When the Copper Coil Still & Grill opened almost two years ago, it wasn鈥檛 hard finding staff, said owner Les McDonald, but now it鈥檚 become his greatest challenge.
鈥淚 lose sleep over it every night,鈥� he said, explaining that they鈥檙e down about 20 per cent of the staff they need.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been so challenging that it鈥檚 affecting my well-being and robbing me of time with my family. I never imagined, as a restaurant owner, that HR would be my greatest challenge.鈥�
The impact is felt in all areas of the business, he said, including current kitchen staff having to work more overtime, which he worries may lead to stress, exhaustion and job dissatisfaction.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e also paying a ton of overtime and in the restaurant industry, where the margins are so slim, it starts to eat at your profits.鈥�
He鈥檚 been doing his best to recruit new staff including offering training, fast-track promotions, a good hourly wage, free meals on shift and health benefits, but this past year has been particularly tough to find and keep employees.
He鈥檚 not alone, it seems.聽
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know a single person who owns a business or restaurant who鈥檚 not struggling with staffing right now,鈥� he said.
Nor is it unique to Squamish. Colleagues in the business say it鈥檚 just as tough in Vancouver, he explained, and he鈥檚 also seen it happen in both Jasper and Banff, where he previously lived.
Bianca Peters, executive director of the Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association, agrees.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not the only community experiencing these issues. It鈥檚 not an anomaly. It鈥檚 happening throughout the Lower Mainland鈥� at somewhere like Park Royal, in every other shop you go to they鈥檙e looking for people to employ.鈥�
Peters has lived in Squamish for 19 years and explained one of the big differences she鈥檚 noticed recently is the increase in people looking for seasonal work.
鈥淭here seems to be a new trend where people aren鈥檛 willing to tie themselves down to nine-to-five jobs... it doesn鈥檛 help the local business people who are looking to retain employees.鈥�
For McDonald, the root cause, he feels, is the high cost of living in Squamish.
鈥淲e get some really well-qualified people applying, but the thing I keep hearing from them is that it鈥檚 just too expensive to live in Squamish鈥� We go through the interview process but they call me back saying they just can鈥檛 afford to relocate.鈥�
Laura Motyka, owner of Concrete Blonde Hair & Body Studio, has a love/hate relationship with the cost of living in Squamish. She loves that the people moving to Squamish may become new clients but, in the past, has lost really great potential employees because they can鈥檛 afford to move here from the city.
Though Peters said she frequently hears that employment offered in Squamish isn鈥檛 family-sustaining jobs and that the housing prices don鈥檛 relate to the wages, she feels the cost of living isn鈥檛 the only factor behind staffing challenges.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not just one thing you can point your finger at,鈥� she said.
Kirstin Clausen, executive director of Britannia Mine Museum, agrees. They held a job fair recently to recruit new staff, but the turnout wasn鈥檛 what she鈥檇 hoped for.
One factor behind the staffing challenge has been the rate at which tourism has increased, she explained. Where, five years ago, she was hiring six people in the summer, now they鈥檙e hiring 16.
The Sea to Sky Gondola, too, sees a huge staffing increase during the summer months.
鈥淎t the peak of summer, we employ over 200 people,鈥� said Christy Allan, director of sales and marketing. 鈥淭his means we increase our core team by 120 people from May to September every year.鈥�
A huge HR factor affecting both the gondola and the mine museum is the lack of public transportation for employees.
鈥淥ne of the biggest challenges is public transport,鈥� said Clausen. 鈥淲e can find a student who is interested in the work鈥� but unless they can find a place in Britannia, it can be challenging to get here if they don鈥檛 have a car. And many young people just aren鈥檛 interested in buying cars.鈥�
Allen agreed. 鈥淥ne of our greatest challenges is actually getting people to work if they don鈥檛 have vehicles, as we are not on the transit route. This year we have experienced significant growth in the number of people we employ on working holiday programs鈥� They have been relying on bikes, carpooling or walking along the highway, which isn鈥檛 safe. We try and co-ordinate transport where we can but much of the feedback from these employees regarding their experience with us has been about transportation logistics. The lack of a transit link is also an issue for many of the high school students we employ over summer.鈥�
Motyka said her husband has joked about buying a house and using it as employee housing for the salon, which isn鈥檛 as far of a stretch as it seems.聽
The gondola already offers 30 beds in employee housing, and it鈥檚 something Clausen wishes Britannia Mine Museum could offer too.
The District of Squamish is aware that local businesses are experiencing a variety of challenges and Peters urged all employers to get in contact with the Business Improvement Association and the District to share their concerns.
鈥淚 am aware there is an employment issue and a housing issue, but until we can make a case for it and support it with data, we can鈥檛 move forward,鈥� she said, adding that a new District Economic Steering Committee has been set up specifically to help with this.
鈥淲e need to hear from you. You need to let us know what your issues are so that we can work on this together.鈥�
Of course, an alternative option to becoming an employee is becoming your own boss.
Three and a half years ago, Julie Arnold became a sales consultant for Norwex, a company known for its microfibre cleaning cloths and its bid to reduce the amount of chemicals in homes.
Before her son was born, she was a veterinarian technician but didn鈥檛 return to the profession after maternity leave as she felt it was no longer the right fit. Then, when her son was nine months old, she discovered Norwex.
鈥淚 initially signed up just to receive some products and get a discount鈥� I hadn鈥檛 intended on selling,鈥� she said. But soon family and friends started asking for products and she began to make an income from it.
鈥淚 realised that I could continue doing this instead of going back to work as an employee for someone.鈥�
Aside from being a flexible career that fits around family life, Arnold loves that all her effort and hard work directly benefits her own business.聽
Though the unreliability of income can be hard, she said 鈥� as is having to overcome the stigma of direct sales 鈥� she wouldn鈥檛 exchange it with becoming an employee.
Norwex is just one example of the employment route less travelled, and there are many people in Squamish 鈥渇lying under the radar,鈥� as Peters puts it, making it hard to get a true picture of the employment situation.
Whatever the situation might be though, it鈥檚 a great time for job seekers in Squamish, it seems. Everyone from cleaning and construction companies, to restaurants and landscapers are hiring.
If you鈥檙e seeking work, try visiting the Squamish Area Job Seekers Facebook page, the Work BC Employment Services Centre or Whistler鈥檚 Craigslist.
