Retaining Workers

Companies today must make the effort and be imaginative to attract and recruit staff. The labour shortage currently sweeping Quebec is also being felt by Gatineau Valley businesses. This situation is expected to go on for several years. However, you must not forget to come up with innovative strategies to hang on to your current employees. They have a wide array of interesting job opportunities to choose from, so it behooves you to stand out and make your employees feel like staying.

A survey of Gatineau Valley companies conducted last fall by BIP Recherche for the Gatineau Valley SADC revealed that companies coping with staff shortages face numerous challenges. Since it is commonly acknowledged that this situation will persist for several years yet, this problem should not be taken lightly. This underscores the importance of retaining your employees and giving thought to what makes your company different, interesting, motivating and important in your employees’ eyes. Why work at your company instead of with a competitor? How can you meet the expectations of your employees? Do your values match those of your employees? The first step toward standing out, if this has not already been done, would be to write up your mission, your vision and your values; and then share them with your staff.

During the survey, employers mentioned that some of the measures they have adopted to improve employee retention include competitive compensation (71%), transparent sharing of information (68%), life-work balance (65%), advancement opportunities within the company (61%), variable or flexible schedules (60%), leeway to employees in decision-making (60%), autonomous work teams (56%), social activities (48%), and so on.

An additional challenge facing employers is the generational spread in the labour force. At times, two or even three generations of employees may end up working together within the same company. It is therefore very important to be open-minded and perceptive of the needs and expectations of each of the generations. For example, salary is more top of mind for babyboomers, where as millennials are more focused on the importance attached to life-work balance.

Without attempting to reinvent the wheel, entrepreneurs must find ways to innovate and stand out to protect themselves from raids by their competitors and to offset the attractiveness of the positions offered by the latter.

To examine the labour issue in more detail, the SADC and its partners would like to invite you to the “Défi ressources humaines 2019” (Human Resources Challenge 2019) to be held next February 26 and 27 at the Auberge du Draveur in Maniwaki. Watch for more details to be provided shortly on Facebook, the SADC website and on social media.