A new female-led B.C. restaurant, Cordelia's Locket to open in Squamish in May, plans to uplift women and reinvent the business.
Who launches a restaurant during a pandemic? If that sounds like a crazy idea, Elizabeth Mah, Melissa Steacy and Kelly Ann Woods should convince you otherwise.
Besides turning a profit, Mah, Steacy and Woods have made it their goal to help women return to work. Since last February, some 80,000 female workers have left the national labour force, according to Statistics Canada—more than triple the number of men. Meanwhile, women make up the majority of employees in hospitality, one of the sectors hit hardest by COVID.
Seeing that the pandemic has also left women shouldering the bulk of caregiving and homeschooling duties during lockdown, the partners asked what they could do to help. “Women are the first in line to step back into domestic roles, particularly with the way that COVID has happened, where everyone was forced back to their homes,” Mah says. “What we’re trying to do is allow them to still grow a career that is fulfilling as well as very complementary to their lifestyle at home.”
To that end, Cordelia’s Locket will give female employees the flexibility they need. Part of that is figuring out which tasks, such as ordering or scheduling, can be done remotely, Woods says. “How do we bring that into the hospitality model?”
Getting people back to work calls for different approach to hiring, Woods maintains. “Maybe you’ve never served tables before, but it’s not rocket science,” she says. “We want you to come in and want to grow with the team and contribute to something and feel like you’re part of a team. Our mandate is definitely to support women in getting back into the workforce, but we wouldn’t turn down a man because he’s a man.”
Cordelia’s Locket—which will pay a living wage and provide benefits to anyone who works three shifts a week—is also looking at ways to support people with disabilities, Woods says. “It’s really about creating a different model and figuring out a way to support people that have been struggling through this whole thing that’s been happening to all of us.”
For the full story, visit: https://www.bcbusiness.ca/This-female-led-BC-re...
Who launches a restaurant during a pandemic? If that sounds like a crazy idea, Elizabeth Mah, Melissa Steacy and Kelly Ann Woods should convince you otherwise.
Besides turning a profit, Mah, Steacy and Woods have made it their goal to help women return to work. Since last February, some 80,000 female workers have left the national labour force, according to Statistics Canada—more than triple the number of men. Meanwhile, women make up the majority of employees in hospitality, one of the sectors hit hardest by COVID.
Seeing that the pandemic has also left women shouldering the bulk of caregiving and homeschooling duties during lockdown, the partners asked what they could do to help. “Women are the first in line to step back into domestic roles, particularly with the way that COVID has happened, where everyone was forced back to their homes,” Mah says. “What we’re trying to do is allow them to still grow a career that is fulfilling as well as very complementary to their lifestyle at home.”
To that end, Cordelia’s Locket will give female employees the flexibility they need. Part of that is figuring out which tasks, such as ordering or scheduling, can be done remotely, Woods says. “How do we bring that into the hospitality model?”
Getting people back to work calls for different approach to hiring, Woods maintains. “Maybe you’ve never served tables before, but it’s not rocket science,” she says. “We want you to come in and want to grow with the team and contribute to something and feel like you’re part of a team. Our mandate is definitely to support women in getting back into the workforce, but we wouldn’t turn down a man because he’s a man.”
Cordelia’s Locket—which will pay a living wage and provide benefits to anyone who works three shifts a week—is also looking at ways to support people with disabilities, Woods says. “It’s really about creating a different model and figuring out a way to support people that have been struggling through this whole thing that’s been happening to all of us.”
For the full story, visit: https://www.bcbusiness.ca/This-female-led-BC-re...