Success Stories: Labour Market Information

The lives of Canadians are touched on a daily basis by ESDC and its portfolio partners. These success stories are about Canadians who have changed their own lives, or those of others.

Work-Sharing

Work-Sharing – Helping Secure a Strong Future

Toronto, Ontario, September 23, 2010 - i³DVR International is one of North America’s leading providers of digital video security products. Founded in 1990, it has earned a reputation for flexibility and technological innovation. The company develops software and hardware applications that allow businesses to access information in a more secure and efficient way.

The recent economic downturn had an impact on Canada’s technology industry and i³DVR International was no exception. Grace Baba, General Manager of i³DVR International, explained that “our business suffered a 50 percent decrease in overall sales volume as a result of the recession.”

To limit the financial consequences of the economic downturn, i³DVR International had to come up with a reliable solution. The company decided to consult an employment lawyer who suggested the Work-Sharing program. According to Grace Baba, the company considered the program’s benefits and “applied for it right away.”

The Work-Sharing program is designed to help employers avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance income benefits to qualified workers willing to work a reduced work week while their employer recovers. The agreement with i³DVR International began on October 26, 2008, and ended on April 24, 2010, with 29 participating employees. “By being able to retain key staff, the ability to service our customers and provide a quality product remained unchanged,” said Grace Baba.

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government temporarily improved access to Work-Sharing by increasing flexibility in the qualifying criteria, while streamlining processes for employers. Budget 2010 extends this enhancement. Budget 2010 also put in place an extension of up to 26 weeks (to a maximum of 78 weeks) for employers with active, or recently terminated, Work-Sharing Agreements. Both of these enhancements will be in place until April 2, 2011.
Work-Sharing – Heavy Duty Reality

Mississauga, Ontario - Mascot Truck Parts is a long-term player in the equipment industry. Founded in 1936, the company has evolved over the past seven decades to become one of the largest heavy-duty specialists in North America, applying their expertise to rebuilding all makes of transmissions, differentials and steering gears.

It’s a fact: the economic downturn hit the manufacturing and automotive industry. For manufacturing companies like Mascot Truck Parts, this had a major impact. “Like most companies in the manufacturing sector, we have been hit hard as we are also part of the automotive industry, not to mention a good proportion of our sales are made in the United States,” said Glenn Hanthorn, president of Mascot Truck Parts.

To avoid layoffs and keep the business running, the company had to come up with something fast. It’s through word of mouth that Mascot Truck Parts found a solution to their problem. “We first heard about the Work-Sharing program through a current employee,” explained Glenn. “His wife was benefitting from the program after her employer applied to take advantage of the benefits. It made sense for us to look further into the program as we seemed to be a good fit for the criteria required.”

The Work-Sharing program is designed to avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance income benefits to qualifying workers willing to work a reduced work week while their employer recovers. The agreement that began in August 2009 and will end in August 2010 has allowed Mascot Truck Parts to keep 107 employees.

“We have 140 employees across Canada and are proud to say that we have not laid off anyone since we were affected by the downturn. There is no question that, thanks to the Work-Sharing program, we were able to survive and eventually became a stronger company with a competitive edge. This program has helped us to survive through the worst of the recession, keep our complete work force and maintain our current skill set and knowledge.”

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government temporarily improved access to Work-Sharing by increasing flexibility in the qualifying criteria, while streamlining processes for employers. Budget 2010 extends this enhancement. Budget 2010 also put in place an extension of up to 26 weeks (to a maximum of 78 weeks) for employers with active, or recently terminated, Work-Sharing Agreements. Both of these enhancements will be in place until April 2, 2011.
Work-Sharing – From Extreme Measures to Great Rewards

Peerless Engineering has been in business since 1947 and currently employs 33 people in five locations in Western Canada. Their business is focused on the distribution of Fluid Power Products covering industrial and mobile hydraulic, pneumatic and vacuum components and systems. The company also fabricates hydraulic power units and medical/lab compressed air and vacuum systems.

The severe economic downturn in Western Canada has had an impact on the majority of Peerless manufacturing customers and resulted in a 33 percent decline in sales. “The company experienced serious erosion of sales in our key industry segments, with some of our key customers going into bankruptcy or closing and moving to the U.S., which resulted in a significant income decline,” explained Jeff Magnolo, President of Peerless Engineering Sales Ltd.

