Canadian HR Reporter

www.hrreporter.com 13 guess things are a little better, but the morale is what it is." During the summer months, many grocery store patrons relaxed their social distancing efforts, putting retail employees at risk, he says. "I would get complaints when [customers] came in: 'We've got too many people in the produce section or too many people around the bakery' and that scared some of the members." However, conditions have improved, he says. "From when this started until now, I would say [retail companies] have done a good job in the stores as far as safety measures." In British Columbia, stores moved into advanced phases much earlier than in Ontario or Quebec, and it was equally challenging for non-unionized workers, according to an organization that assists non-unionized employees in the province access employment rights. "A lot of retail places started to reopen and what we're seeing is workers are scared and feeling unsafe because COVID still exists," says Pamela Charron, co-ordinator of the Retail Action Network (RAN) in Victoria, B.C. " They're scared for their health and their safety and they have family which might bode well for future employer-employee relationships. "Retailers are paying more attention to their employees' mental health and emotional health, because they understand that it has not been easy, especially for those who had jobs that were c ustomer-facing. T here was an enormous amount of anxiety," she says. "I've heard time and time again that leaders have realized the importance of communicating openly, honestly, in a transparent way, and listening to the concerns. What they've learned from an HR perspective is that the team is so important and, by eliminating silos, [they are] bringing different folks together so that people appreciate w h at e v e r y o n e i s d o i n g w i t h i n that chain." Customers a challenge for safety However, optimism among Unifor, Local 414 workers is "hanging in," says Gord Currie, president of Unifor, Local 414 in Toronto. "At the beginning, it was down, obviously. I don't know if I want to say it's getting better because there's still people who are working and worried about COVID itself. With the masks, I members that might be compromised, but they're going back to work because they need to pay their bills. There's also this unclear situation where they go back to work and they're not sure they might lose their job again or they might be laid off again because of a second outbreak, which [B.C. provincial health officer] Bonnie Henry has advised may happen." Not all stores in B.C. are following all public health guidelines, says Charron. "They're going to work and there aren't those measures in place and that's very frustrating for some workers," she says. "It's up to the guests to choose if they want wear a mask or not." Recruitment challenges anticipated Despite many workers having access to government programs such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), retention of current workers hasn't been an issue, says Monteleone — but recruiting new workers may pose new obstacles. "People now are re-evaluating: What do they want out of work going forward? Challenges or opportunities that organizations will face in the coming months are when it comes to attracting and retaining talent. What are the new drivers that are going to guide prospective employees' decisions about joining a company?" he says. "Everyone now is looking at where do they want to work a little differently these days." Authenticity will be another issue, says Monteleone, so it's about "ensuring that an organization's acting with transparency and honesty in this time." CHRR "Retailers are paying more attention to their employees' mental health and emotional health because they understand that it has not been easy." Diane Brisebois, Retail Council of Canada

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