Top Employers 2020: Somatic HVAC Solutions' innovative strategies attract talent in B.C.’s diverse economy
Credit to Author: Derrick Penner| Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2020 05:51:17 +0000
For Vancouver’s Somatic HVAC Solutions Ltd., part of its success in recruiting new employees is to help them solve the problem posed by the city’s high cost of living.
“The cost of living is a big issue,” said Somatic president Gilbert Ghezesan, in a region with the highest housing costs in Canada.
Company cars, previously Audi e-tron models now Tesla Model 3s, are part of the solution, said Ghezesan, in Somatic’s progressive pay and benefits package that aims for a strong team approach to its operations.
Somatic president Gilbert Ghezesan.
“That’s a huge burden off someone when the majority of their income is being eaten through a mortgage or what have you.”
And it is an approach to recruiting and human resources that has won Somatic recognition in the B.C. Top Employers competition.
The 2020 B.C. Top Employers competition, produced by the employment-related publisher Mediacorp Canada Inc., chose 95 winners from 1,100 completed applications.
Employers are evaluated on factors ranging from physical workplaces and benefits (both financial and family) to skills development and work atmosphere.
Mediacorp managing editor Richard Yerema said Somatic stood out for its enhanced benefits, flexible work arrangements and generous parental leave.
It is an impressive array considering its size (60 employees at the time of application, 72 as of this writing), Yerema said, and not traditionally a sector where one would see such offerings.
“A unique B.C. story, we suspect enlightened ownership combined with the recognition that there is a competition for talent in such a diverse economy,” Yerema said.
Somatic, which operates in the commercial heating and cooling and plumbing sector, is looking to build staff in a highly competitive field.
The building trades are being squeezed both by high demand from big projects, such as B.C. Hydro’s Site C dam project, and retirements in a rapidly aging workforce, said Bryan Yu, deputy chief economist for Central 1 Credit Union.
“There is a skills shortage that prevails, particularly in high-value professional services,” Yu said in an email exchange. “Construction also remains vigorous.”
Ghezesan said Somatic is fortunate that it receives a lot of word-of-mouth referrals from members of its own staff.
“If we didn’t have that, I think we would be in a lot of trouble,” Ghezesan said.
Once on board, Ghezesan said Somatic takes a sophisticated approach to developing talent through a culture that encourages teamwork and career progression “in a sustainable approach.”
The perks and benefits Somatic offers, the president said, are “more typical for a tech company, or a company that isn’t in the trades.”
“It’s a work-hard, play-hard culture,” Ghezesan said. “But in a very progressive way. That’s what we find people are looking for.”
The 2020 B.C. Top Employers competition involved a longer list of winners this year due to increasing interest in the evaluation, which Yerema said is a testament to the diversity of B.C.’s business community.
The list ranges from small employers, such as treasury-services firm Bellin Treasury Services Ltd. at 27 employees, to big employers, such as forest-products company Canfor Corp. with 4,525 workers.
It covers public-sector employers such as the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch, and private-sector firms across all industries from technology to retail services.
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