The sound of female laughter floats out the door at Baja Rosi's Consignment Cabana in Langford. Inside, two women dig through a box of rings adorned with huge, rectangular black and gold embellishments.

Playfully, Carolyn Barter gives Tara Ouellet a mock-punch, her knuckle heavy with the prizefighter-style ring. As they laugh again, it's clear the two are fast friends, but both readily admit their relationship hasn't always been easy.

Barter is Ouellet's employer, and a few months ago, neither one was sure if their professional relationship would continue.

"There was a growing friction between us and we couldn't see a way to address it," Barter says. For Ouellet, who has been at
Baja Rosi's for a year and a half, workdays were becoming stressful and frustrating. Neither woman could pinpoint the problem, let alone solve it.

Barter knew they needed help. She turned to the Community Council's Álvaro Moreno to find out more about the SkillsPlus Project he had previously interviewed her about.

"Álvaro had told me about the definitions of the nine Essential Skills and I thought they might be helpful." For the first time, Barter had a way to define and explain the skill sets she requires of employees.  "Instead of having this friction in my head, I now have a way of asking for what I need."

The Victoria READ Society's workplace educator Helen Thomas was also called in to show both women how they could use the Essential Skills definitions to create a plan to improve job performance.
"After I spoke to both Tara and Carolyn, it became clear that we needed to concentrate on the Essential Skills of communication, problem solving, and working with others," Thomas says.

Barter likens the experience to job counseling, with Thomas acting as a go-between, meeting with the two separately during regular work hours at a nearby coffee shop. "Helen facilitated the relationship between us and completely clarified the issues," she says.  Barter will be able to use the knowledge to help retain her other six employees as well. "The business grew so quickly that I didn't have a plan to manage my employees."

Thomas also helped Ouellet with the store's computer system so that she can now navigate her own way through. "When I had a line-up of customers, I wasn't concerned with learning the steps because I just wanted to move people along," Ouellet says.

Today, both women feel their working relationship is only going to get better.  "When I think of where we could have been sitting if we hadn't had this opportunity, I am just so grateful. It's tremendous that this resource was available to us at no cost, Barter says. "Now we have so much fun together."

Local and international research shows that addressing Essential Skills in the workforce helps both businesses and employees. Training helps manage change, retain promising employees, and improve productivity and safety.

SkillsPlus training is offered by the Victoria READ Society and the Community Council, with funding through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement (LMA) for small business in the Capital Region with less than 50 employees. Currently seven businesses in the retail/wholesale/grocery and tourism/hospitality sectors have signed up and others are on a waitlist.

Employers can find more workplace learning tips, tools and resources on READ's website at www.readsociety.bc.ca/workplace.htm and through the Community Council, http://www.qolchallenge.ca/resources/skillsplus.php.