Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER December 14, 2015 12 NEWS 'Sustainable jobs needed, not cute initiatives' HIRING YOUTH < pg. 9 according to the company. Most of these new jobs will go to work- ers found in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation in British Columbia, the Partnership to Ad- vance Youth Employment and the City of Toronto, as well as Société de développement social de Ville- Marie in Montreal. A precarious cycle? While Starbucks Canada's youth hiring initiative is well-inten- tioned, at least one critic has deemed the plan less of a solu- tion to youth unemployment and more of a public relations stunt. "What I would paint this ini- tiative as is some form of green- washing, but instead of being environmental, it's linked to the labour market," said labour lawyer Andrew Langille in Toronto. The service industry itself is problematic, he said, as most jobs tend to be precarious or dead-end, with little opportunity to advance through the ranks. "What you're seeing with these employees is that they're really stuck in precarious jobs, that's the reality," said Langille, who is also general counsel for the Canadian Intern Association. "ey're hir- ing young people already — this isn't revolutionary for Starbucks; they depend on young people to fill their ranks. It's wonderful but it doesn't get around the fact that these are terrible jobs, for the most part." at's because so many service and retail industry employers fail to provide benefits or vacation perks. So improving the nature of the actual work, and then recruit- ing young workers to those posi- tions, can really fuel workforce development, said Langille. "ere's a responsibility… to make service and retail jobs into something that is more sustain- able than currently exists — where people are being put on zero-hour contracts, where people are being paid very low wages, do not have any idea of what their schedule is going to be," he said. "at's where I think the responsibility lies for employers, not coming up with cute initiatives that are designed for public relations people to push into the media." The ideal working world for youth, therefore, is one in which active labour market programs (such as internships and co-op university placements) exist in in- dustries where there is a potential for well-paying jobs, benefits and pensions, he said. But there are perks and oppor- tunities for most employees to move up the ladder at Starbucks, said Girotto. "(For) part-time, we offer full- time benefits, medical and den- tal, stock, vision. It might be your first job, not your last job but, my god, at 20 hours a week, you have the same benefits as the vice- president — that's huge," she said. "It sort of sets them up for what remuneration needs to look like." And, as an added bonus, the company gets to train its future labour force. "We are very focused on inter- nally developing our talent. We're developing for our future needs," said Presutto. "The opportuni- ties are endless not only in terms of the role they play but also the benefits we provide, the nurtur- ing environment we provide, the training we provide — but we hire hundreds of leadership positions in our stores every year, so they are amongst that talent pool." When Starbucks or another employer of young workers takes on such a commitment, it contrib- utes to the growth and betterment of the community, which not only feels good but upholds a corpora- tion's responsibility and reputa- tion, said Crooks. e workshop component of the Bladerunners program helps budding labourers gain work experiences and maintain those skills — something that is old hat for most workforce veterans, said Hergert. "(ere) are specific workshops on starting and maintaining new job skills that most youth don't really realize, and that we take for granted — like showing up on time and not calling in sick if you have a headache, or not gossiping about colleagues and co-workers and all these little things that youth don't really know." Starbucks said it plans to roll out the youth initiative to several other cities across Canada. Starbucks holiday cups pictured at an outlet in New York on Nov. 11. The chain is focused on hiring youth in Canada, with programs rolling out to several cities across the country. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri EmploymentSource™ Works as hard for you as you do for your clients Our premier employment content on WestlawNext® Canada is integrated with relevant case law, legislation, expert commentary and legal memos, allowing you to manage your practice in the most efficient way possible. It's the complete mix of resources you need to confidently advise on compliance, defend occupational and health and safety charges, or prepare successful dismissal or termination strategies. Search across multiple content types simultaneously Instantly evaluate what a claim is worth with the Wrongful Dismissal Quantum Service, an interactive service with report- building functionality Review exclusive commentary by Canada's foremost employment and occupational health and safety law experts Start ahead − and stay ahead − with our exclusive collection of legal memoranda Keep current with two leading employment and dismissal law newsletters and digests For a free demonstration, call 1-866-609-5811 or visit westlawnextcanada.com/employmentsource 00233WZ-52632

• Cover