Workforce WindsorEssex Shares Best Practices from the Small Business Community
For Immediate Release
October 18, 2017
Windsor, ON – Workforce WindsorEssex, the region’s Local Employment Planning Council, has published a new guide aimed at helping small businesses better recruit and retain their workforce.
During last year’s consultations, we heard that 70% of small businesses (less than 100 employees) face challenges in recruiting employees and 42% face challenges in retaining employees. In fact, the number one reason for separations experienced by small businesses employers is employees quitting. These findings motivated Workforce WindsorEssex to undertake this project.
Workforce WindsorEssex wanted to understand these challenges in more detail while also gathering information on successful local employer-driven techniques and initiatives currently being used, so businesses experiencing these kinds of challenges have access to a host of resources that can be used and implemented to improve recruitment and retention.
From July to September 2017, Workforce WindsorEssex conducted consultations with 61 small businesses to gather information about their workforce, including their recruitment and retention best practices as well as their challenges. Using the knowledge gained in the consultations, we were able to identify strategies for recruitment and retention, many with a local flavour, that businesses can use to build a stronger and more attractive and stable workforce.
Workforce WindsorEssex attended the Gord Smith Healthy Workplace and Bike Friendly Awards breakfast to present and distribute the new guide to attendees and will distribute additional copies to the businesses participating in today’s Small Biz Expo 2017 event.
QUOTES:
“This guide is a compliation of successful strategies that small businesses can use to overcome workforce development challenges. Recruitment and retention of talent is a top priority for small business owners and operators, and we hope this guide – which is a collection of what’s working well in other small businesses locally – will provide workable solutions to the most common workforce problems.”
Doug Sartori, Board President and Chair, Workforce WindsorEssex
“In Windsor-Essex, 98% of all businesses are considered small business. This guide should help them develop new solutions to old problems by sharing what others are doing to attract and develop a committed workforce. As a manager of a small team, I know how important it is to support, recognize, and invest in our employees, and this guide provides strategies to ensure employees are happy and remain enthusiastic in driving forward the goals of an organization”
Michelle Suchiu, Executive Director, Workforce WindsorEssex
QUICK LINKS:
- Employers can complete our workforce needs surveys on a quarterly basis as well as view past results by visiting our Quarterly Survey page.
- People can use WEsearch to find business funding sources, job-seeker supports, labour marketing information, skills and education upgrading opportunities, as well as apprenticeship supports;
The public can submit data requests for local labour market information to Workforce WindsorEssex by visiting workforcewindsoressex.com/data-request
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Media Contact:
Justin Falconer
Manager of Communications & Government Partnerships
Workforce WindsorEssex
226-674-3220 ext 854
jfalconer@workforcewindsoressex.com
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About Workforce WindsorEssex
Workforce WindsorEssex (legally Workforce Development Board Windsor Essex) was created as an independent, community-based board in October 2008 as a result of significant foundation work by the City of Windsor, County of Essex, WindsorEssex Economic Development Commission and Province of Ontario.
Our mandate is to plan, facilitate and advocate for regional workforce development, defined as the development, retention, and recruitment of a wide range of skilled workers to meet the current and future economic and social development needs of Windsor-Essex.
Workforce WindsorEssex currently receives funding under three projects: Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership, Local Employment Planning Council and WEskills. Learn more at www.workforcewindsoressex.com.
About the Local Employment Planning Council and the Supporting Small Business Project
The Local Employment Planning Council (LEPC) is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. The LEPC pilot aims to increase the access to accurate, up to date, local labour market information and help pioneer new and innovative approaches to local employment planning.
The Supporting Small Business project is one of 9 projects that Workforce WindsorEssex will complete in phase two of the LEPC pilot project (by September, 2018). On October 12, 2017, the Training and Career pathways project was launched, making it easier for people to access comprehensive labour market information related to the region’s top 76 in-demand jobs, in the form of new Career Profiles.
