Canadian HR Reporter - Ontario

CANADIAN HR REPORTER NOVEMBER 2018 FEATURES 23 W ith supply chain and transportation logistics so important to its business, Purolator faces challenges when it comes to labour supply. " ere has been some shortages happening because the market has grown quite a bit in Canada for transportation. e economy has been strong, there's a lot more happening in e-commerce and there's a num- ber of tailwinds aff ecting the supply," says John Ferguson, president and CEO of Purolator in Mississauga, Ont. "It has become a challenge. It's almost like you're focusing more on selling to the recruiting side of business versus the actual client side, because we've got plenty of demand, but you've got to have people to do work." ere used to be a time when Purolator had no problem fi nding people to come work for it, but lately it's had to be a lot more proactive, he says, "and almost turn our HR team into a marketing team to make sure we're communicating the benefi ts to working here, and getting out and communicating, 'We're open for business and looking to add to our workforce.'" But it helps when your company has a strong brand. "In our case, we have not experienced as many issues because we're a real employer of choice, and just the nature of the work — the stability of it, the compensation, everything else — drives it towards a place where we don't have as many problems," says Ferguson. "We've had a really good experience with bringing on talent here be- cause I think we've got a great story — the brand, the career progression opportunities, things like that." ere can be particular challenges when the 10,000-employee com- pany is ramping up for peak seasons, however — especially when it comes to warehousing and distribution, he says. " ere's a lot of growth, and those skills and those roles are becoming more challenging because there's just so much going on." e bulk of Purolator's hiring is for fi eld operations, meaning couriers, drivers, people working in the sort and automated hubs. ere is also a large call centre to handle the service work in Moncton. "We've had good success (in Moncton) but even there it's becoming more and more challenging because there's a lot of (competitors) mov- ing there as well," says Ferguson. "We were one of the fi rst entrants, so we were in pretty good shape, but the economy has been strong, there's a lot more happening in these markets." Purolator has also ramped up its training in anticipation of increased demand for deliveries with the legalization of cannabis. "We're going to be a pretty big player in that, actu- ally. We've got quite a bit happening there; we've got a new handheld technology for each courier that al- lows them to capture an adult signature, and they've been trained on how to make sure that the person is receiving it is of age and legal to use and accept the package, so (it's meant) extra training and safety and security." Overall, Canada is strong compared to the Unit- ed States and other parts of the world, he says, plus it has done a lot around immigration, skills and training. e challenge has been an economy outpacing the supply, in certain sectors. " e other big issue is urbanization… the cities are really growing and it's creating housing issues and cost-of-living issues," says Ferguson. "(Purolator has) had signifi cantly more growth than we've had in our 50-year history and a lot of that is due to the economy in general but also e-commerce coming in and really lifting the market. And so we're going through a pretty major change, as a business, a pretty mature business… We've hired more people in the last year than we have in any other year in our history, more growth than any time in our history, more change, more technology being brought on. So we actually invest quite a bit in change management, training, all those people-related areas because we've had to just to keep going." e big investment in training has focused on process and health and safety, along with front-line leadership and re-energizing the corporate culture, he says. ose kinds of initiatives also help with retention. " ere's a whole bunch of things that lend itself to a place that is at- tractive, so we have to be competitive on the compensation side but also... we've got a lot of things in balance — people are really happy, our engagement scores are super strong, we've got good results, client services are good," says Ferguson. "We're one of the last big Canadian companies, in our industry. Ev- erything (these days) is U.S.-based or part of a multinational subsidiary, so we're very much a Canadian-based business, and in transportation, that's pretty rare, on this scale. So, people really like to stay — they like the history, they like the friends and relationships they have, plus we're growing. It's a great place to work." John Ferguson president and CEO of Purolator The Mississauga, Ont.-based company has more than 10,000 employees F or the Port of Halifax and related industries, there are a few dif- ferent factors in play when it comes to labour shortages, such as retiring baby boomers and changing skill sets, according to Karen Oldfi eld, president and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority. "Canadian employers have had plenty of lead time to understand this was coming, and nobody should be surprised that the shift is underway. ose who were prepared will certainly benefi t from having a strong and agile workforce; others will seize the opportunity to recalibrate and restructure; and as we've seen with other disruptive shifts, there will be companies that will struggle to adapt." e eff ects of baby boomers moving into retirement is creating both challenges and opportunities, she says. "I've attended more retirement parties in the past three years than I did in the 10 years prior so, certainly, we are not immune to the shifting labour market." e challenges that come with the departure of long-time, experi- enced workers with considerable corporate knowledge can be mitigated with succession planning — something the Halifax Port Authority has focused on, says Oldfi eld. "We also use retirements as an opportunity to review best practices, implement new ways of doing things, restructure departments for ef- fi ciency, develop and promote from within, and bring in new talent to those departments where we are trying new things or moving in a new direction," she says. "What is exciting is the number of new people I see in the organiza- tion today, and the resulting energy and fresh ideas our new employees bring." ere has also been a signifi cant change in the type of jobs that are available, says Oldfi eld. "Increasingly, the new positions that need skilled and qualifi ed workers are those positions related to information technology including data management, research and, of course, positions related to STEM studies (science, technology, engineering and math)," she says. " ere is some onus on those who want the jobs to ensure they have the skills necessary to fi ll those posi- tions; at the same time, companies need to recognize that existing or potential employees, especially the ones who have those specifi c skill sets, need to be compensat- ed accordingly, and that means much more than simply fi nancial compensation." As for the role of government and educators, a co-ordinated and strategic approach is absolutely re- quired, says Oldfi eld. "Our leaders and decision-makers need to ensure the generation of Canadian workers being trained now have the necessary skill sets and abilities to move into those positions that need to be fi lled now and 10 years from now." And while the Halifax Port Authority is seeing a mix of generations working side by side — baby boomers, generation Xers, millennials — and each are motivated in diff erent ways, "what remains consistent among the entire workforce is the need to treat employees with respect, listen to their ideas and concerns and, perhaps most importantly, re- spond to their needs," she says. " ere is no 'one-size-fi ts-all' solution, but I think organizations should start in a place of fairness and always consider the golden rule, which is to say 'Treat others as you wish to be treated.'" Karen Oldfi eld president and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority The Crown corporation has about 85 employees at its facilities

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