Manning is a community of about 1400 people located threehours north of Grande Prairie and an hour north of Peace River.

There is no Walmart, no year-round swimming pool, no indoorrunning track and no Tim Hortons. There is a pretty downtownfilled with a variety of small retail stores, a movie theater, agentle river flows through town and the community is friendlyand welcoming. Yet the labor shortage seems to have not had asgreat an impact for two local retailers.

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Regardless of the nature of employmentyour business offers, there are steps youneed to consider in order to develop andoffer strategies you can employ to notonly retain your employees but to alsounderstand why you may be losing youremployees. Here some simple tips indeveloping your strategy.

Track retentionIf you don’t measure it, you won’t knowhow you are doing and it won’t improve.If you don’t know why you are losingyour employees you will not fullyunderstand what you need to change toreverse this problem. Monitoring andquestioning your long-term employeesas to why they choose to stay will giveyou a better understanding of what youremployees are looking for. Equallyimportant is interviewing youremployees that are leaving and findingout not only why they are leaving butwhat their new employer is offering thatyou are not. And if you don’t know whereyou stand relative to your industry, thenyou’re probably one of the worst.

Train front line supervisorsGood supervisors are crucial to retention.Know your supervisors and know whattheir strengths and their weaknesses are.Offer them opportunities to improvetheir skills, remember they need to bepart of your retention strategy.

Hire right in the first placeThis may be a challenge in northernAlberta where we are often happy to justget an applicant for our job posting.When you do get a good applicant focuson their job skills and their potential andyou’ll get a better fit, which is more likelyto lead to long employment tenure.

Offer employees opportunity to greaterpay, recognition and responsibilityNot everyone can rise to CEO, but everyemployee can build skills. Find a way torecognize those skill and challengeemployees to gain even more skills andutilize them. That makes not only abetter employee, but one who feels asense of accomplishment, success andjob satisfaction.

Look for ways to increase flexibility inwork conditionsCan you accommodate non-workresponsibilities and desires of youremployees? Overly rigid work rules candrive good workers away. Additionallystudies consistently show people are notall nine to five people. Morning peopleprefer early shifts and night owls wouldlikely perform better on a late shift.When possible accommodate youremployee’s schedules.

Look for stressorsPeople who enjoy their workplace arelikely to stay. Watch for stress factors –things that seem to stress out employeesand affect their work performance andhappiness. Is there something you coulddo to reduce these stress factors?

Re-evaluate your benefits packageThis doesn’t mean increasing yourbenefits, but does the company packagemeet the needs of your employees. Alltoo often, very senior managers makethe decisions on what is included in theemployee package often based on whatthink is important to them, not the 30-somethings who may be your employeedemographic.

Developing your own strategy

A Few More Ideas

There is no one idea that is perfect foreveryone, nor is there one perfect strategy. Itis important for each employer to understandtheir employee needs and their capacity todeliver incentives that are within their means.Some other incentives worth considering:

FlexibilityFlexibility can take many forms. Someemployees would prefer working from home, aplausible options for some jobs. Studies showallowing workers to work from home, not onlyincrease employee satisfaction it also increaseproductivity and reduces off time due tosickness.

Flexibility may mean allowing employeesflexible work shifts to coincide with theirinternal clock, their kid’s school schedule orsome other need. Again allowing employees towork schedules when they are most alertincreases productivity.

Community Service DaysEmployees have lives outside of work. Manyemployees have passions or causes that theydevote time to in their community. Considerallowing your employees time off with pay(during your quite times), to participate in acommunity project. Projects can vary and be atthe discretion of the employee. Building trailsat a local park, helping with track and fieldevents for at a local school, donating youraccounting skills to a local charity or evenmentoring and tutoring students at a localelementary school are all examples. Not onlyis this a great retention strategy it also makesyour business a great community sponsor.

English as a Second languageForeign workers are a common reality innorthern Alberta. Work with your local collegeor Adult Literacy organization and offer Englishas a Second Language on-site during lunchhours. Not only does this improve youremployees communication skills it alsoimproves your customer service.

Nap timePeople get sleepy at work, with potentialnegative impacts on productivity and safety. Acot or sofa in the lunchroom is a great way toallow employees to catch a catnap andconsequently perform better at work.

Pressed for TimeEverybody is pressed for time these days.Offering incentives that save employees timein their day-to-day life not only makes themhappy it may make them more productive.Possible ideas include pick-up and deliverylaundry service, on-the-job meals or provideyour employees transportation to get carrepairs or tires changes. Services provided canbe cost recovery; the point is to provide aconvenience that appeals to the employee.

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Retention Strategies: Getting Creativewith Your Part-Time EmployeesPart-time employee retention is one ofthe biggest challenges businesses facetoday. Part-time employees are oftenschool students only in it for a relativelyshort term, parents wanting work whiletheir kids are in school or seniors wantingto fill some time and make some extraspending money. Often part-timeemployees have other commitments intheir lives that usually only allow them towork part-time, so creating anenvironment which captures their fullengagement and encourages a long termrelationship can sometimes be difficult tofigure out.

