Small companies lacking the in-house expertise required to put basic HR practises into place no longer have to feel helpless. A number of enterprising organizations have made it their business to empower these companies with the tools they need to meet their HR needs and achieve their goals.
In particular, there are four organizations whose tools will help companies better cope with the challenges that arise from BC’s labour shortage.
One such company, ConnectsUs www.connectsus.com, has created a product called Clearsite, which helps small businesses establish basic tools such as employee databases, employment offers, consistent recruiting processes, website career pages and fundamental policies and procedures. By using Clearsite, companies can also successfully create an on-line company manual, which allows employees to hyperlink to specific areas of interest.
Clearsite is based on 225 pre-written templates that will help businesses jump-start their employee guidelines. These templates are readily customizable to reflect company branding and they have been created in Microsoft Word to ensure affordability and ease of use.
ConnectsUs also recognizes that individual managers play a pivotal role in developing an environment where people are motivated to come to work. Clearsite helps these managers by providing good hiring, orientation and performance management tools and processes.
Once these practices have been implemented, companies can subscribe to Clearsite webinars in order to ensure that they are kept up to date, and that they become familiar with any new and relevant information.
Tourism BC and go2 have also teamed up to develop a practical guide called Employees First, which is designed to help tourism businesses attract, develop and retain people.
The 84-page guide contains useful content on subjects such as hiring and keeping skilled employees and developing leadership practises. It also contains many examples of BC tourism operators who practice good HR management, as well as helpful tips ranging from hiring and orienting staff to retention and training.
A third organization, the Canadian Tourism Human Resources Council, has created an HR Tool Kit designed by HR specialists and tourism industry professionals under the brand name of emerit. The Tool Kit contains templates, checklists, guides and samples that enable small organizations to proactively manage their HR practises. It also ensures that managers are given the tools they need to create job descriptions and to train and evaluate their employees.
The Tool Kit is divided into five sections, which include: performance management, recruitment, selection, hiring and training and coaching. Each section has specific tools that can be used to achieve a designated HR outcome. For example, the desired outcome of the performance management section is to successfully produce an employee manual.
Finally, CCH Canadian Limited has partnered with the BC Human Resources Management Association to create The Ultimate HR Manual – Western Edition www.cch.ca/business/uhrm, which is reasonably priced and designed to be extremely user friendly.
The on-line product is enhanced with time saving tools, such as forms, checklists and templates. Through constant updating, the manual immediately informs businesses of any changes in HR law, and provides practical advice and solutions to everyday challenges. It is also searchable, allowing users to quickly find information about a specific area of interest.
Retention is one of the 73 topics covered in The Ultimate HR Manual. Other topics that will help BC’s tourism and hospitality industry face staffing challenges head-on include: team building, employee surveys and training and development.
All four products also serve to highlight the various legal aspects that employers need to be aware of – from employment standards and Workplace Safety to Human Rights and the BC Labour Code.
As the BC labour shortage continues to intensify, companies will find it increasingly difficult to find and keep people. These, and other resources, will be of help.
