Mon, Nov 8 2021 | MakeShift Supporting Alberta businesses as we get back to work

Alberta is our home. So "howdy y'all" and all that

With the province's economic engines revving up and historic new mayors recently elected in both Calgary and Edmonton, the future is bright in Alberta. Recently MakeShift was recognized by the Calgary Economic Development as one of the companies that weathered the COVID-19 storm and saw growth during this tough period.

We're grateful to be profiled and appreciate the work of our colleagues in the Alberta business community. MakeShift was founded in Calgary and our head office remains there to this day.

We are proud to be part of this historically entrepreneurial and innovative community and the growing new economy. Our PeopleFirst™ ethos is reflected in the businesses and people of the province.

An Alberta tech company at heart

MakeShift was initially designed to provide agile scheduling for healthcare workers. In fact, one of our first and longest-standing clients is Alberta Health Services.

Healthcare is complex and with lives on the line, incredibly stressful. We take great pride in knowing that we help make things a little less stressful for the people that save lives daily. Even during this COVID-19 pandemic, MakeShift is being used by various healthcare organizations to schedule staff for vaccine roll-outs. 

While healthcare is where we specialized, with some characteristic Albertan ingenuity we have evolved to provide PeopleFirst™ and PainFree™ employee scheduling to the hospitality, recreation and retail industries. We are proud to support users as diverse as YYC Cycle, Luke's Drug Mart, The Source/Less17 and Snow Valley among others. Our client base is as eclectic as the province's business scene. 

We invite all Albertan businesses to try MakeShift for free

How YYC & YEG businesses have benefitted from MakeShift

Times are challenging for people-powered businesses. Attitudes toward work are changing. People's lives are busy as recreation and travel resume. This is leading to new demands being placed on managers and staff. As workplaces adapt to these changes, having the right people, in the right place, at the right time, is key to the survival and success of organizations. Cloud-based scheduling solutions - that integrate with HR and Payroll platforms - such as MakeShift reduce the stress for both managers and employees.

"Payroll used to take me an entire day. Now, with MakeShift and the ADP integration, it is a fraction of that. Because we have so many locations, it was easy in the past to miss someone or enter inaccurate information. That rarely happens anymore. Without MakeShift our lives would be much more complicated!“

- The Source / Less17

See how The Source / Less17 found their fit with MakeShift.

Scheduling during a labour shortage is going to be tricky for Albertan businesses with snow on the way

In the type of competitive labour market we are in, appealing Employee Experience is the key to recruiting and retention... and flexible scheduling is key to offering that great Employee Experience.

While an unwelcome hazard on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, snow makes Alberta a winter playground and draws people from around the world to the resorts of Banff and Jasper, and the community hills in Calgary and Edmonton like Canada Olympic Park and Snow Valley Edmonton.

Snow also makes it tricky for businesses to schedule staff and adapt to any last-minute changes due to poor weather conditions. Think of all the smiling faces it takes to run your favourite Alberta ski resort. These recreation businesses need to communicate schedules changes to their employees in real-time. This year's season is set to be even harder to manage given the labour shortage. MakeShift has stepped up to provide agile scheduling to businesses across Alberta such as Snow Valley to keep their operations running smoothly. 

"Our employees love MakeShift - It has been a game changer for us. In our industry, individuals look for flexible work schedules and MakeShift gives them exactly that. Our employees are able to pick up and drop shifts as they need to, which ultimately improves their experience working here."

- Jennifer Weremczuk, Snow Valley