Features Recruitment Retention
Digging into recruitment and retention with CGC

The Canadian Gypsum Company (CGC Inc.) is no stranger to the labour shortage facing many organizations across Canada. In fact, as one of the only Canadian companies with a full view of the building materials supply chain, from mining raw gypsum to manufacturing that gypsum into building materials like wallboard and getting the final product where it needs to go, CGC has a unique perspective on labour issues in the resources, manufacturing, and transportation sectors.

The company also has a unique perspective on recruiting and retaining top talent despite headwinds.

In the past two years, CGC has re-opened its mining operations in Nova Scotia and expanded its supply chain in Alberta, creating about 200 new jobs.

“These are not the manufacturing jobs that our parents or people before them used to perform,” says Joe Bielik, director of human resources for CGC. Educating potential hires about how automation and robotics are changing manufacturing is vital to the company’s recruiting strategy.

“We focus on marketing technology to potential candidates and current employees,” Bielik explains. For example, he adds, “For employees that operate mobile equipment, we use a simulator where they’re able to train and learn the skills that they need to do the work of operating mobile equipment, such as a haul truck or a loader or an excavator.”

This approach allows employees to develop new skills in a low-risk, controlled environment. This way, they’re prepared to perform their jobs safely and efficiently once they sit at the controls in the real world.

One demographic CGC has targeted for recruitment is high school, college and university students. “It may not help find somebody right away,” Bielik notes, “But we’re building our brand for potential hires down the road, and it’s creating discussion.”

CGC’s Women Rock event, held at the company’s mining facility in Little Narrows, N.S., introduced local high school students to career opportunities within CGC by giving them hands-on experiences and mentorship from women with established careers in mining and engineering. Credit: CGC.

CGC also relies on community engagement to fill vacant roles – a strategy that’s been especially successful in Wheatland, Alta., where the company is starting a new plant.

“We are in the community holding information sessions where we’re able to get out in front of people,” Bielik says. These talks typically start with an introduction to CGC and its parent company, USG, before explaining how products are made at the local level. During a typical community information session, the conversation will range from innovation, safety, and training to career paths, compensation, and benefits packages.

“What we’ve found with our first round of hiring in Alberta is that we are seeing people attend the career and information sessions, and then we’re seeing a lot of applications and interest in the jobs that we have posted,” Bielik noted.

Sparking that initial interest in the company is the first step to recruiting fresh talent.

Piecing together the retention puzzle

In the last 18 months, CGC has reviewed its onboarding package and made some key adjustments to try and retain new hires for the long run.

Many of the company’s efforts focus on supporting a new hire through their first year. Data shows that if CGC can keep an employee through that one-year mark, it has an excellent chance of retaining them long-term.

To that end, the HR team completes a 90-day interview with each new hire and another interview around the 10- or 11-month mark. These meetings are scheduled in addition to regular check-ins with the employee’s supervisor.

CGC also pairs each new hire with a mentor or buddy, so they have someone to talk to and learn from about the organization. This aspect of the onboarding process has been particularly well-received.

Then, there are employee resource groups (ERGs), which help employees find and connect with others. For instance, the ‘Women Rock’ ERG offers women in manufacturing an opportunity to come together and learn from one another.

“It’s all about building that connection,” says Bielik. “We want to immerse people in the business, understand their role as it is, where their career growth is coming from, and make sure that they understand our values and culture. Hopefully, that leads to them having a very long career with CGC.”