ThirdQuarter News Stories

ThirdQuarter is a Great Resource

"When you have a mix of the older and the younger, it's very beneficial. They learn from each other."

Nadia Spikula,
Credit and human resources manager
Dauphin Consumer's Co-operative
Dauphin, Manitoba


Nadia Spikula knows the importance of hiring qualified employees.

As the credit and human resources manager for the Dauphin Consumer's Co-operative in Manitoba, Spikula is always finding sources to tap into to fill job openings.

One of her latest is ThirdQuarter, a program she believes can be valuable for filling positions at the Co-op's gas bars, food centres, building centres and agro centres in Dauphin and Ste. Rose du Lac.

"We thought it was a very good idea," Spikula said of the pilot project being offered in Dauphin.

"You get to integrate a lot of the age groups. (ThirdQuarter) people come with a lot of good work ethics, a lot of good skills.

"They create a nice balance for a lot of young staff. When you have a mix of the older and the younger, it's very beneficial. They learn from each other."

The Co-op has posted a position for a stock clerk at its Dauphin food centre and plans to use the program for future openings.

Spikula likes that many ThirdQuarters are flexible with their hours and can fill gaps.

"Anybody younger that's looking for work needs to work 40 hours a week pretty much to sustain a living," she said.

"We're seeing people in the third quarter who are fine to work 15 or 20 hours a week and be very happy and productive in their own personal lives, and yet very productive for the company because they don't want to work 40 hours a week. They can cover your in-betweens."

The Co-op already has a track record for hiring older workers.

At one of its gas bars in Dauphin, four of the employees are aged 50-plus, said manager Midge Sametz, pointing out that includes herself.

She began hiring employees in the third quarter of their lives about five years ago. The three current mature employees are part-time pump attendants who work anywhere from 24 to 40 hours a week, if needed.

"They have a very strong work ethic," Sametz said. "If they're supposed to show up for shift, they will show up for a shift. They very seldom ever call in and say they can't show up. They're very reliable."

She also likes the mix of older and younger employees.

"They all get along very well together," she said.

"The younger ones bring the energy to the workplace, whereas the older ones bring the stability and a level of calmness. They've learnt, I think, a lot from each other."

Brian McGimpsey, 67, retired last year after being a store manager for 35 years at a KFC.

However, it wasn't long before he decided to pick up some part-time work and applied at a few Dauphin businesses. He said all the places he applied wanted to hire him, but he chose Sametz's gas bar.

"I was getting bored of sitting around and doing nothing," said McGimpsey, who travels south for the winter.

"It's an easy job. I love it. I didn't know if I would or not, but talking to people and meeting people, it's perfect."

He works four to five days a week, eight hours a day, and believes he's a valuable addition to the staff.

"I'm dependable and a strong worker," McGimpsey said. "I can give them a dependable worker that will be here and do the work all the time."


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