What does it mean for the Saanich Peninsula that we have 2 new mayors and a substantially different council in Sidney? Obviously, time will tell, but we were heartened to see a recent photo of the Sidney and North Saanich mayors together, smiling broadly, at the Grand Opening of the new peninsula Canadian Tire. Previous…
Last month I talked about how important it is to do your due diligence in recruiting, hiring, and training new employees. When you have hired the best, you want to keep them because good employees are challenging to find in this competitive labour market. Are you properly armed to win the employee retention battle? The…
Gather together a group of business owners or managers today and the topic of conversation naturally turns to the difficulty of recruiting and retaining employees. The first of two articles on these challenges, this one will deal with recruitment issues. The cost to recruit and train an employee for an entry-level position is estimated to…
The brave souls who go into business for themselves are continuously faced with challenges to their success. Some of these will be outside their control. For example, businesses in this area have had to cope with downturns in the economy as well as competition from outside areas including big box and online sellers. We have…
This email from one of our members arrived in my inbox one day. The sender had copied it to five employees within his organization. It read: “Hi Denny I am writing to express my most sincere gratitude to the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce for the unbelievable support you have offered to EMCS Industries Ltd…
You likely have not given much thought to how the items you buy arrived at the store. Almost 90% of all consumer goods (by weight) in Canada are moved, for at least a portion of their journey, by truck. On Vancouver Island that number is much closer to 100% as we rely, almost exclusively, on…
Gather two or more employers together and discussion naturally turns to difficulties they are experiencing in hiring and retaining employees. Many Peninsula businesses have ‘Help Wanted’ signs in their windows. Finding staff with the appropriate skills and experience is the most commonly-expressed challenge. This situation has arisen due to a convergence of factors: one being…
Employers report that new workers entering the workforce often do not have the skills required to fulfill the terms of their employment. In addition, much of the existing workforce requires retraining to update their skills so companies can continue to compete in the changing economy. Educational institutions and local employers would benefit from a closer…
Last month I discussed the strategy of growing the economy by attracting more people to live in an area and suggested the most desirable groups to target based on their ability and willingness to contribute to the overall health of a community are baby boomers, entrepreneurial immigrants and millennials. Now we will look at how…
Being part of the Saanich Peninsula Chamber says you care about your staff, the community, and the future.