To survive, the company had to trim down its operating expenses by 25 percent. However, these measures were insufficient to offset sales reductions. “Since 65 percent of our operating expenses are salaries, we would have had to implement salary cuts and would have been forced to layoff at least seven more people, in addition to the three employees we had to let go before we started the Work-Sharing program,” Mr. Magnolo said.

Peerless values their employees and, in a time of crisis, Mr. Magnolo did not want to layoff additional employees. That is how, one day, reading the Globe and Mail, he came across information regarding the Work-Sharing program that is designed to avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance income benefits to qualifying workers willing to work a reduced work week while their employer recovers.

Peerless Engineering’s Work-Sharing agreement began on June 7, 2009, and ensured that the 14 participating employees are still employed by the company. “The Work-Sharing program significantly helped Peerless to survive the great recession. We were able to bring back our purchasing personnel to full time in December 2009 and we are forecasting ending Work-Sharing in the last half of 2010,” stated Jeff.

Thanks to Work-Sharing, Peerless Engineering’s future looks a little brighter. Business is improving and they have made some key profitable sales. “We are forecasting returning to a reasonable profit level in the third quarter of 2010. With the economy now recovering, we are embarking on an aggressive sales campaign to target new emerging industries. Peerless is in a good position to supply these industries and, as a result, grow our sales revenue,” concluded Mr. Magnolo.

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government temporarily improved access to Work-Sharing by increasing flexibility in the qualifying criteria, while streamlining processes for employers. Budget 2010 extends this enhancement. It also put in place an extension of up to 26 weeks (to a maximum of 78 weeks) for employers with active, or recently terminated, Work-Sharing agreements. Both of these enhancements will be in place until April 2, 2011.
Work-Sharing – Furniture Retail at its Best

The Brick Canada, one of the largest volume retailers of home furnishings, bedding, appliances and electronics in Canada, has been in business for over 37 years. To date, the company employs over 5,000 people and operates over 200 points of sale, which include franchise, mattress store, superstore, clearance and united Furniture Warehouse locations.

The recession did not spare the company, and, as a result sales decreased significantly. The Brick, which is supportive of their employees, wanted to avoid any cut in their work force and had to find alternative measures.

“We heard about the Work-Sharing program through Service Canada,” explained Dana Dryden, Director of Distribution Ontario Centre. “Thanks to the Work-Sharing program, we did not lay off any staff in the distribution centre. The employees are very thankful and they are supporters of this great government initiative.”

The Work-Sharing program is designed to help employers avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance income benefits to qualified workers willing to work a reduced work week while their employer recovers. The Brick’s agreement started on June 28, 2009, and ended on June 26, 2010. As a result of this agreement, 300 employees worked and shared the hours available, avoiding layoff, explained Dana.

The fact that employees have gone back to working full-time hours is a good indicator of a promising future for the company. “The Brick’s future looks good under the current economic conditions,” concluded Dana. “As of today, we are doing well. The program helped us keep our valued employees for a future increase in business.”

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government temporarily improved access to Work‑Sharing by increasing flexibility in the qualifying criteria, while streamlining processes for employers. Budget 2010 extends this enhancement. Budget 2010 also put in place an extension of up to 26 weeks (to a maximum of 78 weeks) for employers with active, or recently terminated, Work-Sharing Agreements. Both of these enhancements will be in place until April 2, 2011.
Work-Sharing — Keep Melting that Snow

Trecan Combustion, a small Nova Scotia company, has been designing and manufacturing snowmelters for over 35 years. Trecan snowmelters are used around the world by airports, municipalities and contractors—wherever snow removal is needed. To date, the company has delivered over 500 machines internationally, with large numbers in the United States, Canada and Russia.

Like many companies across North America, the recession has had a significant impact on Trecan Combustion’s market sales. “More than 50% of our market is usually from the USA. With the economy in the USA being weak, we had almost no orders from there this year,” explained David Regan, Production Manager.

Although the 2010 Winter Olympics had a positive impact on the company and resulted in a few sales, it was not enough to keep the business afloat. In order to adjust to the economic downturn and prevent layoffs, the company had no choice but to turn to the Work-Sharing program. This program is designed to avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance benefits to qualifying workers willing to accept reduced hours while their employer recovers.

