The ability of Canadian manufacturers to meet their future workforce requirements will not only depend on the availability of qualified personnel in the labour market. Companies will also have to ensure workplace standards are in place and being effectively met, and implement employment practices that will attract and retain the workers they need.
A clean, healthy, and safe workplace is a necessary element of any successful business. It has to be a priority for manufacturers, not simply to comply with regulations, but because it is the basis for a well-managed, productive enterprise and essential in attracting and retaining employees.
Manufacturers are already implementing new employment and workplace practices to encourage the attraction and retention of skilled and experienced workers. Over 60% of Canadian manufacturers participating in CME’s 2004 Management Issues Survey say that workplace practices designed to attract and retain employees is an important part of their strategies to meet future labour needs. (See Tables 29, 30, and 31.)
Some of the most common incentives that manufacturers currently use in this regard are higher levels of overtime pay, flexible work schedules, time-off for extra hours worked, short leave time for personal issues, support for worker education and training, compensation-based performance incentives, flexibility to deal with child-related issues, compressed workweeks, and employee wellness programs.