When it comes to our economy, where does B.C. stand? Is this the promised land, or no man’s land? How are today’s economic conditions going to affect our jobs, our savings or our decisions for our future? Resources, technology and all these different sectors are evolving around us and affecting our economy and our lifestyle choices.
In partnership with CKNW, Vancity Buzz is on board to put our economy under the microscope during the second instalment of Putting B.C. To Work.
“To truly be attractive to talent, you have to do more than just write a paycheck.”
So says Morgan Carey, CEO and founder of Real Estate Webmasters, a Nanaimo-based company that specializes in creating custom web sites for clients in the real estate business. Carey, of recent Dragon’s Den fame, has worked for tech giants like Google and Yahoo.
“I come from the search engine space,” he says. “I’ve been very fortunate to see some great cultures develop.” Real Estate Webmasters, commonly known as REWsters, has been in the business for 11 years and boasts 140 employees. Carey has applied his appreciation for corporate culture to his current company.
“It’s about how you present yourself and how you treat your employers and they really will be happier if you put some effort into addressing their needs.”
Plenty of Perks
Some of the perks that REWster’s employees enjoy include:
- A built-in restaurant featuring Red Seal chefs and a sidewalk patio
- Relocation bonuses for new employees moving to Nanaimo for work
- Flexible work schedules
- A company-owned apartment, dubbed the REWpartment, where prospective employees stay and try out living in Nanaimo
Team building and acknowledgement are also priorities to Carey. He claims his company has great employee retention but admits that getting them can be take a bit of effort. Still, once they’ve stayed in the REWpartment, Carey says island life appeals to many.
“It sells itself, you just have to put the effort into putting it out there.”
Technology has changed the way people work, claims Carey. “People are free to work anywhere, so the competition for fantastic developers is much higher, and you don’t have the constraints of forcing someone to work for one of the few employers in their city.” So employers seeking great employees have to sweeten the pot – great perks and enviable office culture are one way to do that.
Listen to the Morgan Carey’s full interview with CKNW:
CKNW’s special series, Putting B.C. To Work runs until April 26. Follow along on Vancity Buzz as we continue to post interviews throughout the series and tune into CKNW AM 980 every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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