Trecan’s Work-Sharing Agreement began on December 13, 2009 and, as a result, 11 participating workers still have jobs and are continuing to share the available hours. “Work Sharing is helping us significantly to keep and support some of our most experienced, hard working employees, which we would otherwise risk losing,”
Even though business activity has dropped and employees are still not working full time hours, the company has taken advantage of the slowdown, preparing for the future by enhancing the quality of their product.

"At this point, it's hard to be sure how long it will take to fully recover. I think the future should be good because we have been significantly improving our product over the last year. This program has allowed us to maintain a strong core group of guys and that should enable us to be quite productive as soon as the work picks up,” said Regan.

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government temporarily improved access to Work-Sharing by increasing flexibility in the qualifying criteria, while streamlining processes for employers; Budget 2010 extends this enhancement. Budget 2010 also put in place an extension of up to 26 weeks (to a maximum of 78 weeks) for employers with active, or recently terminated, Work Sharing Agreements. Both of these enhancements will be in place until April 2, 2011.
Work-Sharing — Staying Solid for a More Secure Future

Aldergrove, British Columbia – South of the Fraser River and west of Abbotsford, the town of Aldergrove is home to True North Furniture Co., a manufacturer of solid wood furniture. Over the past ten years, the company has seen consistent growth with its customer base expanding across Canada and the United States. Last year, however, the company experienced a downward slope in sales.

“Our business has declined about 25% from the previous year,” said Andrew Nasedkin, President and Owner. “Not only are existing retailers doing less business, but it has been near impossible to find new accounts, especially in the US. Everyone has been holding off on trying new products and vendors.”

These strains have been felt in businesses throughout the country and forced some to seek assistance during these difficult times. In order to reduce costs while avoiding layoffs, True North Furniture Co. turned to Work-Sharing. This Government of Canada program is designed to avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance income benefits to qualifying workers who work a reduced work week while their employer recovers.

“Work-Sharing really did help us continue operating as it allowed us to retain our ‘core’ employees,” explains Andrew. “The flexibility it gives a company is a great benefit. It was hard to manage the staff with so much uncertainty in the economy but Work-Sharing took away a lot of that pressure.”

Two thirds of True North Furniture Co. workers (15 employees) had been benefiting from Work-Sharing since March 2009. In August, the company ended their agreement and all of the employees have returned to normal working hours. Thanks to Work-Sharing, the company is feeling secure about the future.

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government has extended the duration of Work-Sharing agreements by 14 weeks to a maximum of 52 weeks. In addition, it has increased access to Work-Sharing agreements through greater flexibility in the qualifying criteria, while streamlining processes for employers. This means that more Canadians can continue working while companies experience a temporary slowdown and recover.
Work-Sharing - Keeping the Wheels of Industry Turning

Waterville, Nova Scotia – Michelin Canada recently celebrated 40 years of manufacturing in Nova Scotia, and thanks to support from the Government of Canada’s Work-Sharing program, the relationship between one of the world's largest tire manufacturers and Nova Scotia will continue to prosper for many more years to come.

Despite its size, Michelin was just as affected by the the recent economic storm as other manufacturers.

To deal with the recession, the company put in place a hiring freeze and introduced a variety of innovative measures to manage costs. In spring 2009, Michelin turned to the Work-Sharing program to find a solution. Work-Sharing is designed to avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance income benefits to qualifying workers willing to work a reduced work week while their employer recovers.

“Thanks to support from the Work-Sharing program, we were able to ride out the 2009 economic storm and avoid layoffs,” says Andrew Mutch, personnel director for Michelin Canada. “It allowed us to keep our trained, experienced and valued employees.”

Michelin North America (Canada) Inc. signed a Work-Sharing agreement for its Waterville, Nova Scotia facility in the spring of 2009 to cover over 500 employees for a 34-week period.

Since transitioning off Work-Sharing at Michelin’s Waterville facility, Michelin Canada has lifted it’s hiring freeze, hiring 40 new employees for its plants across Nova Scotia, and intends to hire more to replace the positions left vacant due to the freeze.

