Staff shortages taking toll on business

By Blair Braitenbach
Staff Reporter

Now that many young workers have headed back to school, some employers in Okotoks and the surrounding area are finding it difficult to maintain service levels.
With summer, often businesses find it easier to hire students looking to make some extra cash over the holiday. But as fall sets in those same workers either cut back the amount of hours they can work or quit entirely to focus on education.
The MacDonald’s restaurant in Okotoks is one such business feeling the labour crunch of back to school time. Anne-Marie Gloutnez, swing manager of the Okotoks MacDonald’s, said the restaurant employs roughly 50 people, with about 35 of those being high school students. She said with students heading off to school they have been forced to minimize their operation due to labour shortages.
“Sometimes we have to close the drive-through or the lobby earlier because we are so short staffed,” Gloutnez said.
Gloutnez said during this time of year, and even through the summer, McDonald’s consistently tries to hire more staff, but she admits that it can be difficult because not everyone wants to work at a fast food restaurant. She said it has been so difficult to retain employees that the owner went to Mexico to recruit staff.
By offering incentives such as a $10 per hour starting wage, health insurance and scholarship opportunities, Gloutnez said they are doing all they can to attain and retain staff members.
“We are already short staffed so it sure affects our labour shift. It’s really hard for us,” Gloutnez said.
According to Bill Hankins, first assistant manager of Okotoks Safeway, back to school time is hard for them as well. Although the grocery store hires and retains many senior personnel, there are also a number of students who can’t continue working the same amount of hours they did in the summer, often limiting their schedules to weekends and evenings.
“General clerks I probably have six who have just headed back to school,” Hankins said. “So now in summer time they were available during the day, now I don’t have people available during the day. That’s going to cause us some shortages, it’s a tough time.”
Like McDonald’s, Hankins said Safeway tries to offer a competitive starting wage at $10 per hour. However, Hankins said when it comes to the individual store in Okotoks, there is only so much they can do to attract potential employees.
“Our hands are tied, it’s what the company does,” Hankins said. “There’s nothing we can do here store specific.”
Although Okotoks’ VHQ and Movie Gallery has had trouble maintaining staff, the situation can’t be entirely blamed on students heading back to school, according to Adeline Moore, manager of the two video rental stores. She said the company has a policy to only hire individuals 18 or older. She added the two stores only have two or three students working for them as a result of their policy, however, it’s been retaining store managers that has been a challenge.
“(At the Movie Gallery) it’s been fairly good for the past nine months, we’ve had the same staff,” Moore said. “Here (at VHQ) it seems to be a revolving door. They come and they go, they come and they go, so its always hire, hire, hire. But we seem to find the people, because they do seem to want to work for us.”
In seasonal occupations, dealing with students going back to school is a fact of life, according to Brock Balog, Highwood Golf and Country Club head pro. Balog said his department has prepared for the staff shortfall by hiring more seniors to cover the loss of students. But as fall arrives, Balog said the need for all the staff is reduced due to slower grass growing times, shorter daylight hours and cooler weather.
“You still need staff, but it definitely adjusts itself to go to skeleton (staff) to begin with,” Balog said. “It’s just being prepared for that stuff. If you’ve hired all students, then shame on you, you should know they’re eventually going to go back.”
Balog said back to school time can put stress on the club, however, with good incentives such as free golf and pro shop discounts, he knows the workers will return in the spring.
Normally the club hires only about eight youths between the ages of 14 to 16 in the back shop position. To accommodate those teens looking to have freedom on weekends, Balog said they hired 20 this season so the hours are more flexible. As well, Balog said they offer rewards to those who stay the whole season with a bonus and a healthy working atmosphere.
“It’s great having the students and it’s a great summer job to hang out at the golf course,” Balog said.
“It’s not like it’s a stressful job, everybody’s there to have fun and play golf. What you’re basically doing is preparing yourself so that they have enough fun and experience that they want to come back next year,” Balog said.
For employers looking for ways to attract and maintain workers, the Calgary Regional Partnership is offering a free one-day Employee Retention Workshop. The workshop will be held in Okotoks on Sept. 18 at the Rotary Room at the Foothills Centennial Centre from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

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