Archive for June, 2010

Labour shortage looming (really)

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

While it may not be reality right now, there is a labour shortage looming in the oilpatch. Two different reports, one by human resources consulting firm Mercer and one by the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada, are predicting a substantial shortfall of oilpatch employees as early as next year. It’s good news for potential employees, but not so good for oil and gas companies.

The key for employers is to be proactive today. Start to look at how to engage alternative labour pools, such as foreign workers, Aboriginals, women and disabled persons are all good alternatives that can provide skilled workers to the looming employee shortage. Employers need to look at what skills they need in order to effectively recruit and manage these potential employees NOW. Diversity training is a must and one that BOWEN can provide.

While a labour shortage may still feel like it is “sometime in the future”, it is actually must closer than we think. Employers who will be ahead of the curve are proactively planning for it now.

Bullying Discussion Heats Up

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

On Saturday, Jun 12, the Calgary Herald featured an article about BOWEN’s Bullying in the Workplace seminars.

If you haven’t had a chance to read it, check it out here:

//www.calgaryherald.com/life/Bullying+workplace+rise/3145498/story.html

Interestingly, the story resulted in some great responses from Herald readers who were happy to see that this important topic was being discussed!

Yesterday, newspapers across Canada were picking up the story based on Queen’s University’s School of Business research that shows workplace bullying can be more damaging than racial or gender harassment. Interestingly,the Province of Ontario is preparing to pass a bill that will require employers to “develop and communicate workplace violence prevention policies, assess the risks of workplace violence, and take reasonable precautions to protect workers from domestic violence in the workplace”.

(http://http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/canada/Bullying+work+worse+than+gender+racial+harassment+Report/3151623/story.html

Quebec and Saskatchewan already have similar legislation in place. Let’s hope it is not long before every province follows suits. Workplace bullying is wrong - plain and simple!

Hats off to everyone in the staffing industry!

Monday, June 7th, 2010

This week is Staffing Week in Canada, and I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the incredible team of staffing professionals at BOWEN, as well as the employers who come to us seeking assistance for a wide variety of workforce needs, and to the job seekers who ask for our help with their careers.

I recently celebrated my 26th anniversary with BOWEN and can honestly say I still love coming to work each day. This is a dynamic and challenging industry, that is also very rewarding. There is such satisfaction in helping people find a job that will carry them along their career path and balance their work / life responsibilities! At the same time, I am honoured that so many of Canada’s top companies have trusted BOWEN’s experience and expertise, and invited us to essentially become part of their human resource and business teams.

The past few years have been particularly challenging for the staffing industry, as we were so directly impacted by the economic downturn and the effects on business. However, there is a positive shift happening and I know that regardless of what the future holds, we will continue to give our best to the employers and job seekers who want our help. Congratulations to all who are part of the staffing industry and enjoy the week!

Tweet, Tweet, Jumping onto Twitter

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

I’m on a learning curve but am excited to be venturing into the world of social media. From all I’ve been seeing and reading, it is becoming an essential part of an organization’s entire marketing approach. I know there is still much to learn but one of the things that really appeals to me about social media is the opportunity for virtual networking and dialogue in such an informal, easy way. My tweets are somewhat infrequent, but I am starting to post more regularly. If you’d like to follow me on Twitter, you can find me at http://twitter.com/sbowensmed. I’d love to hear from you and look forward to more chats in the future.