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government temporarily extended the duration of Work-Sharing agreements by 14 weeks to a maximum of 52 weeks, which is set to expire on April 3, 2010. In addition, it increased access to Work-Sharing agreements by providing greater flexibility in the qualifying criteria, while streamlining processes for employers. This means that more Canadians can continue working while companies experience a temporary slowdown and recover.
Work-Sharing - Optimistic About the Road Ahead

Annaheim, Saskatchewan – Doepker Industries Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of highway semi-trailers in Western Canada. The company currently manufactures products for a number of sectors, including the agriculture, forestry, gravel, commercial, oil and gas markets. However, with the recent downturn in the economy, some of these industries have seen a reduction in demand. In order to lower costs and retain its employees, the company signed a Work-Sharing agreement.

"Due to current market realities, we needed to temporarily reduce production levels by approximately 20 to 25 percent," explains Mara Doepker, Corporate Administration Manager. "With the flexibility of Work-Sharing, we have the ability to retain a skilled employee base."

Work-Sharing is designed to avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance income benefits to qualifying workers willing to work a reduced work week while their employer recovers. About 300 employees work at the company’s two locations. Thanks to the Work Sharing program, Doepker Industries Ltd. is able to keep its employees and avoid expensive re-hiring and re-training costs, and employees are able to continue working and keep their skills up to date.

As the different sectors of the economy begin to stabilize, Doepker Industries Ltd. is feeling confident about returning to normal business levels. "Doepker Industries Ltd. is optimistic about a recovery," says Mara.

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government has extended the duration of Work-Sharing agreements by 14 weeks to a maximum of 52 weeks over the next two years. In addition, it has increased access to Work Sharing agreements by providing greater flexibility in the qualifying criteria, while streamlining processes for employers. This means that more Canadians can continue working while companies experience a temporary slowdown and recover.
Work-Sharing - Plant the Seeds for a More Fruitful Future

Centreville, Nova Scotia – Nova Agri Inc. farms more than 2,000 acres of rich soil in the Annapolis Valley. This farming organization, consisting of 40 full time employees and 150 seasonal workers, has experienced some difficult times in the last year due to substantially reduced crop yields during the 2008 growing season. In addition, the global economic downturn added extra strains, as the company began seeing a downward trend in product pricing coupled with rising production costs. However, thanks to support from the federal government, Nova Agri Inc. has been able to get back on its feet.

Like many businesses, Nova Agri Inc. considered temporary layoffs to reduce costs. However, through open discussions with its employees, the company was presented with an alternative option: the Government of Canada’s Work Sharing program. This program is designed to avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance income benefits to qualifying workers willing to work a reduced work week while their employer recovers.

"Through Work-Sharing, we were able to keep our key staff during a tough time," said Allie Craswell, Director of Supply Chain. "We were able to maintain the integrity of our workforce skills. This allowed us to continue delivering quality products and customer service with complete respect to our employees and customers."

Nova Agri Inc.’s Work-Sharing agreement with 18 participating employees began in January 2009 and ran until June 2009, a shorter time than anticipated. Since the company ended its participation in the program, Nova Agri Inc. is back to normal operations and is doing well.

"We are positive about our company’s prospects, but at the same time, we are vigilant about the future," said Allie. "The Work-Sharing program has permitted us to keep our trained and loyal staff and continue our operations without interruptions. I would recommend the program to any company that is experiencing a temporary reduction in business activities."

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government has extended the duration of Work-Sharing agreements by 14 weeks to a maximum of 52 weeks over the next two years. In addition, it has increased access to Work Sharing agreements by providing greater flexibility in the qualifying criteria, while streamlining processes for employers. This means that more Canadians can continue working while companies experience a temporary slowdown and recover.
Protecting Manufacturing Jobs with the Help of Work-Sharing

Calgary Alberta – Standen’s Limited, a 475-person company, has been in operation since the early 1920s. The company manufactures heat treated alloy steel products such as leaf springs, tillage tools, trailer axles and other specialty products used for heavy duty agriculture, transportation and light military vehicle applications. The business exports internationally to the US, South America, Australia, New Zealand and China. Like many companies across Canada, the economic downturn had an impact on Standen’s business.

“The recession has affected the whole world. We have seen a decrease in our sales because of the global market. There are a lot of companies competing for a smaller piece of the market. We chose to go with Work-Sharing to keep everyone employed as opposed to the slash and burn that is happening around. We want to keep our people,” said John Simpson, Director of Personnel and Human Resources, Standen’s Limited.

Through the Work-Sharing program, Standen’s has been able to keep their original staff which has helped them react better to product demands. “By keeping all our staff we are able to keep our skill base. We focus on training and keeping our people to allow us to serve the customer better. If an order comes in we can deliver it quickly,” said John.

