Tell us a little bit about yourself, your role in your business and about your company.
As a franchisee of Tim Hortons, I own and operate nine restaurants in Saskatoon and one in Rosetown. Every day is different, but my main role is to support the rest of my team and make sure everyone has a strong, positive working environment with everything they need to succeed.
Describe your culture. Why is your company a great place to work?
We have an open communication policy that separates us from other large companies. With over 200 employees, I still think it’s important that everyone has my number and is able to call me whenever they need to express concerns or ask for help. We all support each other like family and that makes it a great environment to be in and means our team members want to come to work.
What is something you are proud of about your company?
I’m proud of the people that I work with everyday and how I get to watch them grow and change. We treat each other like family and it’s a really close environment. No matter who you are, where you are, how new or old you are, you can pick up the phone and call me whenever to talk.
Why does your benefits & pension plan matter? What’s the impact to your business?
Benefits are one of those things that people don’t realize they need until they don’t have them. I see benefits as a way to offer my staff a tax-free way to save money (because I pay 100% of the benefits) and a free way to take care of their minds, their bodies, and their families. Whether it’s seeing a doctor, a naturopath, a massage therapist – whatever – it helps them to be a better and healthier human, which helps them to be a better team member.
What is your most creative/unique reward or favourite workplace benefit?
A unique reward we have is that we’re a hospitality company that offers a pension – and not many companies in our industry do that. It’s important to us not only to support our team while they’re working with us, but to help set them up for the future.
What advice would you have for other successful growing Saskatchewan companies in recruiting, rewarding and retaining top talent?
It all starts from the top – whoever is the leader has to set the tone for what they expect from their staff and how they expect their companies to run. If you want people that are open, honest, and have integrity, you need to walk the walk and act that way. It’s hard to expect your employees to act one way if they see their leaders acting another.