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W e d n e s d a y, J u ly 9, 2 0 1 4 E D M O N T O N J O U R NAL e d m o n t o n j o u r n a l . c o m
CAPITAL IDEAS cap it a li d e ase d m o n to n .c o m
P R O J E C T L E A D E R : K A R E N U N L A N D , 7 8 0 - 4 2 9 - 5 5 3 0 ; h e l l o @c a p i t a l i d e a s e d m o n t o n . c o m
CAPITAL QUESTION:
UPCOMING:
What innovative steps is your company 14 taking to retain your top talent? JULY
Capital Ideas members share tips for keeping great people around Chris Vilcsak, president of Solution 105 (solution105.com) is interested in hearing how other companies retain staff, which is why he posed this question to the community. Here’s how Vilcsak retains his top talent: “Successful companies recognize that team members must fit and function well together… and understand that people have a life outside of work and encourage that. Be flexible with work hours… and when times are busy and employees are working hard, recognize the extra effort, too. Finally, compensate fairly… when the company does well, so should the employees.”
PH OTO S U PPL I E D BY C H R I S V I LC SA K
“We have an amazing group of superstars in the firm that want to feel empowered and know they are making a difference. We offer as much personal and professional flexibility as possible in the jobs they work on, their daily work schedules and how they can individually contribute to the company’s success.” — Linda Banister, president of Banister Research & Consulting Inc. — banister.ab.ca “The key to keeping talented people is creating a culture that is hard to walk away from. One of the ways we do this is by creating personal connections with our team. We also intentionally create experiences for us to have fun together.” — Brandi Bartlett, director of human resources at Quercus Solutions — quercussolutions.com “Perhaps not very innovative, but when I started my company 18 years ago, I vowed to not end up owning a company that I wouldn’t want to work for.” — David Boroditsky, owner of Emergence by Design — emergence.com “Good employees work for the wages or salary; great employees are passionate about the work they do, and work primarily for peer and supervisor recognition. Management needs to meet these needs by paying good employees reasonable compensation to retain them, and promoting the great ones.” — Kees denHartigh, founder of Organic Social Media — organicsocialmedia.ca “We pay them well, always respond to their questions or concerns, and respect their priorities. In essence, we make sure to treat our people like people and not just like employees. At the end of the day, we all pay our staff about the same as everyone else in the market, but what the best people value most is respect.” — Anuj Gupta, president of Anu Homes — anuhomes.ca “Retention is the key to our success for sure, but it is not all about money; for us, it’s about our culture. We treat all employees equally, support them, and help them grow both professionally and personally… We try hard to making sure all staff feel like they’re valued and listened to… Rewarding, recognizing and appreciating all your employees is the key to retention.” — Bruce Kirkland, general manager of Lexus of Edmonton — lexusofedmonton.ca “I don’t discriminate between my staff. I offer them all the same thing: Paid training opportunities, daily challenges with increasing responsibilities, and constant and relevant feedback.” — Kevin MacDonald, sounding board at PU Technologies Inc. — putechnologies.tk
“If your employees are your No. 1 asset, do everything you can to make them feel that way. Conduct regular surveys to see what keeps them engaged and makes them happy… consider an employee stock ownership program or profit sharing, and look at what best-in-class companies are doing in your industry. Finally, measure — that’s the only way you’ll know if you are improving in this area.” — Ashif Mawji, CEO of NPO Zero — npozero.com
JULY
16
Make Something Mondays: Social Entrepreneurship The first of a series of breakfast events on change-makers When: 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Where: Startup Edmonton (10359 104th St.) Admission: Free. Learn more at makesomethingedmonton.ca
How to Shine Online and Reach Millions With Your Message An eWomenNetwork Accelerated Networking Event When: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Where: Millwoods Golf Course (4540 50th St.) Admission: $38 to $48. Learn more at ewomennetwork.com
JULY
Marketing With Permission
JULY
Digital Alberta Awards
17
19
JULY
26
A workshop with Kurian Tharakan on Canada’s new anti-spam legislation When: 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Where: Northern Alberta Business Incubator (13 Mission Ave., St. Albert) Admission: Free. Learn more at nabi.ca
