Opening a chain of bakeries in several cities within Ontario, Canada

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You are opening a chain of bakeries in several cities within Ontario, Canada, with the intention of selling fresh baked bread and other baked products. You will also be serving simple, fast and fresh dishes such as sandwiches and soups. Your organization is planning to use only the freshest ingredients. Your chain of bakeries will only use locally sourced ingredients, and support the farmers of Ontario, resulting in a mutually beneficial relationship. You will offer customers all the baked goods and easily accessible menu items that are available to them in leading and contemporary bakeries and coffee shops etc. within Ontario. In addition, you intend to sell some creative items to set your business apart from the competition (for e.g. soups with interesting flavours and sandwiches designed creatively, with unique names). You will be opening 6 bakery locations at present, with a staff of 10 in each location. Thus, your total staff throughout Ontario at present will be 60 people altogether. Through voluntary self-disclosure, employees have shared that more than 50% of them have young children. About 30% are looking after their elderly parents. You are also aware that 70% of the staff will be commuting to work through driving their own automobiles, and you have become aware that some of them are worried about continuously rising parking costs and fuel costs.

To do for your video presentation:

  • Come up with a creative and interesting name for the bakery/business
  • Devise a mission statement for the business (keep in mind the 10 questions and evaluation criteria mentioned in the text, which help organizations rate their mission statements, and which also help them ascertain how effective their mission statement is.
  • You want to provide training to the wait staff  (especially waiters) to help set them apart, and help ensure that customers have a unique and great experience. Describe 3 ways in which your bakery’s wait staff would be different, in terms of their training, skills and approach towards the customers, from the staff of an average, non-specialized bakery. (For example, you can think about the differences in staff training when it comes to Tim Horton’s vs. Starbucks.) Another way to look at it: Think about what traits you would like to see in the wait staff at a bakery such as this.

 

  • As a savvy business owner, you are aware of the issues and concerns employees in Canada have regarding Work-Life Family Balance. You know some important facts such as:
  • Canadian workers are feeling more stress, caused by an insufficient salary, work overload, and a negative work environment.
  • About half of Canadian workers spend 22 hours a week on childcare, and about 25 percent spend 9 hours a week on elder care.
  • Work-life conflict negatively impacts performance, causing employees to be absent from work, reduce productivity, and increase use of benefits.

Using your analytical skills and the information shared earlier about your workforce/employees, list 5 ways in which the employer/business can help employees achieve Work-Family Balance, and address some of the challenges employees face in this regard.