Part-time employees are a reality.According to Statscan part-timeemployment has increased over the lastthree decades and many experts believethis is a rising trend. The part-time

employment rate has increased from7.1% in 1976 to 11.6% in 2012. Full-time employment rates have remainedfairly constant during the same time,being at 50.0% in 1976 and at 50.2% in2012.

According to Human Resources Canadapart-time employment rates increasedmost notably among youth aged 15 to 24.Almost half (47.3%) of the employed 15-to-24 year-olds worked part-time in2012, compared with one in five (21.1%)in 1976.

Depending on your business, there aremany ways to improve employeeretention in your part time employees,which will allow for a little fun andcreativity. Get your employees excitedabout working at and staying at yourcompany with some creative part-timeemployee retention strategies.

Getting Creative

Have your employees choose a rewardsystemRewarding your employees for hard workis a proven and necessary strategy formaking employees happy and keepingthem. Naturally you should already beverbally praising your employees forachievements as a means of positivefeedback and reward, but considerengaging your employees’ for input on arewards system that will motivate them.

Rewards will only work if your employeescare about them, so asking them for ideasis a sure way to get them thinking aboutachieving the suggestions they want. Besure to give them parameters and ideasso that they don’t dream up unrealisticexpectations. Tell them to think along thelines of a pizza luncheon, a casual Friday,extra time off or first choice in shiftselection – anything that you are able togive them without hurting your business.

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

0

10

20

30

40

50

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

Permanent Employment RateTemporary Employment Rate

Source: HRSDC calculations based on Statistics Canada.Table 282-0080 - Labour force survey estimates (LFS),employees by job permanency, North American IndustryClassification System (NAICS), sex and age group, annual(person), CANSIM (database); and Statistics Canada. Table282-0002 - Labour force survey estimates (LFS), by sexand detailed age group, annual (persons unlessotherwise notes), CANSIM (database)

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Other Attraction & Retention Strategies• Offer a competitive benefits

package that fits your employees’ needs. Providing health insurance, life insurance and a retirement-savings 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 anddelivery may seem insignificant to you,but if they help employees better manage their lives, they’ll appreciate itand 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. Havean 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. Formany 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 whatyou need from them, they can’t perform up to standard, and morale can begin to dip.

Infuse your workplace with creativityAppeal to the interests of each employee.Encourage your employees to use his orher creative interests to your advantage.Ask the artistically inclined to create newsignage or decoration for your shop, anew menu item of the week, or to usetheir research skills to find a new productto bring into the store. Giving eachemployee a “special project” utilizingtheir skills will make him or her feel moreinvested in and appreciated in yourcompany. Sit down with each employeeand determine what excites them aboutyour business so you can build on thatinterest and get them excited aboutcontributing to your company.

Create some (friendly) competitionCompetitions can be a great way to havefun on the job while maintaining a strongwork ethic. Choose a specific item in yourshop or on the menu and see whichemployee can sell the most of that itemin a month or a week. Get youremployees excited about the contest byoffering prizes and rewards and get theminvolved in the planning and judgingprocess. The more involved employeesfeel and the more fun they can associatewith the work, the more likely they are tostick around.

CelebrateCelebrate birthdays, holidays (whilebeing sensitive to religious preferences),and major milestones in your employees’and their families’ lives (graduations,engagements, passing exams, etc.). Giveyour employees a personal card tocongratulate them even throw a smallparty to make them feel special. These

personal touches will show employeesthat they are appreciated and will makework feel more like a family to them.

Encourage employee to employeerecognitionSet up an anonymous kudos system toencourage employees to give each other“kudos” (a small note, sticker, etc.) whenthey notice exceptional customer serviceor do something worthy of recognitionthat you might not have been around tosee. Encourage this kind of support andrecognition amongst your employees tocreate an environment in which youremployees feel supported, celebrated,and recognized and ultimately a part of afamily.

Keep them engagedBoredom is a huge factor when it comesto employee satisfaction. You may thinkthat your part-time employees arelooking for a job that will let them earnmoney and otherwise coast (and that maybe true of some of them), but personalgrowth and challenges are hugemotivators to stay at a job and maintainemployee happiness

Engage your employees to help you withproblems or portions of problems youneed to solve in your business, and givethem greater responsibilities - the longerthey stay with your company. This willgive them a sense of upward mobility andgrowth, which will make them feel thejob is worthwhile and in the process youare grooming your employees to actuallybecome bigger assets in your company,which fosters a team spirit and makeswork easier on everyone…including you!

Other Strategies

Peace Region Economic Development Alliance10128 95th Ave, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0L4

Ph: 780.527.6232preda@peacecountrycanada.com

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