Grizzly Force Blog

Temp labour is a popular staffing solution for businesses that need short-term or seasonal workers. In the food production industry, many companies are facing labour shortages. Businesses can manage the ups and downs of the growing season and mitigate Canadian labour issues by using temp labour. Temp workers play a crucial role in keeping the food supply chain moving by harvesting, packaging, and distributing. Temp labour is also critical in assisting businesses when automated machinery breaks down or is under maintenance. In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of temp labour for food production and provide tips for hiring and managing temp workers. We'll also share a success story from a food production company that has used temp labour effectively.

Labour Shortages in the Food Production Industry

Canada’s largest manufacturing employer, the food and beverage industry, is facing a debilitating labour shortage. These shortages threaten to cripple Canada’s food system as we know it. Companies that together employ nearly 300,000 Canadians were reporting vacancies of above 20%, even before absences due to COVID-19.

 

The Impending Labour Crisis

A study conducted by BCG Centre for Canada’s Future and Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph found that by 2033, 40% of Canadian farm operators will retire, and agriculture will face one of the biggest labour and leadership transitions in the country’s history.  Over the same period, a shortfall of 24,000 general farm, nursery and greenhouse workers is expected to emerge. An even more alarming finding is that 66% of producers do not have a succession plan in place, leaving the future of farmland in doubt.

Canadian Food Production at Risk

Many businesses in the food production sector rely on locally grown produce and ingredients for their products. B.C.'s food and beverage processors produce approximately $9 Billion worth of food per year, representing 70% of total agrifood revenues. To accommodate the growing demand for Canadian products, the way we look at labour shortages and hiring practices needs to be re-evaluated. Without innovative labour solutions, Canadian food production is in jeopardy. 

 

 

Benefits of Using Temp Labour in Food Production

Temp labour is an accessible solution for the food production sector, especially with digital labour partners like Grizzly Force. By utilizing mobile hiring technology in their workforce planning, producers can discover the following staffing benefits:  

Cost-effective solution for seasonal work: 

Temp workers can help food production companies manage the variability in demand that often comes with the growing season. Instead of hiring full-time workers who may not be needed year-round, companies can bring on temp workers only when needed. This helps reduce labour costs.

Flexibility in staffing: 

Temp labour allows companies to quickly adjust their workforce based on changes in demand. For example, if a sudden heat wave leads to a spike in berry production, a food production company can quickly bring on more workers to help with harvesting and processing.

 

Ability to scale up or down quickly:

With temp labour, food production companies can easily increase or decrease their workforce to match demand. This flexibility can help companies avoid overstaffing during slower periods and prevent production bottlenecks during peak periods such as holidays.

 

Reduced administrative burden: 

Temp agencies like Grizzly Force handle the administrative tasks associated with hiring temp workers, such as payroll, taxes, and WorkSafe insurance. This can help reduce the administrative burden on food production companies, allowing them to focus on their core business operations.

 

 

Hiring and Managing Temp Labour

In the past, hiring temp labour has been somewhat cumbersome. With traditional staffing agencies, a lot of time is spent on the phone organizing workers for the day. By choosing a digital temp labour provider like Grizzly Force, businesses gain access to an incredibly large worker pool, right at their fingertips. With our 60,000+ workers using our platform for daily work, there is always somebody ready to pick up a shift. 

Regardless of the temp labour provider chosen, there are several best practices that should be followed:

 

Be Strategic 

Placing temp workers in strategic roles can help them integrate into the business faster. Assigning them tasks that are easy to learn and repeat will enable them to be productive sooner and feel more comfortable in their role. This is especially important as temp workers may not have prior experience in food production. Giving the workers tasks that they can perform independently will help them gain confidence and reduce the need for constant assistance. Ultimately, being strategic about the roles assigned to the temp workers can benefit businesses by increasing their profitability and production goals. 

 

Create Clear Job Descriptions

The best way to ensure businesses receives qualified temp workers is to have a detailed job description during posting. A thoughtful job description will include required PPE, any specific abilities, language requirements, and relevant job attributes. Detailed job descriptions show that the business has thought through the role and all tasks that will need to be completed. It also allows workers to be better prepared for the upcoming shift.

 

Plan Ahead

Hiring temp labour isn’t only for emergency situations. Most businesses know when their peak seasons will occur and planning ahead is key. Integrating temp labour as part of the yearly workforce strategy allows the labour provider to make the hiring experience seamless. When partnering with Grizzly Force, our dedicated sales, support, and marketing teams work together to find workers with the necessary skills. We can fill positions such as forklift operators, certified fall protection, order picking, and dangerous goods handling. We use email and social posts to increase job visibility and achieve a 95% fulfillment rate.  When provided with a longer lead time to fill the positions, our team is able to better prepare our workforce for the hiring partner's expectations. 

 

 

From Farm to Table: A Food Production Success Story

In the spring of 2022, Grizzly Force was able to partner with a busy berry processing plant in Abbotsford B.C. for their temp labour fulfillment. They were in need of 3 to 15 workers per shift, running 3 shifts per day. They required forklift operators, and heavy and light labourers to ensure they could meet their production goals for the busy berry season. Grizzly Force was able to coordinate with the production manager to meet their labour needs with an outstanding review in the Fall. Here’s what the production manager had to say about working with Grizzly Force:

 

 

Before Grizzly Force, what were your biggest challenges with hiring temp labour? 

“The plant had a difficult time finding an agency that would provide labour when needed and it was a manual process to track the labour that did arrive. It was very difficult to keep an accurate account of who showed up and when they worked or if they had been here before and had the training they needed or not.”

How did life improve after partnering with Grizzly Force?

“Tyler really helped put all of the plant's needs in a nice, easy-to-understand and use package for our Supervisors. There was no more scrambling for who was here and when. If we had people who did not show up and/or did not work out, it was easy to ensure those people did not come back. The Hire App really helped Supervisors know who was coming, and when, and did not impede on their time in Supervising the lines. No more “chasing” labour! Being a food processor lends itself to increased risk due to training both for food and people's safety. It was handy that Grizzly Force could provide the job information up front to the Labour workers and we only had to verify it was done.”

Do you have any stories to share about specific standout experiences of working with Grizzly Force and the team?

“I have to point out how incredible the team is at Grizzly Force in responding to and taking action with anything we asked for. I really felt this was a partnership and not just another temp agency sending the people they could find. Grizzly Force labourers, for the most part, showed up on time, ready for the work and did a good job for us.
I’m looking forward to continuing to source labour with Grizzly Force and know we are in good hands going into our busy fresh season for 2023.”

Take Away

The food production industry is an essential part of the Canadian economy. With labour shortages on the rise with no end in sight, food production companies need to tap into the power of temporary labour. By partnering with technology-based labour companies, businesses gain access to faster job fulfillment, better-qualified workers and increased productivity. 

Grizzly Force has a proven track record of serving the food processing industry with seamless labour integration. With our digital hiring app and outstanding customer service, businesses can strategically avoid labour shortages, increase revenue, and decrease the administrative burden of hiring.
To learn more about the ways Grizzly Force can streamline your hiring practices, please reach out here.