It’s that time of year again – the end of season for most construction and aggregate businesses. Having spent over 30 years in the seasonal industry, I’m very well-versed in the challenges that come with working in this particular trade. For example, one of the most prominent hurdles that the industry faces at this time of year is deciding which employees will be kept on board over the winter months, and who, unfortunately, will have to be laid off due to the inoperativeness of the off season. In all honesty, I have seen mixed reactions from many employees with respect to both circumstances; some people can’t wait to get laid off, whereas others dread it. Unfortunately, we don’t necessarily get much say in the matter as these conditions are primarily based on where we live; and whether we agree with these circumstances or not (no one likes to see anyone leave for Christmas), we must abide by them as it comes with working in this industry.

Moreover, if you are someone who is working for a progressive, forward-thinking company – be it in a management role or not – this is the time of the year when you’re asked to submit your budgets for major repairs as well as for capital purchases. We never seem to skip a beat when it comes to spread sheet preparations and requirements (i.e. the facts and figures that are essential to keeping the equipment running for one more year). Yes, the equipment will run better if and when we maintain it, and we all know it needs to be maintained, but how often do you hear the equipment thank you as you prep these forms? Or better yet, how often do you get funding from the government in order to help with a major overhaul on a tired, yet very valuable piece of machinery?

For many years, prior to where we stand now, the topic of investing in our team’s people was never really mentioned. In fact, the attitude was more or less: they’ll be back when we need them, where else will they go? I’m not so certain that this attitude will fly anymore, especially with your key people; let’s face it, the Hot Dogs are the first to go because they embrace a similar aforementioned attitude, thus have strong feelings that they can get a job very easily somewhere else. However, our people tend to grow on a far greater scale than our equipment. You look at an excavator with 10,000 hours on it, for instance – from the outside, they tend to look a little tired, but the operator is only just starting to gain value.

With respect to your leadership team, it is your front line leaders who are quite often attracting these Hot Dogs, or repelling them. After all, we rarely leave the company we work for, but rather the leaders who stand at those front lines. In other words, it is your front line supervisors who are the face of your company; and if your goal is to grow your company, you must first grow your people.

Now, more than ever, it is much easier to grow your supervisors thanks to the funding from the Canadian Ontario Job Grants. As a matter of fact, supervisor training often qualifies for this type of funding – and one of the most amazing parts about the COJG funding is that they have made it extremely easy to apply (with payment usually completed within 30 days of the training’s completion). I have been privileged enough to receive this type of particular funding and have used it to train several supervisors, both on location as well as at varying designated facilities agreed upon by the employer. From my experience, I know at first hand that the entirety of this training is extremely user friendly and will be beneficial to your team as a whole. This said, I have yet to work with the supervisor of a business that has been invested by a company, that didn’t finish the training with a new attitude. When companies care enough to complete such training with heart, other companies will care enough to invest in them. To learn more, please contact me and we can discuss such funding options that will suit your needs.

Good afternoon Employers and Community Members, you are invited to the upcoming session:

CANADA-ONTARIO JOB GRANT (COJG) INFORMATION SESSION AND EDUCATION/TRAINING FAIR FOR EMPLOYERS
Are you an employer who is interested in learning more about funding available to help offset some of the costs for training your workforce? Please join us for a 45 minute Information Session followed by an Education/Training Fair to learn more about the COJG and to meet education and training providers to learn about the programs they offer!
WHEN: Thursday, December 1, 2016 from 4:30pm—6:00pm
WHERE: Community Employment Resource Centre (CERC), 415 Hazeldean Road, Kanata, ON
REGISTER: Please EMAIL RSVP and sign up to attend the event

In addition to this session, we also offer a variety of other free services to employers. Please see the attached details and let us know how we can be of assistance to help with your recruitment needs.