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Chamber holds must-attend meeting on Olympics

Staffing issues at centre of chamber’s Oct. 15 meeting

If there is one issue that is top of mind for most businesses in Whistler right now it is staffing in the Olympic year.

Not only are managers and owners trying to come to grips with a struggling economy, they are searching for a crystal ball to try and figure out whether Olympic aversion or Olympic fever should guide their hiring practices.

Understanding this dilemma Whistler's Chamber of Commerce has put together a panel to address staffing over the next few months and even beyond.

"I want to call the Oct. 15 lunch (conference) a call to action for our businesses," said Chamber president Fiona Famulak.

The session will provide essential information that businesses need to develop their HR plans for the 2009-2010 winter season, including the 2010 Winter Games.

Panel presentations will address the following:

• How will employee motivation be impacted by Olympic activities?

• What are the latest HR trends in the Sea to Sky corridor?

• What are Whistler Blackcomb's and VANOC's HR plans?

• What are creative ways of recruiting for this winter season?

• How can businesses retain employees throughout this winter season?

There will be several panelists from VANOC, go2 (the resource for people in tourism), Whistler Blackcomb and the chamber to provide an overview of possible local, national, and international solutions to businesses' HR challenges

Presentations will be followed by 15 minutes of Q & As.

The Employment Standards Branch, Service Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and SWAP Working Holidays will each host a table to answer any HR related questions as well.

"After transportation, planning for staffing needs in 2010 is the next most important planning exercise for our business," said Famulak.

Thanks to a corridor-specific 2005-06 labour market study it is already known that businesses are chronically short about 2,500 workers each year.

With VANOC and its contractors looking for up to 10,000 paid workers and 25,000 volunteers it is likely the market for employees will be even more squeezed.

"The fact that VANOC and its suppliers need approximately 35,000 individuals (paid and volunteer) to deliver their services means that 35,000 individuals will be soaked up, so there will be a smaller pool of resources available to our businesses," said Famulak.

"We feel at the chamber that that information needs to be clearly presented so that there is no misunderstanding of what their needs are and therefore what the impact on the local community will be."

For that reason Famulak is urging businesses to make a plan for staffing. It may not work to run with a lean model until Games time, as it may be nearly impossible to get staff.

On the other hand, said Famulak, there is the understanding that businesses can't afford to hire more workers than they need months out from the event.

The chamber is working with go2 to come up with some solutions that would give both employers and employees access to tools to reach each other and get to work for Games time.

"So we are not throwing a problem onto the table without a solution," said Famulak. "We are saying here is the reality check: there are going to be thousands of people employed, there will likely be a shortfall, and here are some suggested solutions to address that shortfall.

"We are working very closely with go2 and they have access to a variety of different pools of potential employees, nationally and internationally, and we are looking at leveraging some of those.

"We are looking at incorporating a number of enhanced on-line tools to help connect employers with employees and vice versa."

And although the chamber's mandate does not include accommodation Famulak says it can't be ignored in the equation.

"We have to address the elephant in the room and I will be summarizing what we think are viable accommodation solutions that are available to be considered by the community when they are ready to hire and looking for accommodation," she said.

"We all acknowledge that accommodation is one of the most challenging pieces in all of this and that is why I want to address it. Not because we have the solutions, but because I know there are a variety of options out there and to pull them together in one list and in one event I think is helpful."

Panel speakers will offer some insight into what the Olympic guests will look like and also how to keep staff on track at Games time.

That could mean offering incentives for staff who stay through the event and do not succumb to the lure of Olympic suppliers head hunting at Games time, providing food and drinks to staff to keep them energized, or even planning a staff event midway through the Games to keep them engaged.

"I think there are a lot of different ways that the employer can become creative, not just to find great staff but to keep great staff, and we will be addressing those as part of the event," said Famulak.

"The message is start planning sooner rather than later but if you can't plan until January then hopefully the solutions that we are going to be making available will help."

To register for the lunch go to events@whistlerchamber.com or call Jaime at 604-932-5922 ext. 24.

It will be held Oct. 15 at the Whistler Conference Centre starting at 11:45 a.m.