FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Summerside Chamber taking steps to help businesses amidst labour shortage
Summerside, PEI – A recent survey conducted by the Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce revealed that 40% of local business owners polled considered a lack of skilled workers the greatest concern currently facing the local business community. Additionally, 35% of business owners surveyed reported that a lack of employee retention was impacting their organization.
In response to this feedback, the Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce organized their recent Refresh HR Seminar, which took place on April 20th from 1pm-4pm at Credit Union Place in Summerside. This seminar brought together Island experts from a variety of HR fields to provide business owners and managers with valuable tools and resources they can use to address these concerning trends.
According to a report by the Society for Human Resource Management, it costs employers an average of $4,129 and takes an average of 42 days to fill an open position. The cost to hire employees increases proportionately based on the duration of the search, job role and salary range. These labour costs are particularly onerous to businesses already burdened by high inflation rates.
In addition to the costs associated with recruiting employees noted previously, the Association for Talent Development, notes that organizations spend an average of $1,252 per employee on training and development initiatives. Teaching businesses how to successfully retain and revive their current employees therefore, can have significant cost saving benefits.
“The Refresh HR Seminar provided an excellent opportunity for businesses to learn and gain insights on how to improve their HR practices, which will in turn help improve their bottom line,” said Chamber President, Blake Doyle. “The seminar not only addressed recruitment issues, but also provided strategies to help employers retain and revive their current workforce. We were thrilled to bring together a group of exceptional industry experts to share their knowledge on talent acquisition, burnout prevention, and employee retention.”
Dr. Hendrik Visser kicked off the seminar with a presentation on burnout and employee retention. With one-third of the workforce reporting mild to severe burnout, his topic was especially timely. While Dr. Visser identified that there are many factors contributing to this, he noted the importance of management’s role in helping identify and prevent employee burnout and provided practical steps managers could take, such as engaging in self-care, transitioning from a transaction to transformational leadership style, and improving the culture of a workplace. This is important not simply from a humanitarian standpoint but an economic one as Gallup reports that actively disengaged employees cost their organization $3,400 for every $10,000 of salary, or 34 percent.
The second session of the seminar featured expert panelists from a variety of fields who participated in a question and answer period on such topics as foreign recruitment, employee benefits, business financing and employment law. The presenters for the Refresh HR Seminar included Dr. Hendrik Visser (Integrated Health), Detry Carragher (Carvo Group), Kelly Hamilton (Island Recruiting), Lindsay McLellan (Cox & Palmer), Bill Martin (Water St. Bakery), Jennifer Rush (RBC), Brent Gallant (Brent Gallant Insurance) and Steve Reaman (Innovation PEI).
“It was great to see so many local business owners and managers attend the seminar and engaging with the presenters and panelists” said Kaley O’Brien, Executive Director for the Chamber, “It really highlights the fact that this is a topic at the forefront of the minds of our members, and that Island business owners care about the needs of their employees and want to find ways to support them to ensure their employees experiences, and that of the customers they are serving, are positive ones, so people will continue to want to work and play here on our Island, and in Summerside in particular.”
As a non-profit organization, the Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce represents and promotes the needs of the local business community. Established in 1900, the Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce is a volunteer organization made up of business and professional people sharing a common goal — the economic development of the Greater Summerside area. Small and large businesses from virtually every sector and profession form the membership.
More information on the Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce can be found at the website: http://www.summersidechamber.com/
For additional information contact: Kaley O’Brien
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Kaley O’Brien
Executive Director
Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce
kaley@summersidechamber.com
(902) 436-9651
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