EDITOR,

In response to the article about good workers in Squamish being hard to find, I don’t agree. I believe it is the opposite. Good work is hard to find.

I have heard horror stories about employment experiences here in town and have also had my own bad experiences. One girl I know of was ridiculed at a job interview due to her young appearance; another, yelled at continually while working. Complaints of favourtism, insufficient hours, poor wages, verbal abuse, stressful environment, etc. are common.

I’m not saying this is the case with every business — that is, having a hard time finding reliable staff. I’m suggesting that if you are a business having continual staffing problems, perhaps you need to ask the following:

• Am I offering fair and competitive wages?

• If I’m not offering benefits, am I offering incentives, such as staff discounts, etc.?

• Am I offering a positive and fair work environment for my staff?

• Are the hours I’m offering enough for them to survive on, or sufficient enough for me to expect loyalty?

• Am I showing my staff respect and kindness?

I know of many people who have moved away or at least found work in Whistler or Vancouver and do the commute due to the lack of good, stable employment in Squamish. I myself have done this in the past. I feel very fortunate to now have employment in Squamish where I look forward to being at work and feel good about my job.

I really hope that solutions are found on both ends because I would love to see small businesses survive and thrive in our amazing town.

Karen Unger

Squamish