An event to recognize leaders in innovation, creativity and digital media in Alberta Where: Royal Alberta Museum (12845 102nd Ave.) Admission: Learn more at awards.digitalalberta.com
SMB Fieldtrip 2014 Social Media Breakfast takes its show on the road for outdoor fun and connections When: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Where: Rundle Park (2909 113 Ave.) Admission: $25. Learn more at smbyeg.ca
Have an event that Capital Ideas should know about? “We hire keepers and empower them to do their Contact us at hello@capitalideasedmonton.com jobs. When they make a mistake, we help them identify the stumbling block and find ways to “First, be very clear on expectations so you hire get past it. Let’s face it, everyone has stumbling the right people for the job. If they are doing what blocks; the best way to retain top talent is to they love and you are valuing them with money create an environment where they can learn from and praise for a job well done, they will stay in a their setbacks and grow stronger as a result.” culture where their talents are appreciated.” — Barbara May, founder of Stumbling Blocks at — Connie Warner, founder of Connie Warner & Work — stumblingblocksatwork.com Associates — launchingleaders.ca “If you’re looking for innovation related to employee retention, look to technology. There “We don’t tie them to our company; we’ve structured is affordable, cloud-based software on the our business so that we collaborate with our senior market today that allow companies to deploy colleagues on projects, but give them the freedom a scalable, consistent solution to the entire to do the same with other companies. It’s a fantastic organization that helps managers manage solution for everyone — tons of freedom, lots of their people. Managers are a key part of this variety in the work, and our clients appreciate the fact equation, because employees don’t quit jobs, we only work with senior practitioners in the field. It’s they quit their boss.” a different take on retaining talent, and in a market as — Alison McMahon, co-founder of TwoFold — hot as Edmonton, it works well for all concerned.” gettwofold.com — Marliss Weber, owner of Parodos Communications Inc. — parodos.ca “The key to sustainable employment involves proper employee selection first, then subsequent investment in an individual’s ongoing growth and development. At Psychometrics Canada, we use assessments to hire the right people for the right jobs, and help employees succession plan, train, and develop their skills within the organization.” — Aidan Millar, talent development consultant at Psychometrics Canada — psychometrics.com Transitioning your business to a new space can be an intimidating process, which is “Hire smart people — skills can be trained… why Wellington Holbrook, Have regular and frequent communication, executive vice-president of and always give recognition of good work. It’s ATB Business, wants you to that simple. Take care of your people and they share: will take care of your profits.” How do you find the right — Pat Mussieux, founder of Wealthy Women space for your business? Leaders — wealthywomenleaders.com You can answer the question in two ways: • Open today’s Capital Ideas email if you’re a member, or “My business is a solo operation, but I • Visit capitalideasedmonton.com remember being the ‘talent,’ and here’s what We’ll publish the best answers, along with your busiI would like to have seen from my employer ness name and website address, on July 16. — trust. Many times, talent is hired then To learn how local entrepreneur Jaqueline Jacek of handcuffed from doing anything innovative JACEK Chocolate Couture expanded her operation into or forward-thinking because of policy. The a commercial space — including her handy 10-per-cent company doesn’t trust their talent, so the rule — check out ATB’s We Grow Alberta series at atb. talent becomes bored or frustrated. Many com/wegrowalberta. companies say they want people to think outside the box, but they shut down ideas when they are offered. Trust who you hire to move your company forward.” — Deirdre StLuke, owner of Deirdre StLuke — dstluke.com
CAPITAL QUESTION:
How do you find the right space for your business?
B U S I N E S S OW N E R S H E L P I N G B U S I N E S S OW N E R S
Your turn to ask a question We want to know what you want to know about running a business. So here’s your chance to ask a question of the Capital Ideas community. Besides the opportunity to have your question featured like Chris Vilcsak’s was today, we have something exciting in the works with our friends at E-Town. Visit capitalideasedmonton.com/ask to learn more. E-Town is an entrepreneurial festival hosted by the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation at the Shaw Conference Centre on Sept. 11 and 12. To get your tickets, visit e-town.ca.
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