Since March 2009, employees from Standen’s Limited have been benefiting from Work-Sharing. “Laying off people is a short-term solution. We started Work-Sharing to keep our employees and our agreement has just been extended. Work-Sharing allows us to protect their jobs,” said John. “I feel good about our future. We know the market will recover and we are optimistic we will be prepared to compete strongly when the market turns around.”

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government will, over the next two years, extend the duration of Work-Sharing agreements by 14 weeks to a maximum of 52 weeks. In addition, the Government is increasing access to Work-Sharing agreements by providing greater flexibility in the qualifying criteria and streamlining processes for employers. This means that more Canadians can continue working while companies experience a temporary slowdown and recover.
Work-Sharing - Paving the Way to a Brighter Future

Burnaby, British Columbia – Established in 1971, Univeyor B.C. Ltd. began as a small manufacturer specializing in conveyor products and systems. Over time, the company expanded to several locations in Western Canada that supply many industries across North America. Today, with the recent global economic downturn, Univeyor B.C. Ltd. is staying strong thanks to assistance from the Government of Canada’s Work-Sharing program.

Work-Sharing is designed to avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance income benefits to qualifying workers willing to work a reduced workweek while their employer recovers. "Our sales have dropped substantially," says Joanne Dancer, Owner of Univeyor B.C. Ltd. "Shortly before the recession, there was a shortage of skilled help, so we did not want to risk losing those we had. Work-Sharing has helped us retain our trained employees."

Univeyor began its Work-Sharing agreement in February 2009 and was then approved for an extension that allows the company and its 17 employees to benefit from the program until July 2010. This extension was made possible through improvements to the Work-Sharing program that were announced in Canada’s Economic Action Plan, and will allow the company to get back on its feet during this time of recovery.

Despite the slowdown in business activity, employees at Univeyor B.C. Ltd. have been able to remain hopeful and foresee a brighter future. "As jobs are currently scarce, it helps them feel that we are supporting them as much as we can," says Joanne. "We are trying to diversify into other things. We have skilled employees capable of manufacturing all kinds of products."

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government has extended the duration of Work-Sharing agreements by 14 weeks to a maximum of 52 weeks over the next two years. In addition, the Government has increased access to Work-Sharing agreements by providing greater flexibility in the qualifying criteria, while streamlining processes for employers. This means that more Canadians can continue working while companies experience a temporary slowdown and recover.
Adapting to Changing Times: A Company Looks to Work-Sharing to Make It through the Recession

Sudbury, Ontario – Northern Uniform Service has been serving the retail and wholesale laundry market in Ontario since 1901, and now meets the uniform rental needs of customers. The business specializes in renting out and cleaning work-wear for commercial companies, with many clients in the automotive industry. Staying in business for over 100 years has required both commitment and the ability to adapt to changing times.

However, like many other companies in Ontario and across Canada, the downturn in the economy has had a negative impact on Northern Uniform Service's business. The recession has resulted in a decrease in demand, as many of the company’s clients had to either temporarily cut expenses, lay off their employees or, even worse, shut down.

“The southern Ontario auto industry was affected early on in the process. We started losing ‘wearers’ and began getting our clothes back,” says Paul Stewart, General Manager. “In the midst of all that, our biggest customer in Northern Ontario went on strike. That’s 3,000 people on strike; many of them were our ‘wearers’.”

It wasn’t long before the company was faced with hard decisions. “We were able to let our employee numbers reduce naturally by 10 percent through attrition, but when volume dropped, we had less work and fewer hours and therefore had to cut a workday,” explains Paul.

When the decision to cut a day was taken, the company’s human resources staff went online and applied immediately for the Work-Sharing program. Work-Sharing is designed to avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance income benefits to qualifying workers willing to work a reduced work week while their employer recovers.

“We applied right away so that employees could receive payment for that lost day of work,” says Paul.

Since April 2009, employees from Northern Uniform Service have been benefiting from Work‑Sharing. “We would have had to lay people off. We have been able to avoid layoffs because of this program. It really helped workers. Without the program, they would have had to give up one fifth of their earnings. Now, through the Work-Sharing program, employees get benefits. It’s a little less money, but they don’t feel like they have to go out and get a five-day job. Replacing a job is just not that easy,” says Paul.

