A Recent Round Table Discussion on How to Become an Employer of Choice Provided Some Valuable Advice for Huron County Employers

by Bob Montgomery

The event was hosted by Huron County's Ecomonic Development Department and the United Way Perth Huron's Research and Planning Council and was held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch in Seaforth.

Economic Development Department work force coordinator Clara Leney says the first thing a lot of employees want to know is how much they're going to be paid and what kind of benefits they'll receive, but those aren't necessarily the most important things. Most employees want to know they'll be treated with respect and honesty. One of the employers on the panel said she always makes a point of having a brief conversation with her employees as they come into work to let them know she cares about how they're doing. Leney says, as we're still bouncing back from COVID, flexibility in the work place is very important. Montana Wilson is the CEO and Founder of Grit Engineering in Stratford and she says both the men and women on her team have access to flexible work arrangements so that either one can pick up their kids when that's necessary.

Leney says decent work also involves providing and investing in training opportunities, setting people up for success, providing opportunities for advancement, and making employees feel they are making a difference in the work place. Leney points out today's work place has to be responsive to the needs of the workforce, but, sometimes it's necessary to just get everyone together. One employer on the panel said they do that by hosting a hot lunch on Thursdays, provided by the employer, so the team gets together at least once a week.

Overall there should be a climate of inclusion and diversity and making people feel that the work they do matters, said Leney. She added, decent work starts with those values and everyone can work towards that shared culture and that's really what it means to be an Employer of Choice. She points out Huron-Perth has an unemployment rate of 3.6%, but across Huron-Perth there are approximately twenty-three hundred open jobs right now, so there's a lot of competition, and there are a lot of people looking for work. As a result of this becoming an Employer of Choice will not only improve your workplace culture but it will improve your productivity and attract, and ultimately retain, the kind of workforce you're looking for.