Draft Employer Profile - Phoenix Heliflight

EMPLOYER Q&A
PAUL SPRING
OWNER OF PHOENIX HELI-FLIGHT
Q: WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST HR
CHALLENGES?
The location and reputation of the
community is our number one challenge.
We’re a northern community and people
who have never been here, do not know
what Fort McMurray has to offer. Our
second problem is the people we’re looking
for have to be at the top of the industry. It’s
very difficult to get the caliber we need to
meet our clients’ needs.
Q: HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THOSE
CHALLENGES?
You can lure people with wages, but you
won’t get them to stay. We may use wages
to get them in the door, but we have the
equipment and a safety culture that keeps
them here. We have some of the newest
aircraft in Canada and some of the most
modern cockpits. We’ve had a couple
pilots leave and come back – after they’ve been here, other places don’t shine
anymore. If they go somewhere else, they feel their safety has been degraded.
Q: WHAT OTHER BENEFITS DO YOU USE TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN
EMPLOYEES?
We offer our employees dental and health benefits, and a housing subsidy. We
take a look at the nearest big market, which is Edmonton, and we pay the
difference between a house or an apartment in Edmonton and similar housing
in Fort McMurray.
Q: HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU TO FIND EMPLOYEES?
Most of the people in our industry around the world know who we are. We get
resumes from all over. We have no problem finding people and mechanics,
because people want to go to a safe company. We have very low turnover.
EMPLOYER PROFILE
PHOENIX
HELI-FLIGHT
R.R. #1, Site 1, Box 6
Fort McMurray Airport
Fort McMurray, AB
T9H 5B4
P: (780) 799-0141
F: (780) 791-0355
www.phoenixheliflight.com
PHOENIX HELI-FLIGHT’S APPROACH TO HR
Treat your employees right, and the rest will follow. It’s this philosophy that has helped grow
Phoenix Heli-Flight’s business, and retain its employees as well as its customers.
“You’re about to get in a machine that defies gravity,” says Paul Spring, owner and founder of
Phoenix Heli-Flight. “So to get in and go with a pilot, you have to trust them. We’ve built that trust.
The people we have are with us year after year. We don’t mind retaining those people.”
Spring does just that by offering employees a great work environment they can’t say no to.
Benefits, safely maintained aircraft, and a housing subsidy that helps with the cost of living in Fort
McMurray, are all part of the reason employees want to stay.
“The biggest part of my budget is labour -- and the most important,” says Spring. “I can have all
the pretty machines and pretty buildings in the world, but unless I have people to fix them and
operate them, I’m done.”
EMPLOYER
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS
CHALLENGE #1
DEMAND FOR AIR PILOTS, FLIGHT ENGINEERS
AND FLYING INSTRUCTORS 2013-2021
Demand for air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors, Alberta 2013 - 2021
Supply of air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors, Alberta 2013 - 2021
ATTRACTING WORKERS TO FORT MCMURRAY
2700
SOLUTION
Fort McMurray does not have the same big-city appeal as Edmonton or Calgary – or big markets
around the world, for that matter, as Phoenix Heli-Flight competes for the same skilled workers as
international companies. Spring overcomes this challenge by making his company stand out in the
marketplace. He contributes to industry magazines and travels to provide training for those in the
industry, which not only increases his company’s visibility, but gives him a chance to tout the benefits
of working in Fort McMurray and for his company.
2600
2500
2400
CHALLENGE #2
FINDING WORKERS WITH THE RIGHT EXPERIENCE
SOLUTION
Phoenix Heli-Flight’s clients demand a lengthy flying record for their pilots, which means the
company needs workers that have several years of experience. Attracting pilots with the
necessary experience to a smaller town such as Fort McMurray can be a challenge, but Spring
ensures his employees are well taken care of. Both pilots and mechanics that work for Phoenix
Heli-Flight are provided with ongoing training, dental and health benefits, a housing subsidy, and
a quality work environment where safety comes first.
CHALLENGE #3
DEALING WITH CHANGES IN THE ECONOMY
SOLUTION
There are good years and bad years, and Phoenix Heli-Flight survived an economic
downturn that was quite damaging to other Canadian companies. How did it manage? By
maintaining its commitment to its workforce and taking calculated risks. Spring says workers
were not laid off, and wages and benefits were maintained, which helped build a sense of
loyalty among workers. And while other companies were downsizing, Phoenix Heli-Flight
used the downturn as a way to build its business by taking advantage of the abundance of
labour and low building prices by acquiring three more helicopters and a second hangar.
When the downturn ended, customers’ demand increased and Phoenix Heli-Flight was able
to meet it.
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2300
2020
2021
Source: Alberta Occupational Demand and Supply Outlook 2011-2021
WORKER RETENTION STRATEGY:
A SAFE WORK
ENV IRO NM EN T
“Pilots are in demand everywhere around the world. You can go anywhere
you want. But when people get in the later part of their career where they’re
super experienced – which is what we want and what we need – they’re not
willing to take as many risks anymore. They’re getting more settled, they
own a house, they have kids, they have a significant other – they’ve got
some roots and they’re thinking twice. They want to go to a safe company.
We have the hardware in the aircraft, the software that interprets the
hardware, and people that interpret the readings. That all forms part of our
safety culture because we monitor all areas.” — Paul Spring