“Even though our volume of work has decreased, we are trying to protect jobs, to keep our employees. It’s getting better. A lot of companies in Southern Ontario have started to come back. We hope that, within a year, we’ll be back to five working days,” he continues.

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government will, over the next two years, extend the duration of Work-Sharing agreements by 14 weeks to a maximum of 52 weeks. In addition, the Government will increase access to Work-Sharing agreements by providing greater flexibility in the qualifying criteria and streamlining processes for employers. This means that more Canadians can continue working while companies experience a temporary slowdown and recover.
Keeping a Community Strong

The forestry industry in British Columbia is going through hard times. In the Revelstoke area, for example, a number of sawmills have closed down completely. Downie Timber Ltd., however, is still in business, thanks in part to a Work-Sharing agreement with the federal government.

Downie Timber was established in Revelstoke in 1944. The family owned company specializes in red cedar. It has a woodland lumbering operation, a sawmill and a re-manufacturing plant that turns out a broad range of finished wood products such as siding, decking and panelling.

Jack Heavenor is part owner of the company, and runs the sawmill. He says: “When we were running flat out, we were employing about 260 to 270 people on site.” That was in February 2008. Then the market for the company’s products began to decrease.

In July 2008, Downie Timber was approved for a Work-Sharing agreement. Work-Sharing is designed to avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance (EI) income benefits to qualifying workers willing to work a reduced workweek while their employer recovers.

By the middle of March 2009, the mill was running on only one shift a day and using only 150 workers. The mill employees who are participating in the agreement work a four-day week, and collect EI on the fifth day.

“Work-Sharing clearly has benefits from both the employer and employee perspective,” Jack says. “Work-Sharing allows us to balance our production against the marketplace. And our employees understand that the alternative is being laid off and getting only EI, versus working three or four days a week and getting a proportional cut in salary.”

According to Jack, the mill workers are not the only employees who are better off because of Work-Sharing. “The fact that the mill is still running means that we’re able to keep our forestry and logging operations steady as well and keep 160 more people working in that area.”

Downie Timber is the largest employer in Revelstoke, which has a population of 9,000. “By keeping people in the town employed, Work‑Sharing also contributes to community stability,” Jack says.

Downie Timber’s original Work-Sharing agreement was scheduled to run out on April 11, 2009. Jack says that he was excited when a new agreement was recently approved for 52 weeks. “This gives us more time and flexibility to recover. We’re hopeful that, in the meantime, we’ll see some corrections in the marketplace, and that eventually we’ll be able to get back to full production.”

For more information on Work-Sharing agreements, see the Fact Sheet – Work-Sharing Program.
Work-Sharing - Creative Connectors – British Columbia

Vernon, British Columbia - In 1994, Lyle Enns invented a system for mounting shelves that leaves no visible hardware. He then founded a company, of which he is President and Chief Executive Officer, to build products using the system. The firm, Creative Connectors Corp., based in Vernon, British Columbia, currently manufactures and wholesales a range of decorative shelving and modularized home storage components.

Though it has only 16 employees, Creative Connectors markets and and services its products nationwide.

About a year and a half ago, Creative Connectors lost one of its biggest accounts. "Coupled with the downturn in the market, that put a lot of pressure on us," Lyle says. The company found itself in a precarious position. Despite its best efforts, Creative Connectors still faced the possibility of having to lay off some of its employees.

To avoid this, the company applied for a Work-Sharing agreement for 11 workers. Work-Sharing is designed to avoid layoffs by offering Employment Insurance income benefits to qualifying workers willing to work a reduced workweek while their employer recovers.

Creative Connectors’ current Work-Sharing agreement began on July 20, 2008, and has helped the company weather the economic storm. As a result of this agreement, all 11 employees are still working and sharing the hours available.

Work-Sharing has enabled Creative Connectors to keep its workforce together. "We have a pretty stable group of people here, and they don’t want to leave any more than we want them to go," says Lyle.

Lyle is applying for a new 52-week agreement, but he is also taking action to get the company back into the black. The company has diversified its product line, and Lyle says that he has high hopes for his new designs. “Because of the recession, consumers aren’t spending on the big ticket items, but they’re still fixing up their houses.” He says that profits are already picking up and that he looks forward to putting his workers on full-time status soon.