While recruitment and retention in eastern Ontario has always been important to the success of a business, since the COVID-19 pandemic employee retention has become a hot button issue. The pandemic provided new perspectives on work for employers and job seekers alike, for example, you’ve likely heard terms like “quiet quitting” or “the Great Resignation” thrown around as job seekers and employees find their footing in the new workforce. But what can employers do to make employees feel excited about work? Keep reading for 3 employee retention solutions:
Workplace inclusion, like DEI (diversity-equity-inclusion) initiatives, are more than just employee retention strategies; they are a basic right for all. If your business does not yet practice intentional inclusion, that’s ok. It’s never too late to get started. Workplace inclusion is more important than ever, both from a human rights and labour perspective, and inclusion benefits everyone: traditionally marginalized communities like newcomers, racialized persons, women, youth, seniors, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ2S+ communities, and everyone else; even the people who don’t feel like they need inclusion.
In 2023, over 471,000 people made Canada their home as permanent immigrants, according to Statistics Canada, but are Canadian employers being inspired and empowered to hire this dynamic and motivated workforce? The Quinte Local Immigration Partnership (Quinte LIP) wants to make sure that local employers are; so they launched the Employer Toolkit to provide employers with hiring help.
Ontario East is experiencing a time of exciting growth and recovering rapidly from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but despite that, our region continues to experience a labour shortage. Immigration is the key to solving this problem and filling this shortage. You work hard to create a healthy and happy workplace for your team and Ontario East stakeholders are doing the same for the region as a whole by creating strategies to promote immigration to Ontario East. Read on to learn about how you’ll get hiring help from these local immigration strategies.
Buzzwords in the workplace can be polarizing: synergy, paradigm shift, growth hacking. Sometimes it feels like organizations use buzzwords without knowing what they really mean. Then, sometimes there are words that seem like buzzwords but actually change the workplace for the better. We’ve covered one of these on this blog before, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and how it’s not only a benefit to your organization but necessary. Another phrase that might get thrown around a lot but just as necessary as DEI? Work-life balance. A lack of it can lead to burnout resulting in reduced productivity, accidents on the job, and high turnover.
As an Ontario East employer, have you ever wanted to: use labour market information (LMI) to help you make hiring decisions; understand the market trends that affect hiring; find funding to help you train or hire employees; get help with recruitment; connect with a local employment service agency; find better ways to support employees who need workplace accommodations or have special needs?
Not every high school, college, or university has the same kinds of work placement programs. High school, college, and university students can participate in co-op programs where in-class learning and hands-on work experience combine to give students training in their sector of interest. Apprenticeship programs are similar but there are some key differences to co-operative education. Read on to learn about apprenticeship programs Ontario employers can benefit from.
If you’ve ever had to hire before, chances are you’ve considered co-op students through a co-operative education program as a form of work placement. But hiring co-op students is a bit different than hiring employees, so if you’ve only ever toyed with the idea of hiring co-op students but you’ve never followed through (or if this is your first time hearing about the concept!), this blog post will answer, what is co-operative education, and break down why you should hire co-op students.
When we think of targeting students for the skilled trades, it’s safe to assume that most of us think of high school or post-secondary students. The Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) wants us to think earlier. CERIC suggests that middle schoolers, approximately grades 4-8 in Canada, have a “strong sense of their personal futures”. If you’re having doubts about that, consider this: have you ever asked a kid in your life, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. Chances are they took that well intentioned question to heart and they’ve thought long and hard about that decision. A common conversation starter to adults often carries a lot of weight to a child.
